There are approximately 50 graduate students in our department within the Department
of Physics, in addition to eight postdoctoral fellows and undergraduates in approximately
40 majors. The department is large enough to do first-class research, yet small enough
to pay close attention to each student.
Seventy-two credit hours beyond B.S. or 60 hours past M.S. required
At least 30 credit hours must be in multidisciplinary coursework, with the remaining
hours in Doctoral Dissertation Research credits (PHYS 6000)
Submission and defense of dissertation
Available courses include Electromagnetic Theory, Geometrical Optics, Physical Optics,
Lasers, Quantum Mechanics, Optoelectronics, Solid State Physics, Fiber-Optic Communication
Systems
ASSISTfaculty with teaching and research
Stipends and tuition waivers are available as compensation. The graduate committee
also actively pursues national fellowships for outstanding students.
Research
The Photonics graduate program in the Department of Physics provide an excellent mix
of both pure and applied research on a variety of problems ranging from developing
new optical materials to unraveling the mysteries of neutrinos.
Admissions Requirements
Transcripts (official or unofficial) from each college or university attended
Resumé/vitae
Statement of purpose
Recommendation letters - submit contact information of three persons familiar with
your academic preparation and/or job-related skills
Test Scores:
GRE recommended with no minimum score
GRE Physics test strongly recommended
TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE (but not Duolingo) required for international applicants who
are not native English speakers
Application Deadline:
Feb. 1 (fall admission)
Cost & Assistance
Most students enter the graduate program with a teaching assistantship (TA), but often
accept a research assistantship (RA) in one of the research groups during their second
year. Current TA and RA stipends are competitive, and tuition waivers are available.
In addition, the graduate committee actively pursues national fellowships for outstanding
students.
The duties performed by the TAs are teaching recitation sections, instruction in the
general physics laboratories, and occasionally grading assignments. The typical TA
duties require 20 hours or less per week.