MS in Physics

Requirements for the Master’s Degree

M.S. in Physics Thesis Option 

For the master of science or master of science and education, a student must complete 30 hours of graduate credit that includes the following:

  1. PHYS 6140 and an additional 15 hours of graduate course credit in physics, with six of the 15 hours numbered above 6000. Credit in PHYS 5900, PHYS 6010/PHYS 8010, PHYS 6020/PHYS 8020 or PHYS 7910 will not count toward either degree.
  2. The student must present a satisfactory thesis based on directed research, for no more than eight credit hours.
  3. The remaining hours within the 30 total may be chosen from graduate courses approved by the student’s committee. In some cases students working toward the Ph.D. may earn the M.S. degree without formal presentation of the M.S. thesis if they have passed the Ph.D. qualifying examination, satisfied the course requirements for the M.S., and completed a research project under the supervision of a research adviser. Students meeting these requirements may petition the department to grant the M.S. without formal presentation of a thesis.

M.S. in Physics Intensive Coursework Option (non-thesis)

For the coursework intensive M.S. in Physics the student must complete at least 30 hours of graduate credit including the following:

  1. At least 24 hours of graduate course credit in physics, with at least 12 of the 24 hours numbered above 6000.  No more than 6 hours of graduate research course credit may count towards the 24 hours. Credit in  PHYS 5900, PHYS 6010/PHYS 8010, or PHYS 6020/PHYS 8020 or PHYS 7910 will not count toward the degree requirements. 

  2. In addition to the required coursework, a student must prepare a project report based either on literature research or independent research or a combination thereof, conducted under the supervision of the student's project advisor or co-advisors. The report should be prepared in accordance with the format specified by the advisory committee and the student should present an oral defense of the project results.

  3. The remaining hours to complete the 30 total required hours may be chosen from any courses approved for graduate credit with the approval of the student's advisory committee.

Combined Bachelor's to master's Pipeline Program

Undergraduate students accepted to the Physics Pipeline Program will be admitted to the MS Physics with Non-Thesis Option and allowed to complete up to nine credits of graduate level classes while completing their final 1-2 years of undergraduate studies. Students admitted into the pipeline program must apply for admission to the College of Graduate Studies for the semester that they intend to matriculate. They will then continue in the graduate program upon completion of the undergraduate degree requirements. The graduate coursework (up to nine credit hours) may be applied to completion of both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. It will be the joint responsibility of the faculty and administrators in the undergraduate and graduate programs to supervise students admitted to the combined program option, to ensure that the limit of nine credit hours of graduate taken as an undergraduate is strictly enforced, and to request that the College of Graduate Studies change their matriculation from Undergraduate to Graduate when all undergraduate degree requirements are satisfied.  

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

UT undergraduate students must 1) be majoring in the BS in Physics degree program, 2) have a minimum of 3.2 cumulative undergraduate grade point average that will include undergraduate credits earned at other institutions and transferred to UT, and 3) have approval of their advisor and department chair.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Students in BS Physics program can submit their application after completing at least 9 credit hours of physics (PHYS) or astronomy (ASTR) courses at PHYS/ASTR 3000 level or above. Application to this early pipeline program must contain 1) a letter of interest, 2) a completed graduate admission application, and 3) at least 2 letters of recommendation from faculty members.

Pipeline B.S. to M.S. COURSES

In order for students to use up to 9 credit hours toward both BS and MS degree requirements, students in the pipeline program need to register for the graduate version for 3 of the following courses: PHYS 5130, PHYS 5210, PHYS 5230, PHYS 5240, PHYS 5310, PHYS 5430, PHYS 5440, PHYS 5510, PHYS 6280, PHYS 6630 or upon approval of either Graduate Advisor or Department Chair, other PHYS courses at the 5000 level  or greater, excluding PHYS 5900, PHYS 6010/PHYS 8010, PHYS 6020/8020, and PHYS 7910. 

M.S. in Physics with Materials Science Option

A master of science degree in physics with a materials science option is available. For this degree, a student must complete 30 hours of graduate credit, including the following:

  1. PHYS 6140, PHYS 6540, PHYS 6550 and an additional 12 hours of graduate course credit in physics with six of the 12 hours numbered above 6000. Credit in PHYS 5900, PHYS 6010/PHYS 8010, or PHYS 6020/PHYS 8020 or PHYS 7910 will not count toward the degree requirements. 
  2. The student must present a satisfactory thesis based on directed research, for no more than eight credit hours.
  3. The remaining hours within the 30 total may be chosen from any graduate courses approved by the student’s committee.