Master of Science in Physics

Overview

The objective of graduate work in physics is to prepare the student for continued professional and scholarly development as a physicist. The physics Master of Science degree program is designed to give the student advanced training in all fundamental areas of physics through formal courses and the options of some degree of specialization or participation in original research in one of a variety of projects directed by the faculty.

About The Program

The physics Master of Science degree program is designed to give the student advanced training in all fundamental areas of physics through formal courses and the options of some degree of specialization or participation in original research in one of a variety of projects directed by the faculty. It prepares the student for continued professional and scholarly development as a physicist. The program can be completed within two years.

Degree Plan

For the Thesis Option, a minimum of 30 hours is required for the Master of Science degree, of which 24 hours, including a six-hour thesis (minimum registration), will be in physics, and six hours may be selected from physics, mathematics, chemistry, earth & environmental sciences, biology, or engineering as approved by the Graduate Advisor.

For the Non-thesis Option, a minimum of 36 hours is required for the Master of Science degree. They will be in physics. But up to nine hours may be selected from mathematics, chemistry, earth & environmental sciences, biology, or engineering as approved by the Graduate Advisor. The student is required to pass an oral comprehensive exam in the last semester.

Career Opportunities

• Medical Physicist
• Computer Programmer
• Two-Year College or High School Physics Teacher
• Aerospace, Chemical, or Electrical Engineer
• Atmospheric Scientist
• Hydrologist

Max Fischer / pexels

Why Choose Us?

1. The Department of Physics has outstanding undergraduate and graduate programs from B.S. through the Ph.D. The Physics Department has a faculty committed to teaching excellence while vigorously pursuing nationally and internationally recognized research in many areas.
2. Students at the undergraduate and graduate levels are encouraged to participate with our outstanding faculty in these research programs.
3. Diverse physics research areas: Astrophysics, Biomedical Physics, Center for Nanostructured Materials, Chaos & Nonlinear Physics, Theoretical and Experimental Condensed Matter Physics, High Energy and Nuclear Physics, High Energy Physics Group, Neutrino Physics Group, Neutrinos, and Rare Event Searches, Medical Bio Physics, Nano-Bio Physics, Nanostructured Magnetic Materials, Nanostructured Materials, and Space Physics. and Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics.
4. U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 “Best Graduate Schools” list ranks the College of Science’s graduate program in physics No. 119.
5. Marketable skills gained: gathering information, using original sources, applying theoretical approaches to problems, establishing hypotheses and defining problems, synthesizing and analyzing information, and experiment design, testing, and validation.

Admission Requirements

For unconditional admission to the Master of Science program in physics, the candidate must satisfy the general admission requirements of the University, including a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, as calculated by Graduate Admissions and favorable letters of recommendation from individuals able to assess the applicant's potential for success in a Masters program. In addition, the candidate should have satisfactorily completed at least 24 undergraduate hours of advanced physics and supporting courses and should have minimal GRE scores of 143 in Verbal and 151 in Quantitative.

Applicants not meeting the minimum requirements of the department or the University for either program may still be considered for unconditional acceptance if other information in their application indicates a reasonable probability of success in graduate studies in physics.

Probationary Admission

If an applicant does not meet a majority of standards for unconditional admission outlined above, they may be considered for probationary admission after careful examination of their application materials. Probationary admission requires that the applicant receive a B or better in their first 12 hours of graduate coursework at UT Arlington.

Deferred And Provisional Admission

A deferred application decision may be granted when a file is incomplete or when a denied decision is not appropriate. An applicant unable to supply all required documentation prior to the admission deadline but who otherwise appears to meet admission requirements may be granted provisional admission.

Denial Of Admission

A candidate may be denied admission if he or she has less than satisfactory performance on the admission criteria described above.

Scholarships And Fellowships

Students who are admitted will be eligible for available scholarship and/or fellowship support. Award of scholarships or fellowships will be based on consideration of the same criteria utilized in admission decisions. To be eligible, candidates must be new students coming to UT Arlington in the Fall semester, must have a GPA of 3.0 in their last 60 undergraduate credit hours plus any graduate credit hours as calculated by Graduate Admissions, and must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 hours of coursework in both long semesters to retain their fellowships.