Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program

The objective of our program is to prepare you for a career pursuing original research in physics, be that in academia, the private sector, or government laboratories.

The UMass Physics Department hosts about 90 graduate students in our PhD program, with an average of about 15 students in each incoming class. Students entering the program are generally expected to have an undergraduate degree in physics. In the first 3 semesters, students complete coursework to establish competency in the foundational material of the (classical and quantum mechanics, statistical physics) while working as teaching assistants during the academic year. At the same time, students are also expected to explore and engage in research, particularly over the summer and winter sessions. By semester 4, students engage primarily in research activities while attending seminars and taking the occasional special topics course.

Research opportunities available in the department are very broad and include experimental and theoretical condensed matter and soft matter physics, nanoscience, nuclear physics, experimental and theoretical high energy physics, biophysics, gravitational physic, and a variety of collaborative research program with several departments on campus, including Polymer Science. More about these efforts can be found on our Research webpage, www.physics.umass.edu/research.

Applicants should familiarize themselves with the Information for Prospective Students on the webpage: https://www.umass.edu/physics/graduate/PHDprogram, paying particular attention to the essential information found here: https://www.umass.edu/physics/graduate/PHDprogram.

In addition to the requirements of the Graduate School, the requirements for the PhD degree consist of the following. (1) Students pass the coursework quals, typically by achieving B or better in physics 601, 602, 605, 606, 614 and 615. Some or all of these may be waived with permission of the Graduate Program Director, depending on previous preparation. (2) Students pass an oral/research qualifying exam by the end of their 5th semester. At this point, a student qualifies for PhD candidacy and the program focus is on the dissertation. The dissertation prospectus is due no later than 24 months after admission to candidacy. At any time during their program, students are required to take three research courses at the 700 and 800 level; one in the students area of research, a second in the related area of research and a third must be in a totally distinct subfield. The department requires no foreign- language reading competency for the doctorate. A student must register for a total of 18 credits in Physics under 899 Doctoral Dissertation.