MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PHYSICS
The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers a graduate program that leads to the Master of Science Degree in Physics.
Our Program
Built around fundamental core courses, our program is tailored to meet your educational and career needs through additional classroom work, research projects, and supervised independent study. Our graduates have gone on to Ph.D. programs in physics or related fields, a variety of positions in industry, and faculty positions at community colleges.
We seek applicants with a strong interest in expanding their understanding of physics. Those with a solid academic background and an undergraduate major in physics typically reeive admission directly into our program. Applicants without an undergraduate physics major may be admitted with the condition that they complete the equivalent of the undergraduate major in addition to fulfilling the usual requirements for the graduate degree. We have worked successfully with students whose undergraduate degrees range from engineering to philosophy.
Graduate assistantships are available that include tuition coverage and a modest stipend.
The program is summarized in the table below.
Required Courses
|
14 - 17 hours |
| PHY 662 |
Advanced Mechanics |
|
3 |
| PHY 671 |
Electromagnetic Theory |
|
4 |
| PHY 675* |
Quantum Mechanics |
|
4 |
| PHY 690/1/2 |
Thesis Research |
|
3 - 6 |
| |
|
|
|
Elective Courses in Physics
|
7-16 hours |
| Seven to 16 hours selected in consultation with the graduate advisor. |
|
| |
|
|
|
Cognate Courses
|
0 - 6 hours |
| Zero to 6 hours selected in consultation with the graduate advisor. |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
30 hours |
| |
|
|
| *The PHY 675 requirement may be waived in exceptional cases upon department approval. |
No more than 9 semester hours of 400-level undergraduate courses approved for graduate credit may be used on any program. Upon admission to the program, the student will arrange a program of study with his/her assigned advisor.
Why EMU Physics?
We are dedicated to helping our students achieve their academic goals. Small class sizes, plentiful opportunity for faculty-student interaction, and numerous research opportunities will make your time here well spent. Our research roots run deep, including intra-university collaborations with the Department of Geography and Geology, the Department of Chemistry, and the NSF Coatings Research Institute, external funding from the National Science Foundation, the NASA Michigan Space Grant Consortium, Visteon Corp., Masco Corp., Sun Chemical Corp., and Exatec LLC, and external collaborations with HAARP and Ford Scientific Research Lab. Our departmental lab facilities include the Surface Science Lab, the Modern Optics Lab, and the Laser & Plasma Physics Lab.
Areas of Research Interest
Optics and Laser Spectroscopy
Surface Science
Nanomechanics and Nanotribology
Space Physics
Plasma Physics
Thin Films
Cosmology
Acoustics
Fluid Dynamics
Electricity and Magnetism
Theoretical Physics
While most of our research takes place on site, some students have done research in nearby industrial facilities or at national labs.
