Applied and Engineering Physics M.S.

The M.S. in Applied and Engineering Physics contains both elements of traditional physics programs and the application of physics to a diversity of critical societal problems. The program is divided into two emphases. The applied physics emphasis is intended for those who wish to apply the techniques and subject areas of physics to multifaceted problems encountered in the workplace, particularly in physics, engineering, computational science and other related areas. The engineering physics emphasis, jointly administered with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, allows students to select a larger number of courses from electrical engineering.

All courses are offered during late afternoon or evening hours to allow students with full-time employment to attend easily. Persons employed at area high-technology organizations may take up to 6 credits (out of 30) for work done on the job under the guidance of a faculty member. This employment-related research may be conducted either under an optional 3-credit research project or an optional 6-credit master's thesis. Master's students who are not employed full time may apply for financial aid or for a limited number of research assistantships.

Admission Requirements

Those holding a baccalaureate degree in physics or a related field from an accredited institution and earned a GPA of 3.00 (out of 4.00) in their last 60 credits are invited to apply for admission. If the baccalaureate degree is in a field other than physics, the applicant should have taken several courses beyond the introductory physics courses, such as junior-level classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, or electronics. An applicant may be required to make up one or two deficiencies, based on a graduate physics advisor's assessment, and still be permitted to enroll in the program. Two letters of recommendation must be submitted, preferably from former professors. The general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the GRE subject test in physics are recommended for applicants who received their baccalaureate degrees within the last five years. A less recent bachelor's degree recipient may present a statement of his/her work experience in lieu of the GRE.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for the degree must successfully complete 30 credits as follows:

1. 6 credits of required core courses: PHYS 685 (or 513), and 684.
2. 12 credits in an emphasis
   • For the applied physics emphasis, any three of the following courses: PHYS 510, 512, 533, 540, 575, 612, 613, 620, 676, 701, 705, 711, 728, 736,784, and 785; ASTR 530, 761, 764, 765, and 766.
   • For the engineering physics emphasis, PHYS 510, 533 and any 6 credits in electrical engineering (ECE).
3. 12 credits of electives chosen from courses in physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, information technology, and computational sciences and informatics. No more than 6 credits may be chosen from areas outside ASTR, CSI, ECE, and PHYS. Elective credits can include a project (PHYS 798) or thesis (PHYS 799).
4. Students may choose to do either ECE/PHYS 798 Research Project (3 credits) or ECE/PHYS 799 Master's Thesis (6 credits), but not both. The research project may be conducted at a student's place of employment with the concurrence of a faculty advisor. The thesis is a more substantial piece of work performed under the supervision of a major professor and requires the student to make an oral defense. ECE/PHYS 798 may be taken only once. No more than 6 credits of PHYS 799 may be applied to the degree.

In addition to the requirements stated above, a student may also select an emphasis in astrophysics, atmospheric physics, biological applications of physics, computational physics, condensed matter, instrumentation (engineering physics), or nonlinear dynamics. An emphasis requires that a student complete 15 credits of approved courses. The students in the master's degree program can earn a graduate certificate in Computational Techniques and Applications from the School of Computational Sciences by choosing an approved sequence of courses.