Admission Requirements

Admission to the PhD program in Applied Physics at the UofM is open to anyone holding a bachelor’s or a master’s degree from an accredited college or university. In general, applicants are considered for admission after completion of a degree in physics or closely related discipline with the required core courses in physics.

To be admitted, applicants should fulfill the following requirements:

1. A bachelor’s degree in physics or closely related discipline with a minimum of 3.00 GPA in undergraduate courses, and a minimum of 20 semester hours of undergraduate physics, including upper division mechanics, electricity and magnetism, introductory quantum mechanics, and thermal physics, and approved mathematics courses in calculus and differential equations.
2. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test results with a minimum verbal score of 145, a minimum quantitative score of 150, and a minimum writing score of 3.0.
3. Personal statement of 750-1000 words indicating the interests and career goals of the applicant. The statement should include how his/her PhD studies will prepare him/her in achieving his/her career goals. The statement should include the student’s research interests in line with faculty research in the department.
4. Three recommendation letters demonstrating the student’s academic strengths, research aptitude and/or capabilities, communication and interpersonal skills, and potential for success in a PhD study.
5. A résumé or curriculum vitae.
6. In addition, international students, from non-English speaking countries, are required to demonstrate proficiency in English through a minimum score of 80 in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or 7.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

In unusual circumstances, where the above admission requirements are not met, the applicant may seek exceptions by contacting the Graduate Coordinator of the Department of Physics and Materials Science (DPMS).

All applications are thoroughly reviewed by the department’s Graduate Committee. The admission is based on the overall quality of the applicant’s academic background in physics, including GPA, GRE, etc., completed undergraduate and graduate courses in physics and closely related disciplines, research achievements and/or aptitude, and recommendation letters.

Program Requirements

The proposed PhD Program requires the completion of 72 semester credit hours beyond the Bachelor’s Degree or 42 semester credit hours beyond Master’s Degree.

Students entering with a bachelor’s degree must complete 18 semester hours of Physics Core courses, 6 semester hours of Focus Area Elective courses, 6 semester hours of Breadth Elective courses, and 6 semester hours of Individual Study courses. Up to 36 semester hours of dissertation credit can be applied toward the PhD requirements.

Students entering with a master’s degree must complete 3 semester hours of a Physics Core course, 3 semester hours of a Focus Area Elective course, 3 semester hours of a Breadth Elective course, and 3 semester hours of an Individual Study course. Up to 30 semester hours of dissertation credit can be applied toward the PhD requirements.