Master of Science in Applied Physics

The Applied Physics degree program is excellent preparation for those planning to continue their education through the Ph.D., either in physics or an engineering field, or for a career as an instructor in a two-year college. Students electing the Thesis Option will be well qualified for employment in industry or in a research laboratory.

Students have opportunities for research in Biophysics, Computational Physics, Medical Physics, and Optics. The major research emphasis in the department is in the area of applied optics. The Department of Physics and Optical Science is the administrative coordinator of M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Optical Science and Engineering. These degree programs are interdisciplinary involving five science and engineering departments (Physics & Optical Science, Chemistry, Mathematics & Statistics, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Science), the Center for Optoelectronics & Optical Communications, and the Center for Precision Metrology. A second area of emphasis is in biophysics, where there is a strong interdisciplinary relationship with the Ph.D. programs in Chemistry and Nanoscale Science, Biology, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and Applied Mathematics. The M.S. in Applied Physics program emphasizes basic and applied interdisciplinary education and research in many diverse areas that include: Statistical and computational physics, Biological molecular motors, Protein folding, stability, and dynamics, Structural-based drug discovery
Nuclear molecular resonance spectroscopy, Micro-optics and nanophotonics, Fiber and integrated optics, Optoelectronic materials and devices
Biomedical optics, Optical interferometry and metrology, Optical fabrication, Nanoscale imaging and spectroscopy, Adaptive optics

In addition to fulfilling the University's general requirements for graduate admission at the Master's level, applicants seeking admission into the M.S. in Applied Physics program must also:
Possess a Bachelor's degree in Physics, or a closely allied field, from a college or university accredited by an accepted accrediting body, applicants from fields other than Physics may expect to be required to remove deficiencies in their physics background
Present satisfactory scores on the GRE General Test (no subject test is required)
Possess an overall minimum GPA of 2.75 (based on a 4.0 scale) on all of the applicant's previous work beyond high school, the GPA in the major should be 3.0 or above
Present satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language, if the applicant is from a non-English speaking country
Demonstrate evidence of sufficient interest, ability, and preparation in physics to adequately profit from graduate study, as determined by the Physics Department's Graduate Committee
A minimum TOEFL score of 220 (computer-based), 557 (paper-based), or 83 (Internet-based) or a minimum IELTS band score of 6.5 required from any applicant whose native language is not English