Physics and Astronomy

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http://www.phys.utk.edu/

Soren P. Sorensen, Head
Marianne Breinig, Director of Graduate Studies

Departmental graduate programs leading to the MS and the PhD are also available at the University of Tennessee Space Institute, Tullahoma, where opportunities for study and research are available in laser applications, quantum and applied optics, laser spectroscopy, fluid physics, medical physics, computational physics, and theoretical physics. For additional information, contact the department head.

Admission
A student who enrolls in graduate study with the intention of attaining an advanced degree in physics will have completed an undergraduate major in physics or its equivalent. PHYS 311-312, 321, 361*, PHYS 431 -PHYS 432 , PHYS 421 , PHYS 461 , and PHYS 411 -PHYS 412  constitute the minimum courses prerequisite to graduate study.

A student who intends to present physics as a graduate minor will have completed an undergraduate minor in physics or its equivalent. Physics 311 and PHYS 431 -PHYS 432  constitute the minimum course work prerequisite to a minor in physics.

In addition to meeting the Graduate Council’s minimum requirements, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (general and subject).

All first-year graduate students are required, for advising purposes only, to take a diagnostic examination in undergraduate physics during the fall semester registration period.

*See undergraduate catalog for more information on 300-level courses.

Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in Computational Science (IGMCS)
The Department of Physics and Astronomy participates in the interdisciplinary graduate minor in computational science (IGMCS) program. Any student pursuing a master’s or PhD with a major in Physics can receive a minor in computational science by completing the appropriate IGMCS requirements. For additional information, see the description of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in Computational Science  listed under Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science or visit the IGMCS website at http://igmcs.utk.edu/. The Department of Physics also contributes courses to the IGMCS program curriculum.

FIVE-YEAR BS-MS PROGRAM
Qualified students completing a BS degree from a department of the College of Engineering or the College of Arts and Sciences who have added a physics minor by completing the requirements listed under the Five-Year BS with Physics Minor-MS program in the Undergraduate Catalog, must apply to the department‟s graduate committee for permission to enroll under this program. Six hours of 400-level courses required for a minor in physics combined with a BS engineering degree may be applied toward a master‟s degree (project option or non-thesis option) in physics during a fifth year following the award of the BS. This program is designed for students attending the University of Tennessee for the Master of Science degree because other universities may not accept these courses for graduate credit since they were used to satisfy requirements for an undergraduate program. Significant components of the program are:

• Students must have an overall GPA of 3.4 in required course work. Conditional admission may be granted after completing the required 100- and 200-level requirements for the minor while full admission is granted after enrolling in the final semester of courses required for all BS and minor course requirements with a minimum overall GPA of 3.4.
   
• Students must at least be conditionally admitted to the program prior to taking graduate courses for both their minor and master‟s degree. All courses taken for graduate credit must be approved by the graduate program director. Students admitted to the program must request permission from the Graduate School to take approved courses for graduate credit.
   
• Students admitted to the program must also follow the normal procedure for admission to the Graduate School. Admission of students into this program must be approved by the department and the Graduate School. Students will not be eligible for assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.

Five-Year Program Project Option
The requirements for the project option are PHYS 411 , PHYS 412 , PHYS 593 , PHYS 594 , and 12 hours (four courses) chosen from any 500-level physics courses. Examination and reporting requirements are the same as for the standard physics major MS project option.

Five-Year Program Non-Thesis Option
The requirements for the non-thesis option are PHYS 411 , PHYS 412 , and six courses (18 hours) chosen from PHYS 513 , PHYS 514 , PHYS 521 , PHYS 522 , PHYS 531 , PHYS 541 , PHYS 571 , PHYS 573 . Examination requirements are the same as for the standard physics major MS non-thesis option.

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