Academic Programs
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS:
B.S. Physics
This is a 5-year program for students interested in acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills to do research in either theoretical or experimental physics. The aim is for students to gain a more in-depth familiarity with some of the most important concepts in physics and also develop skills in performing physics experiments. The program requires a submission and successful defense of a research thesis during the fifth year. The thesis can either be in theoretical or experimental physics.
(Curriculum: BS Physics)
B.S. Applied Physics
There are 2 available tracks in the Applied Physics program: B.S. Applied Physics (Instrumentation Track) and B.S. Applied Physics (Materials Track). Both tracks are 5-year programs aiming to develop among students a detailed understanding of some of the most important concepts in physics as well as train them in applying physics concepts to solving realistic and practical problems. The Instrumentation Track is for those students who plan to design and build their own instruments while the Materials Track is for those who wish to develop novel materials with specific and desired qualities. Both programs require the submission and successful defense of a research thesis during the fifth year.
(Curriculum: BS Applied Physics (Instrumentation Track), BS Applied Physics (Materials Track))
DOUBLE-MAJOR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM:
B.S. Applied Physics with Materials Science and Engineering
This is a 5-year double-major program where at the end of the fifth year the student will receive a B.S Applied Physics degree and a B.S. Materials Science and Engineering degree. The program integrates knowledge and tools from chemistry and physics with principles from engineering to design, fabricate, and characterize improved and novel materials. Because it is a double major program, it requires the submission and successful defense of 2 research theses: one for the applied physics degree and another for the materials science and engineering degree.
(Curriculum: BS Applied Physics with Materials Science and Engineering)
GRADUATE MASTER'S PROGRAMS:
The Department of Physics offers 4 Master's degree programs in physics. All 4 programs require students to have sufficient background in undergraduate physics and science courses. Two of the programs, i.e., the Master of Physics and the Master of Physics Education programs, do not require the submission of a thesis. The other two programs, i.e., the M.S. Physics and the M.S. Atmospheric Science programs, require the submission and successful defense of a Master's thesis and are thought of as intermediate degrees for those students planning to pursue a Doctoral Degree in Physics. These 4 programs are listed below:
Master of Physics
This is a non-thesis degree program usually taken by science and engineering graduates who would like to gain more background in advanced concepts and methods in physics. Prospective students of the program should have an undergraduate degree in physics or equivalent, and should have some background in mathematics (e.g., differential equations, vector calculus, linear algebra, complex analysis, and special functions) and advanced physics (e.g., classical mechanics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics) associated with an undergraduate degree in physics. Most of the courses offered in this program are at the same level as the advanced physics courses offered to the Department's undergraduate physics majors.
(Curriculum: Master of Physics)
Master of Physics Education
This is a non-thesis degree program usually taken by high school and college teachers whose main interests are in physics education and have no immediate plans of pursuing advanced research in physics. Prospective students of the program should have taken subjects at the level of college physics for science, engineering, or education majors, and have some background in mathematical analysis (e.g., finding the solutions to differential and integral equations, vector algebra, finding the solutions to a set of algebraic equations).
(Curriculum: Master of Physics Education)
M.S. Atmospheric Science
This is a program with foundational courses in the atmospheric sciences and meteorology and branching out to either instrumentation, remote sensing, climate monitoring, and computer modeling. Prospective students of the program should have an undergraduate degree in the natural sciences or engineering and should have taken a minimum of 18 undergraduate units or equivalent in the specialization in which students intend to pursue graduate research. The program requires the submission and successful defense of a Master's thesis.
(Curriculum: MS Atmospheric Science)
M.S. Physics
This is a program usually taken by physics graduates with the intention of pursuing further studies and advanced research in physics. Prospective students should have an undergraduate degree in physics or equivalent and should have taken the necessary background courses in mathematics (e.g., differential equations, vector calculus, linear algebra, complex analysis, and special functions) and advanced physics (e.g., classical mechanics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics) associated to an undergraduate degree in physics. The required core and elective courses in the program will further enrich the student's background in advanced physics and will serve as a preparation to pursue research. The program requires the submission and successful defense of a Master's thesis.
(Curriculum: MS Physics)
GRADUATE DOCTORAL PROGRAM:
Ph.D. Physics
This program aims to develop outstanding physicists who will actively pursue advanced research in physics as well as regularly publish research articles in established physics journals and mentor the next generation of physicists. Prospective students of the program should have an undergraduate degree in physics or equivalent and should have taken the necessary background courses in mathematics (e.g., differential equations, vector calculus, linear algebra, complex analysis, and special functions) and advanced physics (e.g., classical mechanics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics) associated to an undergraduate degree in physics. Prospective students with a Master's degree in physics can opt to have some of the advanced physics and elective courses they have taken be credited toward satisfying the requirements of the program. The program requires the submission and successful defense of a doctoral dissertation. In addition, the student is required to publish at least one research article in an ISI-listed journal.
(Curriculum: PhD Physics)
