The required courses for a Master's are Experimental Physics (805), Mathematical Methods of Physics (931), Theoretical Mechanics (939), Electromagnetic Theory (941), and Quantum Mechanics (943). In addition to the required courses, the Master's student must select one of the following plans:
1) Complete another 9 credits of coursework and a Master's Thesis, representing the equivalent of 6 semester hours' work, and pass an oral exam on the thesis.
2) Complete another 15 credits of coursework, a research project (may account for up to 3 credits) and an oral exam in the format of a seminar. An exam committee consisting of two faculty members is required. Prior approval from the graduate advisor is required for this option.
3) Complete another 15 credits of coursework and pass the written comprehensive and the oral qualifying exams (for students in the Ph.D. program only).
We strongly recommend the thesis option since research experience is highly valued by employers and is qualitatively different from coursework. For a Master's degree, any number of electives may be at the 800 level. Master's students do not take the Ph.D. comprehensive or oral qualifying exam.