Program Admission

Applicants should have the equivalent of an undergraduate major in physics with a strong background in mathematics including multivariable calculus and differential equations. Students who do not meet these requirements may be granted conditional admission requiring additional undergraduate course work in physics and/or mathematics.

All applicants must provide the following with their application:

• Transcripts from all undergraduate institutions previously attended
• A personal statement of at least 1,000 words explaining the purpose for pursuing the MS degree here at EMU
• Two letters of recommendation

Department Information

Physics & Astronomy | Alexandria Oakes, Ph.D., Department Head | 240A Strong Hall, 734.487.8647, aoakes@emich.edu

Marshall Thomsen, Ph.D., Graduate Coordinator, 240K Strong Hall, 734.487.8794, jthomsen@emich.edu

Advisor Information

Marshall Thomsen, Ph.D., 240K Strong Hall, 734.487.8794, jthomsen@emich.edu

Eric Paradis, Ph.D., 240H Strong Hall, 734.487.6656, eparadis@emich.edu

James Sheerin, Ph.D., 240I Strong Hall, 734.487.8793, jsheerin@emich.edu

Degree Requirements: 30 hours

The M.S. in Physics requires the completion of 30 hours of course work to be distributed among required courses, elective courses, and cognate courses, satisfactory performance on a comprehensive written/oral examination and one of the following two options: a) the successful completion of the experimental laboratory courses PHY 517  and PHY 558  in the summer after your first and second year of graduate study, or b) the completion of a research problem culminating in a written thesis or report.

• Required Courses: 26-29 hours

• PHY 510 - Proposal Writing in Physics 1 hr
• PHY 517 - Experimental Project in Physics 2 hrs
• PHY 533 - Topics in Computational and Advanced Physics I 2 hrs
• PHY 534 - Topics in Computational and Advanced Physics II 2 hrs
• PHY 535 - Topics in Computational and Advanced Physics III 1 hr
• PHY 558 - Advanced Experimental Techniques in Physics 2 hrs
• PHY 581 - Mathematical Physics 3 hrs May be waived in exceptional cases w/ dept. approval
• PHY 641 - Modern Optics 4 hrs
• PHY 664 - Advanced Mechanics I 4 hrs
• PHY 671 - Electromagnetic Theory 4 hrs
• PHY 675 - Quantum Mechanics 4 hrs

•  

  The requirements for PHY 517  and PHY 558  may be waived if a student instead chooses to complete a research project, culminating in either a written and oral research report or in a thesis and oral defense.  In the case of a research report, the student may receive credit for up to three hours from the following courses, and in the case of a thesis the student may receive credit for up to six hours from the following courses

   

• PHY 690 - Thesis/Final Project 1 hr
• PHY 691 - Thesis/Final Project 2 hrs
• PHY 692 - Thesis/Final Project 3 hrs

•  

  Elective Courses in Physics: 1-4 hours

  One or four hours will be filled through electives within the department, selected with the approval of a department advisor (four hours only if PHY 581  is waived).