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Ph.D. in Engineering Physics

This program provides advanced education and research opportunities in a collaborative environment that offers leading-edge facilities and expert faculty guidance.

The Ph.D. in Engineering Physics offers exciting opportunities to build upon the research that is being carried out in the Department of Physical Sciences including remote sensing, and the design and implementation of electro-optical and radar systems. 

The objective of the Ph.D. program in Engineering Physics is to provide advanced education and research opportunities to exceptional students by providing a research environment which fosters collaboration, creative thinking and publishing of findings in nationally recognized journals.

Students are involved in a wide variety of research projects, most of which is funded by grants from NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DoD) and other agencies.

The constant achievements and advancement of scientific knowledge increase the demand for highly trained scientists and engineers with specialized skills. Opportunities abound in computing, space education, medicine, robotics, software engineering, system administration, and general engineering.

Students are able to work with state of the art optical instruments, laser systems for atmospheric sounding, a laboratory plasma chamber, a space simulation chamber, supercomputer for modeling calculations, and the largest University research telescope in the southeastern United States.

About Engineering Physics at the Daytona Beach, FL Campus

Housed in the Department of Physical Sciences  in the College of Arts and Sciences , the Ph.D. in Engineering Physics program provides advanced education and research opportunities to exceptional students. 

Students will work in campus laboratories such as the Atmospheric Physics Research Lab, Control Design Lab, 1-meter Ritchey-Chretien Reflecting Telescope, Space Physics Research Lab, and Laboratory for Exosphere and Near-Space Environment Studies (LENSES).

Research emphasizes the measurement, theory, and modeling of the near-space and space neutral and plasma environment; studies of the sun and stellar activity; orbital stability and dynamics; engineering spacecraft instrumentation and remote sensing measurements; and the design and implementation of electro-optical and radar systems.

Areas of Research:

• Aeronomy/Upper-Atmospheric Physics
• Space Physics
• Spacecraft Instrumentation
• Spacecraft Systems Engineering
• Spacecraft Power and Thermal Control
• Dynamics and Control of Aerospace Systems
• Space Robotics/Autonomous Systems
• Space Weather
• Remote Sensing

The department houses more than 20 faculty members. Assistantships and fellowships are available to well-qualified students.

Learn more about the Daytona Beach, FL Campus

Students will:

• Solve advanced space science and spacecraft engineering problems.
• Apply advanced spacecraft engineering core concepts.
• Develop a mastery of scientific and engineering research techniques.
• Extend the knowledge base in space science and spacecraft engineering by conceiving, planning, producing, and communicating original research.

Requirements

The Ph.D. in Engineering Physics program requires 45 credit hours beyond a master's degree. Additional 30 credit hours (including 6 credit hours of electives) are required for students with a Bachelor’s degree only. The program requirements include:

• 12 credit hours in core courses
• 6 credit hours of electives (minimum)
• 27 credit hours of dissertation (minimum)
• The successful completion of a qualifying examination
• The successful presentation of a dissertation research proposal
• The successful completion of a written dissertation
• The successful completion of a written dissertation and oral defense 

The objective of this Ph.D. program is to provide advanced education and research opportunities to exceptional students by providing a research environment which fosters collaboration, creative thinking and publishing of findings in nationally recognized journals.

A CGPA of 3.0 is required for a student to remain in good academic standing and for graduation. If a student receives two grades less than a B or one grade less than a C, that student is subject to dismissal from the program. All requirements for the degree must be completed within seven years from the date the student enters the program.

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RELATED DEGREES

You may be interested in the following degrees:

Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering

Ph.D. program

The Applied Physics Department offers a Ph.D. degree program; see  Admissions Overview  for how to apply.  

1.  Courses . Current listings of Applied Physics (and Physics) courses are available via  Explore Courses . Courses are available in Physics and Mathematics to overcome deficiencies, if any, in undergraduate preparation. It is expected the specific course requirements are completed by the  end of the 3rd year  at Stanford.

Required Basic Graduate Courses.   30 units (quarter hours) including:

• Basic graduate courses in advanced mechanics, statistical physics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and an advanced laboratory course. In cases where students feel they have already covered the materials in one of the required basic graduate courses, a petition for waiver of the course may be submitted and is subject to approval by a faculty committee.
• 18 units of advanced coursework in science and/or engineering to fit the particular interests of the individual student. Such courses typically are in Applied Physics, Physics, or Electrical Engineering, but courses may also be taken in other departments, e.g., Biology, Materials Science and Engineering, Mathematics, Chemistry. The purpose of this requirement is to provide training in a specialized field of research and to encourage students to cover material beyond their own special research interests.​

​ Required Additional Courses .  Additional courses needed to meet the minimum residency requirement of 135 units of completed course work. Directed study and research units as well as 1-unit seminar courses can be included. Courses are sometimes given on special topics, and there are several seminars that meet weekly to discuss current research activities at Stanford and elsewhere. All graduate students are encouraged to participate in the special topics courses and seminars. A limited number of courses are offered during the Summer Quarter. Most students stay in residence during the summer and engage in independent study or research programs.

The list of the PhD degree core coursework is listed in the bulletin here:  https://bulletin.stanford.edu/programs/APLPH-PHD .

3.  Dissertation Research.   Research is frequently supervised by an Applied Physics faculty member, but an approved program of research may be supervised by a faculty member from another department.

4.  Research Progress Report.   Students give an oral research progress report to their dissertation reading committee during the winter quarter of the 4th year.

5.  Dissertation.

6.  University Oral Examination .  The examination includes a public seminar in defense of the dissertation and questioning by a faculty committee on the research and related fields.

Most students continue their studies and research during the summer quarter, principally in independent study projects or dissertation research. The length of time required for the completion of the dissertation depends upon the student and upon the dissertation advisor. In addition, the University residency requirement of 135 graded units must be met.

Rotation Program

We offer an optional rotation program for 1st-year Ph.D. students where students may spend one quarter (10 weeks) each in up to three research groups in the first year. This helps students gain research experience and exposure to various labs, fields, and/or projects before determining a permanent group to complete their dissertation work. 

Sponsoring faculty members may be in the Applied Physics department, SLAC, or any other science or engineering department, as long as they are members of the Academic Council (including all tenure-line faculty). Rotations are optional and students may join a group without the rotation system by making an arrangement directly with the faculty advisor. 

During the first year, research assistantships (RAs) are fully funded by the department for the fall quarter; in the winter and spring quarters, RAs are funded 50/50 by the department and the research group hosting the student. RAs after the third quarter are, in general, not subsidized by the rotation program or the department and should be arranged directly by the student with their research advisor.

How to arrange a rotation

Rotation positions in faculty members’ groups are secured by the student by directly contacting and coordinating with faculty some time between the student’s acceptance into the Ph.D. program and the start of the rotation quarter. It is recommended that the student’s fall quarter rotation be finalized no later than Orientation Week before the academic year begins. A rotation with a different faculty member can be arranged for the subsequent quarters at any time. Most students join a permanent lab by the spring quarter of their first year after one or two rotations.  When coordinating a rotation, the student and the sponsoring faculty should discuss expectations for the rotation (e.g. project timeline or deliverables) and the availability of continued funding and permanent positions in the group. It is very important that the student and the faculty advisor have a clear understanding about expectations going forward.

What do current students say about rotations?

Advice from current ap students, setting up a rotation:.

• If you have a specific professor or group in mind, you should contact them as early as possible, as they may have a limited number of rotation spots.
• You can prepare a 1-page CV or resume to send to professors to summarize your research experiences and interest.
• Try to tour the lab/working areas, talk to senior graduate students, or attend group meeting to get a feel for how the group operates.
• If you don't receive a response from a professor, you can send a polite reminder, stop by their office, or contact their administrative assistant. If you receive a negative response, you shouldn't take it personally as rotation availability can depend year-to-year on funding and personnel availability.
• Don't feel limited to subfields that you have prior experience in. Rotations are for learning and for discovering what type of work and work environment suit you best, and you will have several years to develop into a fully-formed researcher!

You and your rotation advisor should coordinate early on about things like: 

• What project will you be working on and who will you be working with?
• What resources (e.g. equipment access and training, coursework) will you need to enable this work?
• How closely will you work with other members of the group? 
• How frequently will you and your rotation advisor meet?
• What other obligations (e.g. coursework, TAing) are you balancing alongside research?
• How will your progress be evaluated?
• Is there funding available to support you and this project beyond the rotation quarter?
• Will the rotation advisor take on new students into the group in the quarter following the rotation?

About a month before the end of the quarter, you should have a conversation with your advisor about things like:

• Will you remain in the current group or will you rotate elsewhere?
• If you choose to rotate elsewhere, does the option remain open to return to the present group later?
• If you choose to rotate elsewhere, will another rotation student be taken on for the same project?
• You don't have to rotate just for the sake of rotating! If you've found a group that suits you well in many aspects, it makes sense to continue your research momentum with that group.

Application process

View Admissions Overview View the Required Online Ph.D. Program Application  

Contact the Applied Physics Department Office at  [email protected]  if additional information on any of the above is needed.

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Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics

Welcome to Cornell University: Any person, any study.

A Flexible, Interdisciplinary Curriculum

The Ph.D. program in the graduate field of Applied Physics is a research-oriented doctoral program tailored to individual interests. The program combines a core physics curriculum with research and study in one of several areas that deal either with the application of physics to a technical discipline or with the interface between physics and another area of science. Students who have majored in physics, in another physical science (for example, chemistry), or in an engineering field are eligible for the program.

The program is designed so that students can evaluate the many different research opportunities available before deciding on an area of specialization. Although most students join the research group of a faculty member in the graduate field of applied physics students may also join a group outside applied physics—a reflection of the tremendous flexibility offered to our graduate students—and begin their thesis research by the end of the first academic year. Most students complete the program under their original faculty supervisor, but if a student should decide to change research groups, the decision is subject only to the agreement of a new thesis supervisor.

Students in applied physics may pursue thesis research in any one of several broad areas, including nanoscience, condensed matter physics and materials science, optical physics, quantum electronics and photonics, biological physics, astrophysics and plasma physics, or atomic, molecular, and chemical physics.

There are 19 faculty members in AEP as well as nearly thirty other faculty members representing ten different departments outside the school which comprise the applied physics field faculty. This large faculty, engaged in many research projects with federal, state, or corporate sponsors, makes it possible for applied physics students to choose thesis research topics from many different areas. While each student becomes an individual investigator responsible for an independent research project, interactive and collaborative research programs and shared research facilities are hallmarks of advanced study at Cornell. The majority of the faculty members in the field participate in one or more of Cornell’s numerous research centers and programs, and most graduate students in applied physics make extensive use of the research facilities maintained by these centers.

Special Committee

Students entering the Applied Physics program begin by taking courses that will meet core requirements. During the first year of study, students choose a major area within applied physics for study and thesis research and a minor area of study that is outside the field of physics or applied physics. Students then choose a special committee of three or four faculty members who will supervise their graduate program and monitor the progress of their thesis research. Ultimately, this faculty committee also approves a student’s thesis. Generally, the chair of the committee is the supervisor of the student’s thesis project, the second member is from the student’s major area of study in applied physics, and the third member represents the minor area of study (as does the optional fourth member). With guidance from this faculty committee, the student plans an individualized course of study that will fulfill the core curriculum and minor subject requirements and will provide the groundwork for full-time thesis research in a particular area of specialization.

• Research Areas

Graduates with doctorates in applied physics pursue careers in academic institutions, corporate and national laboratories, and research institutes. In recent years: 

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Home  |  Graduate Admissions  |  PhD Admissions

PhD Programs Admissions

Ready to apply to Dartmouth's engineering  PhD , the  PhD-Innovation (PhD-I) Program , the PhD in Medical Physics , or the PhD+MD ? To help students prepare a strong application, this page provides important information about the admissions process, including deadlines, eligibility requirements, and application and financial aid instructions.

PhD students typically enter with full support from either a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) or an external fellowship. Explore general PhD funding and expenses to consider for all PhD programs and learn about additional fellowship and grant opportunities .

Start Your Application

On This Page

Phd application process, phd innovation (phd-i) program application process, phd in medical physics application process, md-phd application process, application deadlines.

December 15

priority deadline for Fall term admission; applications are accepted on a rolling basis after December 15

At least two terms prior to admission

deadline for Winter, Spring, or Summer term admission

Required Application Materials

The following instructions are a guide for completing the application for the PhD program at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth (Dartmouth Engineering).

PhD+PhD-I : New students interested in the PhD Innovation (PhD-I) Program can apply to both the PhD and PhD-I within the same application. Follow the PhD process outlined below , and submit the additional required materials for the PhD-I.

Please read the following instructions carefully. Only complete applications will be considered for admission.

Online Application

Applicants must complete the application for admission online. It is not necessary to send us a hard copy. Online applications open August 1 of each year.

Updating Your Materials

Your test scores and mailing address can be updated at any time through your application status page. After submission, other components (resume, statement of purpose, essays, etc.) cannot be updated. Please be sure you have entered the most accurate information at the time of submission. Due to the volume of applications received, we cannot update these materials after submission.

Acknowledgement

After submission, you will receive an email acknowledgement through the application system.

Application Status

To see the status of your application, visit your online application status page. Please note that it may take a few days for application materials to be processed.

Application materials and supporting documents become the property of the Admissions Committee and are not returnable.

General Policies

False Statements/Materials: If a candidate for admission to Dartmouth makes a false statement or submits falsified material in connection with his or her application, and the misrepresentation is discovered after the candidate has been admitted, the offer of admission ordinarily will be withdrawn. If the misrepresentation is discovered after a student arrives on campus or at any time during their enrollment, the student will be subject to loss of credits earned and disciplinary action that could include separation from the College. If the discovery occurs after a degree has been awarded, the degree normally will be rescinded.

Equal Opportunity: Dartmouth Engineering actively supports equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race or ethnic background. No student will be denied admission or be otherwise discriminated against because of sex, handicap, religion, sexual orientation, race, color, or national origin.

Security and Fire Safety Report: Dartmouth prepares an annual Security and Fire Safety Report which is available to all current and prospective employees and students. The report includes statistics of reported crimes that have occurred on campus, in certain off-campus buildings, or on property owned or controlled by Dartmouth, and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus as well as reported fires occurring in residential facilities. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning sexual assault, fire safety, and other matters. You may obtain a copy of this report by contacting the Director of Safety and Security and the College Proctor at +1 (603) 646-4000.

Application Fee

A non-refundable application fee of $50 is required of all applicants, except for Dartmouth College or Dartmouth Engineering students and alumni. The fee must be paid by credit card. Applications will not be processed until this fee is received.

Letters of Recommendation

Three (3) letters of recommendation must be completed and submitted online directly by your recommenders . Please have your recommenders complete the evaluation form that will be emailed to them and submit a signed letter on their official institutional letterhead. If your recommender’s company or institution has a policy against letterhead they must provide a copy of this policy with the recommendation letter.

Letters of recommendation should ideally come from your college professors using their official school email address. Applicants with work or military experience or currently in another graduate program should submit a recommendation from their immediate supervisor, a current or former employer, or someone who knows them well through some other professional or community activity.

Academic Transcripts

All applicants are required to submit academic transcripts from each undergraduate or graduate institution from which you obtained your degrees (eg. your bachelor’s degrees or other advanced degrees.)

You may scan and upload a copy of your academic transcript (not diploma) issued by the institution(s) from which you obtained your undergraduate degree(s) and any advanced/graduate degree(s) directly to the online application.

For grading scales other than 4.0 grading scales: Please include documentation indicating the scale.

Applicants with international transcripts are encouraged to submit a transcript evaluation from WES (World Education Services) along with their Dartmouth Engineering application. While a WES evaluation is not mandatory for admission, it can help expedite the application review process. If you are admitted, you will need to submit official academic transcripts for all your international coursework and credentials. WES evaluations can be used instead of official transcripts, but they must be sent directly to Dartmouth Engineering by the evaluation service provider, and they must include a copy of the official transcripts that were evaluated.

Non-degree coursework: If you attended institutions other than those from which your degree(s) were granted, you are required to scan and upload your academic transcripts from these institutions (transfer coursework, domestic or study-abroad programs, postgraduate non-degree coursework, etc.).

If you have more than three undergraduate transcripts or three graduate transcripts to upload, please combine them by uploading a file that contains more than one transcript.

• Scan BOTH sides of your transcript (provided the second side is not blank).
• Depending on the scanner and software, you may either insert individual images (.jpg) into a single word processing document for upload, OR if your software produces a .pdf, simply upload that file.
• The file must be less than 1 MB, in a standard format, WITHOUT password protection or macros. Any of these problems will cause the upload process to fail.
• A diploma is not a transcript.

If you upload a scanned copy of your transcript, you do not need to send a hard copy. The scanned copy fulfills the requirement for the application process. Upon admission, you will be required to supply an official hard copy of your transcript.

Admitted students: If admitted, you will be required to request that ONE official, original hardcopy transcript mailed to Dartmouth Engineering (mailing address below) directly from each college and/or university you have attended in a signed, sealed envelope. We will accept a transcript via email if that is your prior institution’s method of transcript delivery.

International applicants must make arrangements to have their academic records translated and sent along with originals. Where American-style transcripts are not used, the applicant must include all available records including courses, grades, degrees, and rank-in-class. The appropriate university officials must certify these records. Evaluations from WES (World Education Services) can be used instead of official transcripts, but they must be sent directly to Thayer by the evaluation service provider, and they must include a copy of the official transcripts that were evaluated.

Upon admission, supporting materials such as transcripts should be mailed to:

Graduate Admissions Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth 15 Thayer Drive Hanover, NH 03755

Supplemental Form: Research Area, Identifying Faculty, Statement of Purpose/Essay & CV/Resume

Research Area: Engineering PhD students typically are funded through a professor’s sponsored research or a fellowship. Students interested in applying to the PhD program are encouraged to reach out to individual faculty members to discuss potential projects.

Through the PhD program, students may elect one of the six program areas to be reflected as a "concentration." In the application, you will be prompted to select which track you are interested in pursuing. Applicants should indicate all areas of interest in order to be considered for the widest possible range of opportunities. Students can switch program areas after starting the program.

Identifying Dartmouth Engineering faculty members of interest : The supplemental form of the application will be used to match your area(s) to those of faculty or to determine your focus. You must select at least one and may choose up to three faculty from the drop-down list in the application.

Fill this out carefully and list your top faculty interest first. We strongly encourage you to review research by program areas and contact Dartmouth Engineering faculty for an initial conversation about research opportunities.

Statement of Purpose/Essay: You will be prompted to write a brief essay describing your research interests and career goals and the reasons you wish to pursue graduate studies at Dartmouth. Include any information that does not appear elsewhere that will help us evaluate your application. If possible, keep your essay to 1–2 pages.

CV/Resume: Upload your most recent CV or resume.

Optional Essay: Dartmouth Engineering is committed to a climate that acknowledges and embraces diversity of perspectives and backgrounds, supporting a culture that fosters inclusion and actively pursues equity. In this optional essay, applicants are encouraged to share how their personal perspectives and unique life experiences will contribute to Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Engineering community.

TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo (International Applicants)

Non-US citizens must submit language proficiency test scores, with the exception of those who are earning or have earned a degree from institutions in the US or Canada, or who are from the following countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Slovenia, and Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the US.

For all graduate programs, Dartmouth Engineering accepts the following English proficiency tests: TOEFL , IELTS , and Duolingo . During the application process, self-reported scores are acceptable. However, once admitted, students will be required to submit official test results directly from the testing organization.

The ETS code for Thayer School is 3360.

GREs (optional)

GREs are optional for all Dartmouth Engineering graduate programs. If you would like to include GRE scores to give the admissions committee a better understanding of your qualifications, we accept self-reported scores at the time of application. If you enter self-reported scores, you will be required to provide official scores if admitted. Visit the ETS website and use code 3360.

Eligibility Requirements

The foundation for doctoral engineering degree work is undergraduate preparation in science, mathematics, and engineering principles. Applicants must hold a bachelor's or master's degree to be considered for the program, although a master’s degree is not required. Students admitted to the program who are not prepared to complete the first-year requirements are advised to enter the MS program and petition to be admitted to the PhD program. Students who have prior graduate training may be considered for advancement to candidacy after completing one or two terms of the first-year doctoral program.

International Students

Language proficiency test scores are required for non-US citizens, with the exception of those who are earning or have earned a degree from institutions in the US or Canada, or who are from the following countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Slovenia, and Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the US.

While all applications are looked at holistically, we recommend the following score ranges:

• TOEFL scores of 100 or higher
• IELTS scores of 6.5 or higher
• Duolingo scores of 135 or higher

Dartmouth Engineering initiates the visa process. For information about the visa and immigration process, visit Dartmouth's Office of Visa and Immigration Services .

Part-Time Students

The PhD program can also be undertaken part-time: students interested in this option should contact the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs .

Graduate Admissions Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth 15 Thayer Drive, Hanover, NH 03755 [email protected]

PhD Program

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Admission to this program is determined by a committee consisting of the Dean of Dartmouth Engineering or the Director of the Program (Professor Eric Fossum ), and members of the faculty, drawn from those serving on the Program Advisory Board.

Review PhD-I Program funding comparisons

Application Timeline

application deadline

Late January/ Early February

presentations via Zoom

Mid-February

decisions and notifications

candidate acceptance deadline

The PhD Innovation (PhD-I) Program welcomes applicants who are in the process of applying to Dartmouth Engineering's PhD program, as well as applicants who are already enrolled in Dartmouth Engineering's PhD program. The application process differs slightly for each group, and is outlined below. Please read the following instructions carefully. Only complete applications will be considered for admission.

Students applying to Dartmouth Engineering's PhD program

Students not already enrolled in a Dartmouth Engineering PhD program must submit all required materials for the PhD program listed above in addition to the following:

When completing the online application, check the box indicating "Innovation Program" interest on the program information page of the application.

On the PhD Supplemental Form of the online application, you will be prompted to submit the following two essays for the PhD-I Program, in addition to the materials required for the main PhD program.

Statement on PhD-I Program Interest (two-pages max): Submit a statement specific to the PhD-I Program that addresses the following:

• Reasons for interest in the PhD-I Program
• Why the program is relevant to your long-term career goals
• An example demonstrating creativity in arriving at a solution

Statement on Broad Technology Development Problem (two-pages max): Describe an example of a broad technology development problem that interests you. It should be written in the general form of a proposal for funding. Specify one or two potential Dartmouth Engineering faculty advisors for your proposed work (prior contact with those faculty members by email is recommended).

Current students already enrolled in a Dartmouth Engineering PhD program

Current students already enrolled in a Dartmouth Engineering PhD program must assemble the following materials and submit them via email at [email protected] to apply.

• Letter of recommendation from your thesis advisor. This should be submitted directly from your advisor to [email protected] .
• Current CV/resume.
• reasons for interest in the PhD-I Program
• why the program is relevant to your long-term career goals
• an example demonstrating creativity in arriving at a solution
• Statement (two-pages max) describing an example of a broad technology development problem that interests you. This should be written in the general form of a proposal for funding.
• Combine your CV/resume and two statements into a single .pdf file.
• Label the file following this format: LastNameFirstName_Innovation.pdf
• Email the .pdf as an attachment to: [email protected]

Eligibility

Applicants must meet all prerequisites and requirements for the standard PhD degree program . New PhD applicants, as well as current Dartmouth Engineering PhD and MD-PhD students are eligible to apply to the PhD Innovation (PhD-I) Program. Current students are advised to consult with their faculty advisor and Professor Eric Fossum , Director of the PhD-I Program, prior to applying.

General Program Questions

Jessica Moody PhD Innovation Program Coordinator [email protected]

Admissions Questions

[email protected]

The PhD and Certificate Program in Medical Physics welcomes applicants who are currently in the process of applying to Dartmouth Engineering's PhD program, as well as applicants who are currently enrolled in Dartmouth Engineering's PhD program, or any of the physical science PhD programs at Dartmouth. The application process differs slightly for each group. Please read the application instructions carefully. Only complete applications will be considered for admission.

Learn how to apply

Start your PhD in Medical Physics Application

David J. Gladstone Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Professor of Engineering, and PhD and Certificate Program in Medical Physics Program Director [email protected]

Students must apply to the Dartmouth Engineering PhD program through the process outlined above , indicating their specific interests on their online application, as well as to Geisel School of Medicine .

Learn about the MD-PhD program

Start Your MD-PhD Application

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Apply   |   Contact Us   |   Carol Davis Fund   Anonymous Feedback to the Physics Chair

Graduate studies, commencement 2019.

The Harvard Department of Physics offers students innovative educational and research opportunities with renowned faculty in state-of-the-art facilities, exploring fundamental problems involving physics at all scales. Our primary areas of experimental and theoretical research are atomic and molecular physics, astrophysics and cosmology, biophysics, chemical physics, computational physics, condensed-matter physics, materials science, mathematical physics, particle physics, quantum optics, quantum field theory, quantum information, string theory, and relativity.

Our talented and hardworking students participate in exciting discoveries and cutting-edge inventions such as the ATLAS experiment, which discovered the Higgs boson; building the first 51-cubit quantum computer; measuring entanglement entropy; discovering new phases of matter; and peering into the ‘soft hair’ of black holes.

Our students come from all over the world and from varied educational backgrounds. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment and attracting the widest possible range of talents.

We have a flexible and highly responsive advising structure for our PhD students that shepherds them through every stage of their education, providing assistance and counseling along the way, helping resolve problems and academic impasses, and making sure that everyone has the most enriching experience possible.The graduate advising team also sponsors alumni talks, panels, and advice sessions to help students along their academic and career paths in physics and beyond, such as “Getting Started in Research,” “Applying to Fellowships,” “Preparing for Qualifying Exams,” “Securing a Post-Doc Position,” and other career events (both academic and industry-related).

We offer many resources, services, and on-site facilities to the physics community, including our electronic instrument design lab and our fabrication machine shop. Our historic Jefferson Laboratory, the first physics laboratory of its kind in the nation and the heart of the physics department, has been redesigned and renovated to facilitate study and collaboration among our students.

Members of the Harvard Physics community participate in initiatives that bring together scientists from institutions across the world and from different fields of inquiry. For example, the Harvard-MIT Center for Ultracold Atoms unites a community of scientists from both institutions to pursue research in the new fields opened up by the creation of ultracold atoms and quantum gases. The Center for Integrated Quantum Materials , a collaboration between Harvard University, Howard University, MIT, and the Museum of Science, Boston, is dedicated to the study of extraordinary new quantum materials that hold promise for transforming signal processing and computation. The Harvard Materials Science and Engineering Center is home to an interdisciplinary group of physicists, chemists, and researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences working on fundamental questions in materials science and applications such as soft robotics and 3D printing.  The Black Hole Initiative , the first center worldwide to focus on the study of black holes, is an interdisciplinary collaboration between principal investigators from the fields of astronomy, physics, mathematics, and philosophy. The quantitative biology initiative https://quantbio.harvard.edu/  aims to bring together physicists, biologists, engineers, and applied mathematicians to understand life itself. And, most recently, the new program in  Quantum Science and Engineering (QSE) , which lies at the interface of physics, chemistry, and engineering, will admit its first cohort of PhD students in Fall 2022.

We support and encourage interdisciplinary research and simultaneous applications to two departments is permissible. Prospective students may thus wish to apply to the following departments and programs in addition to Physics:

• Department of Astronomy
• Department of Chemistry
• Department of Mathematics
• John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS)
• Biophysics Program
• Molecules, Cells and Organisms Program (MCO)

If you are a prospective graduate student and have questions for us, or if you’re interested in visiting our department, please contact  [email protected] .

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PhD Program

**new** graduate student guide, expected progress of physics graduate student to ph.d..

This document describes the Physics Department's expectations for the progress of a typical graduate student from admission to award of a PhD.  Because students enter the program with different training and backgrounds and because thesis research by its very nature is unpredictable, the time-frame for individual students will vary. Nevertheless, failure to meet the goals set forth here without appropriate justification may indicate that the student is not making adequate progress towards the PhD, and will therefore prompt consideration by the Department and possibly by Graduate Division of the student’s progress, which might lead to probation and later dismissal.

Course Work

Graduate students are required to take a minimum of 38 units of approved upper division or graduate elective courses (excluding any upper division courses required for the undergraduate major).  The department requires that students take the following courses which total 19 units: Physics 209 (Classical Electromagnetism), Physics 211 (Equilibrium Statistical Physics) and Physics 221A-221B (Quantum Mechanics). Thus, the normative program includes an additional 19 units (five semester courses) of approved upper division or graduate elective courses.  At least 11 units must be in the 200 series courses. Some of the 19 elective units could include courses in mathematics, biophysics, astrophysics, or from other science and engineering departments.  Physics 290, 295, 299, 301, and 602 are excluded from the 19 elective units. Physics 209, 211 and 221A-221B must be completed for a letter grade (with a minimum average grade of B).  No more than one-third of the 19 elective units may be fulfilled by courses graded Satisfactory, and then only with the approval of the Department.  Entering students are required to enroll in Physics 209 and 221A in the fall semester of their first year and Physics 211 and 221B in the spring semester of their first year. Exceptions to this requirement are made for 1) students who do not have sufficient background to enroll in these courses and have a written recommendation from their faculty mentor and approval from the head graduate adviser to delay enrollment to take preparatory classes, 2) students who have taken the equivalent of these courses elsewhere and receive written approval from the Department to be exempted. 

If a student has taken courses equivalent to Physics 209, 211 or 221A-221B, then subject credit may be granted for each of these course requirements.  A faculty committee will review your course syllabi and transcript.  A waiver form can be obtained in 378 Physics North from the Student Affairs Officer detailing all required documents.  If the committee agrees that the student has satisfied the course requirement at another institution, the student must secure the Head Graduate Adviser's approval.  The student must also take and pass the associated section of the preliminary exam.  Please note that official course waiver approval will not be granted until after the preliminary exam results have been announced.  If course waivers are approved, units for the waived required courses do not have to be replaced for PhD course requirements.  If a student has satisfied all first year required graduate courses elsewhere, they are only required to take an additional 19 units to satisfy remaining PhD course requirements.  (Note that units for required courses must be replaced for MA degree course requirements even if the courses themselves are waived; for more information please see MA degree requirements).

In exceptional cases, students transferring from other graduate programs may request a partial waiver of the 19 elective unit requirement. Such requests must be made at the time of application for admission to the Department.

The majority of first year graduate students are Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) with a 20 hour per week load (teaching, grading, and preparation).  A typical first year program for an entering graduate student who is teaching is:

First Semester

• Physics 209 Classical Electromagnetism (5)
• Physics 221A Quantum Mechanics (5)
• Physics 251 Introduction to Graduate Research (1)
• Physics 301 GSI Teaching Credit (2)
• Physics 375 GSI Training Seminar (for first time GSI's) (2)

Second Semester

• Physics 211 Equilibrium Statistical Physics (4)
• Physics 221B Quantum Mechanics (5)

Students who have fellowships and will not be teaching, or who have covered some of the material in the first year courses material as undergraduates may choose to take an additional course in one or both semesters of their first year.

Many students complete their course requirements by the end of the second year. In general, students are expected to complete their course requirements by the end of the third year. An exception to this expectation is that students who elect (with the approval of their mentor and the head graduate adviser) to fill gaps in their undergraduate background during their first year at Berkeley often need one or two additional semesters to complete their course work.

Faculty Mentors

Incoming graduate students are each assigned a faculty mentor. In general, mentors and students are matched according to the student's research interest.   If a student's research interests change, or if (s)he feels there is another faculty member who can better serve as a mentor, the student is free to request a change of assignment.

The role of the faculty mentor is to advise graduate students who have not yet identified research advisers on their academic program, on their progress in that program and on strategies for passing the preliminary exam and finding a research adviser.  Mentors also are a “friendly ear” and are ready to help students address other issues they may face coming to a new university and a new city.  Mentors are expected to meet with the students they advise individually a minimum of once per semester, but often meet with them more often.  Mentors should contact incoming students before the start of the semester, but students arriving in Berkeley should feel free to contact their mentors immediately.

Student-Mentor assignments continue until the student has identified a research adviser.  While many students continue to ask their mentors for advice later in their graduate career, the primary role of adviser is transferred to the research adviser once a student formally begins research towards his or her dissertation. The Department asks student and adviser to sign a “mentor-adviser” form to make this transfer official.  

Preliminary Exams

In order to most benefit from graduate work, incoming students need to have a solid foundation in undergraduate physics, including mechanics, electricity and magnetism, optics, special relativity, thermal and statistical physics and quantum mechanics, and to be able to make order-of-magnitude estimates and analyze physical situations by application of general principles. These are the topics typically included, and at the level usually taught, within a Bachelor's degree program in Physics at most universities. As a part of this foundation, the students should also have formed a well-integrated overall picture of the fields studied. The preliminary exam is meant to assess the students' background, so that any missing pieces can be made up as soon as possible. The exam is made up of 4 sections, as described in the  Preliminary Exam Policy *, on the Department’s website.  Each section is administered twice a year, at the start of each semester. 

Entering students are encouraged to take this exam as soon as possible, and they are required to attempt all prelims sections in the second semester. Students who have not passed all sections in the third semester will undergo a Departmental review of their performance. Departmental expectations are that all students should successfully pass all sections no later than spring semester of the second year (4th semester); the document entitled  Physics Department Preliminary Exam Policy * describes Departmental policy in more detail. An exception to this expectation is afforded to students who elect (with the recommendation of the faculty mentor and written approval of the head graduate adviser) to fill gaps in their undergraduate background during their first year at Berkeley and delay corresponding section(s) of the exam, and who therefore may need an additional semester to complete the exam; this exception is also further discussed in the  Preliminary Exam Policy * document.

* You must login with your Calnet ID to access Physics Department Preliminary Examination Policy.

Start of Research

Students are encouraged to begin research as soon as possible. Many students identify potential research advisers in their first year and most have identified their research adviser before the end of their second year.  When a research adviser is identified, the Department asks that both student and research adviser sign a form (available from the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North) indicating that the student has (provisionally) joined the adviser’s research group with the intent of working towards a PhD.  In many cases, the student will remain in that group for their thesis work, but sometimes the student or faculty adviser will decide that the match of individuals or research direction is not appropriate.  Starting research early gives students flexibility to change groups when appropriate without incurring significant delays in time to complete their degree.

Departmental expectations are that experimental research students begin work in a research group by the summer after the first year; this is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged.  Students doing theoretical research are similarly encouraged to identify a research direction, but often need to complete a year of classes in their chosen specialty before it is possible for them to begin research.  Students intending to become theory students and have to take the required first year classes may not be able to start research until the summer after their second year.  Such students are encouraged to attend theory seminars and maintain contact with faculty in their chosen area of research even before they can begin a formal research program. 

If a student chooses dissertation research with a supervisor who is not in the department, he or she must find an appropriate Physics faculty member who agrees to serve as the departmental research supervisor of record and as co-adviser. This faculty member is expected to monitor the student's progress towards the degree and serve on the student's qualifying and dissertation committees. The student will enroll in Physics 299 (research) in the co-adviser's section.  The student must file the Outside Research Proposal for approval; petitions are available in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.   

Students who have not found a research adviser by the end of the second year will be asked to meet with their faculty mentor to develop a plan for identifying an adviser and research group.  Students who have not found a research adviser by Spring of the third year are not making adequate progress towards the PhD.  These students will be asked to provide written documentation to the department explaining their situation and their plans to begin research.  Based on their academic record and the documentation they provide, such students may be warned by the department that they are not making adequate progress, and will be formally asked to find an adviser.  The record of any student who has not identified an adviser by the end of Spring of the fourth year will be evaluated by a faculty committee and the student may be asked to leave the program. 

Qualifying Exam

Rules and requirements associated with the Qualifying Exam are set by the Graduate Division on behalf of the Graduate Council.  Approval of the committee membership and the conduct of the exam are therefore subject to Graduate Division approval.  The exam is oral and lasts 2-3 hours.  The Graduate Division specifies that the purpose of the Qualifying Exam is “to ascertain the breadth of the student's comprehension of fundamental facts and principles that apply to at least three subject areas related to the major field of study and whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas.”  It also states that “this oral examination of candidates for the doctorate serves a significant additional function. Not only teaching, but the formal interaction with students and colleagues at colloquia, annual meetings of professional societies and the like, require the ability to synthesize rapidly, organize clearly, and argue cogently in an oral setting.  It is necessary for the University to ensure that a proper examination is given incorporating these skills.”

Please see the  Department website for a description of the Qualifying Exam and its Committee .   Note: You must login with your Calnet ID to access QE information . Passing the Qualifying Exam, along with a few other requirements described on the department website, will lead to Advancement to Candidacy.  Qualifying exam scheduling forms can be picked up in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.   

The Department expects students to take the Qualifying Exam two or three semesters after they identify a research adviser. This is therefore expected to occur for most students in their third year, and no later than fourth year. A student is considered to have begun research when they first register for Physics 299 or fill out the department mentor-adviser form showing that a research adviser has accepted the student for PhD work or hired as a GSR (Graduate Student Researcher), at which time the research adviser becomes responsible for guidance and mentoring of the student.  (Note that this decision is not irreversible – the student or research adviser can decide that the match of individuals or research direction is not appropriate or a good match.)  Delays in this schedule cause concern that the student is not making adequate progress towards the PhD.  The student and adviser will be asked to provide written documentation to the department explaining the delay and clarifying the timeline for taking the Qualifying Exam.

Annual Progress Reports

Graduate Division requires that each student’s performance be annually assessed to provide students with timely information about the faculty’s evaluation of their progress towards PhD.  Annual Progress Reports are completed during the Spring Semester.  In these reports, the student is asked to discuss what progress he or she has made toward the degree in the preceding year, and to discuss plans for the following year and for PhD requirements that remain to be completed.  The mentor or research adviser or members of the Dissertation Committee (depending on the student’s stage of progress through the PhD program) comment on the student’s progress and objectives. In turn, the student has an opportunity to make final comments. 

Before passing the Qualifying Exam, the annual progress report (obtained from the Physics Student Affairs Office in 378 Physics North) is completed by the student and either his/her faculty mentor or his/her research adviser, depending on whether or not the student has yet begun research (see above).  This form includes a statement of intended timelines to take the Qualifying Exam, which is expected to be within 2-3 semesters of starting research.  

After passing the Qualifying Exam, the student and research adviser complete a similar form, but in addition to the research adviser, the student must also meet with at least one other and preferably both other members of their Dissertation Committee (this must include their co-adviser if the research adviser is not a member of the Physics Department) to discuss progress made in the past year, plans for the upcoming year, and overall progress towards the PhD.  This can be done either individually as one-on-one meetings of the graduate student with members of the Dissertation Committee, or as a group meeting with presentation. (The Graduate Council requires that all doctoral students who have been advanced to candidacy meet annually with at least two members of the Dissertation Committee. The annual review is part of the Graduate Council’s efforts to improve the doctoral completion rate and to shorten the time it takes students to obtain a doctorate.)

Advancement to Candidacy

After passing the Qualifying Examination, the next step in the student's career is to advance to candidacy as soon as possible.  Advancement to candidacy is the academic stage when a student has completed all requirements except completion of the dissertation.  Students are still required to enroll in 12 units per semester; these in general are expected to be seminars and research units.  Besides passing the Qualifying Exam, there are a few other requirements described in the Graduate Program Booklet. Doctoral candidacy application forms can be picked up in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.

Completion of Dissertation Work

The expected time for completion of the PhD program is six years.  While the Department recognizes that research time scales can be unpredictable, it strongly encourages students and advisers to develop dissertation proposals consistent with these expectations.  The Berkeley Physics Department does not have dissertation defense exams, but encourages students and their advisers to ensure that students learn the important skill of effective research presentations, including a presentation of their dissertation work to their peers and interested faculty and researchers.

Quantum Science and Engineering

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In this first-of-its-kind quantum science and engineering program, you will be a part of an interdisciplinary program that builds on Harvard’s track record of excellence in the field. The flexible curriculum will equip you with a common language for the rapidly growing field of quantum science and engineering (QSE). You will have the opportunity to work with faculty from both the science and engineering programs to design an individualized path tailored to your QSE research interests. Research is a primary focus of the program, and you will be working with state-of-the-art experimental and computational facilities.

You will be embedded in the broader Boston-area quantum ecosystem through collaborations with institutions such as MIT and University of Massachusetts Boston. You will also have the opportunity to interact with industry partners working to turn quantum theory into useful systems and devices.

Graduates of the program are uniquely qualified to meet the rising demand for QSE researchers and educators in industry, academia, and national labs.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the PhD program in quantum science and engineering and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Areas of Study

Applied Physics | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering | Experimental Physics | Physical Chemistry | Materials Science and Engineering | Theoretical Chemistry | Theoretical Physics | Quantum Devices, Quantum Materials | Unspecified

Admissions Requirements

Please review admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the PhD program in quantum science and engineering.

Academic Background

Students with bachelor’s degrees in physics, mathematics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, or related fields are invited to apply for admission. Prospective students should demonstrate depth of background in one or more relevant fields including (but not limited to) physics, electrical engineering, engineering sciences, materials science, computer science, and chemistry. Typically, applicants will have devoted approximately half of their undergraduate work to one or more of these fields and will have demonstrated overall academic excellence.

Statement of Purpose

Applicants should detail their reason for pursuing the PhD in Quantum Science and Engineering and explain why this program is particularly well-suited for them. A student who has a marked interest in a particular area of quantum science and engineering should include this information in the online application. If possible, applicants should also indicate whether they are inclined toward experimental or theoretical (mathematical) research. This statement of preference will not be treated as a binding commitment to any course of study and research.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Not accepted GRE Subject Test: Not accepted

See list of Quantum Science and Engineering faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

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Doctor of Philosophy in Nuclear Science and Engineering

Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Program Requirements

Note: Students in this program can choose to receive the Doctor of Philosophy or the Doctor of Science in Nuclear Science and Engineering or in another departmental field of specialization. Students receiving veterans benefits must select the degree they wish to receive prior to program certification with the Veterans Administration.

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Engineering Physics Graduate Programs in America

1-23 of 23 results

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

New Haven, CT •

Yale University •

Graduate School

• • Rating 4.5 out of 5   2 reviews

Master's Student: The resources at Yale are outstanding. While some of the required courses are slow-moving and less informative, I do have more academic freedom in my second year to the program to take classes that I enjoy across all departments (including data science, statistics, computer science, and law). ... Read 2 reviews

Yale University ,

Graduate School ,

NEW HAVEN, CT ,

2 Niche users give it an average review of 4.5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says The resources at Yale are outstanding. While some of the required courses are slow-moving and less informative, I do have more academic freedom in my second year to the program to take classes that I... .

Read 2 reviews.

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Cambridge, MA •

Harvard University •

Harvard University ,

CAMBRIDGE, MA ,

Brown University School of Engineering

Providence, RI •

Brown University •

Brown University ,

PROVIDENCE, RI ,

Colorado School of Mines

Graduate School •

• • Rating 4.3 out of 5   10

Armour College of Engineering

Illinois Institute of Technology •

CHICAGO, IL

• • Rating 4 out of 5   2

Illinois Institute of Technology

• • Rating 4.37 out of 5   38

George R. Brown School of Engineering

Houston, TX •

Rice University •

Blue checkmark.

Rice University ,

HOUSTON, TX ,

McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

Evanston, IL •

Northwestern University •

• • Rating 5 out of 5   3 reviews

Master's Student: Northwestern's Master of Science in Energy and Sustainability is a first of its kind professionally focused master's program in the nation. Interdisciplinary by design, MSES covers the technical, policy, and business/economics of the energy and sustainability sector pulling professors from the Kellogg School of Management as well as the McCormick School of Engineering. The industry professionals are leaders in their respective fields and are always willing to help the students. The cohort focused program enables deep connection among the students that will last a lifetime! ... Read 3 reviews

Northwestern University ,

EVANSTON, IL ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says Northwestern's Master of Science in Energy and Sustainability is a first of its kind professionally focused master's program in the nation. Interdisciplinary by design, MSES covers the technical,... .

Read 3 reviews.

Division of Engineering and Applied Science - California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA •

California Institute of Technology •

California Institute of Technology ,

PASADENA, CA ,

• Find college scholarships

Cornell Engineering

Ithaca, NY •

Cornell University •

Cornell University ,

ITHACA, NY ,

University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science

Charlottesville, VA •

University of Virginia •

Current Doctoral student: The academic program is very diverse to provide in-depth knowledge in various fields. The content is up-to-date with current developments, and the class requirements are somewhat challenging; however, you learn great ways to improve your skill sets. ... Read 3 reviews

University of Virginia ,

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA ,

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• • Rating 4.73 out of 5   15 reviews

Master's Student: As a bioinformatics master's student at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, I've had the opportunity to explore the fascinating intersection of biology and computer science. The program has provided a robust curriculum, covering topics such as proteomics, transcriptomics, NGS, and data analysis, which have equipped me with the skills needed to analyze and interpret complex biological data. The faculty at Tandon are experienced and supportive, and I've had the chance to collaborate with fellow students on exciting research projects. The interdisciplinary nature of bioinformatics has allowed me to gain insights into cutting-edge technologies and methodologies that are shaping the future of the field. Overall, my experience at NYU Tandon has been enriching, and I look forward to applying the knowledge and skills acquired during my master's program to contribute meaningfully to the field of bioinformatics. ... Read 15 reviews

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15 Niche users give it an average review of 4.7 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says As a bioinformatics master's student at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, I've had the opportunity to explore the fascinating intersection of biology and computer science. The program has... The faculty at Tandon are experienced and supportive, and I've had the chance to collaborate with fellow students on exciting research projects. The interdisciplinary nature of bioinformatics has... Overall, my experience at NYU Tandon has been enriching, and I look forward to applying the knowledge and skills acquired during my master's program to contribute meaningfully to the field of... .

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Monterey, CA •

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Wright-patterson Air Force Base, OH •

• • Rating 5 out of 5   1 review

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• Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, Ph.D.

A broad program of instruction and research is offered in the principles of the interaction of radiation with matter and their applications, and in several areas of engineering physics. The program has strong engineering and applied science components. It emphasizes several areas of activity, including the research, design, development, and deployment of fission reactors; fusion engineering; plasma physics; radiation damage to materials; applied superconductivity and cryogenics; and large-scale computing in engineering science.

The master's degree may be pursued as a terminal degree in the fission area and in various engineering physics areas, but it is not generally recommended as a final degree in fusion research; students interested in fusion should plan to pursue the Ph.D. degree. About 40 percent of the current graduate students hold undergraduate degrees in nuclear engineering, about 40 percent in physics, and about 20 percent in other disciplines such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, mathematics, and materials science.

The department is considered to have one of the top five nuclear engineering programs in the nation over the last 40 years. It incorporates several research organizations including the Wisconsin Institute of Nuclear Systems, the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment Program, the Fusion Technology Institute, and the Center for Plasma Theory and Computation.

Research may be performed in areas including next generation fission reactor engineering; fluid and heat transfer modeling for transient analysis; reactor monitoring and diagnostics; fuel cycle analysis; magnetic and inertial confinement fusion reactor engineering, including the physics of burning plasmas, plasma-wall interactions, neutron transport, tritium breeding, radiation damage, and liquid-metal heat transfer; experimental and theoretical studies of plasmas including radio frequency heating, magnetic confinement, plasma instabilities, and plasma diagnostics; superconducting magnets and cryogenics; and theoretical and experimental studies of the damage to materials in fission and fusion reactors.

The department places considerable emphasis on establishing research teams or group research, as well as traditional research activity by individual faculty members and their students. The groups frequently involve faculty, scientific staff, and graduate students from several departments, adding a strong interdisciplinary flavor to the research.

Students sometimes perform thesis work at national laboratories such as Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online .

GRE scores are optional. Applicants may submit GRE scores, but are not required to do so. Applications without scores are not placed at a disadvantage.  However, received scores will be considered as part of our holistic evaluation of applications.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS and PROCESS

Degree: For admission to graduate study in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, an applicant must have a bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics, or physical science, and an undergraduate record that indicates an ability to successfully pursue graduate study. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. All applicants must satisfy requirements that are set forth by the  Graduate School . 

It is highly recommended that students take courses that cover the same material as these UW-Madison courses before entering the program:

Course and Semester Credits                                                       Typical Courses

Differential equations, 3 cr                                                           MATH 319 or  MATH 320  

Advanced mathematics, 3 cr                                                       MATH 321

Nuclear physics, 3 cr                                                                     N E 305

Materials science, metallurgy, or solid-state physics, 3 cr        M S & E 350 or M S & E 351

Heat transfer or fluid mechanics, 3 cr                                        CBE 320

Mechanics, 3 cr                                                                            PHYSICS 311 or E M A 202

Descriptions of course content can be accessed through The Guide . Students may enter without having taken these courses. However, in such cases the students must inform their advisors, who will help them plan courses of study that will provide adequate background for our department's graduate curriculum. Provisions for admission on probation, or as an applicant for more than one master's degree (e.g., simultaneous MS degrees in two departments) are given in the Graduate School website . 

GPA: The Graduate School requires a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 basis on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours from the most recent bachelor's degree. In special cases, students with grade point averages lower than 3.0 who meet all the general requirements of the Graduate School may be considered for admission on probation.

GRE: GRE scores are optional. Applicants may submit GRE scores, but are not required to do so. Applications without scores are not placed at a disadvantage.  However, received scores will be considered as part of our holistic evaluation of applications.

PhD advisor selection process: PhD applicants are encouraged to identify potential faculty advisors and seek a confirmation. Please review the department  Research and People websites and contact those whose research interests align with yours. Only faculty members listed with the titles of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, can serve as graduate advisors. Do not contact Emeritus faculty, Lecturers, Research Scientists, or Faculty Associates. You are also encouraged to inquire about possible funding opportunities. If a faculty member agrees to be your advisor, ask the person to email an acknowledgment to [email protected] .

Each application must include the following:

• Graduate School Application
• Academic transcripts
• Statement of purpose
• Three letters of recommendation
• GRE Scores (optional - see below for additional information)
• English Proficiency Score (if required)
• Application Fee

To apply to the NEEP program, complete  applications , including supportive materials, must be submitted as described below and received by the following deadline dates:

• Fall Semester—December 15 
• Spring Semester—September 1 
• Summer Session—December 15 

ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT

Within the online application, upload the undergraduate transcript(s) and, if applicable, the previous graduate transcript. Unofficial copies of transcripts will be accepted for review, but official copies are required for admitted students. Please do not send transcripts or any other application materials to the Graduate School or the Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics department unless requested. Please review the requirements set by the  Graduate School  for additional information about degrees/transcripts.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

In this document, applicants should explain why they want to pursue further education in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics and discuss which UW faculty members they would be interested in doing research with during their graduate study (see the Graduate School for  more advice on how to structure a personal statement ).

Upload your resume in your application.

THREE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

These letters are required from people who can accurately judge the applicant's academic and/or research performance. It is highly recommended these letters be from faculty familiar with the applicant. Letters of recommendation are submitted electronically to graduate programs through the online application. See the  Graduate School for FAQs  regarding letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are due by the deadline listed above. 

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY SCORE 

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. The UW-Madison Graduate School accepts TOEFL or IETLS scores. Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

For more information regarding minimum score requirements and exemption policy, please see the Graduate School Requirements for Admission .

APPLICATION FEE

Application submission must be accompanied by the one-time application fee. It is non-refundable and can be paid by credit card (MasterCard or Visa) or debit/ATM. Additional information about the application fee may be found here (scroll to the ‘Frequently asked questions).

Fee grants are available through the conditions  outlined here by the Graduate School .

If you have questions, please contact  [email protected] .

RE-ENTRY ADMISSIONS

If you were previously enrolled as a graduate student in the Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics program, have not earned your degree, but have had a break in enrollment for a minimum of a fall or spring term, you will need to re-apply to resume your studies. Please review the Graduate School requirements for previously enrolled students . Your previous faculty advisor (or another NEEP faculty advisor) must be willing to supply advising support and should e-mail the NEEP Graduate Student Services Coordinator regarding next steps in the process.

If you were previously enrolled in a UW-Madison graduate degree, completed that degree, have had a break in enrollment since earning the degree and would now like to apply for another UW-Madison program; you are required to submit a new student application through the UW-Madison Graduate School online application. For NEEP graduate programs, you must follow the entire application process as described above.

CURRENTLY ENROLLED GRADUATE STUDENT ADMISSIONS

Students currently enrolled as a graduate student at UW-Madison, whether in NEEP or a non-NEEP graduate program, wishing to apply to this degree program should contact the NEEP Graduate Admissions Team to inquire about the process and deadlines several months in advance of the anticipated enrollment term. Current students may apply to change or add programs for any term (fall, spring, or summer).

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.  Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Offers of financial support from the Department, College, and University are in the form of research assistantships (RAs), teaching assistantships (TAs), project assistantships (PAs), and partial or full fellowships. Prospective PhD students that receive such offers will have a minimum five-year guarantee of support. The funding for RAs comes from faculty research grants. Each professor decides on his or her own RA offers. International applicants must secure an RA, TA, PA, fellowship, or independent funding before admission is final. Funded students are expected to maintain full-time enrollment.  See the program website for additional information.

Additional Resources

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES FUNDING AND SCHOLARSHIPS

For information on International Student Funding and Scholarships visit the ISS  website .

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Major requirements.

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements , in addition to the program requirements listed below.

MODE OF INSTRUCTION

Mode of instruction definitions.

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

Required courses.

Students must fulfill the coursework requirements for the nuclear engineering and engineering physics M.S. degree whether receiving the M.S. degree or going directly to the PhD. They must complete an additional 9 credits of technical coursework at the graduate level, beyond the coursework requirement for the MS. Candidates must take three courses numbered 700 or above; must satisfy the Ph.D. technical minor requirement; and must satisfy the PhD non-technical minor requirement.

The candidate is also required to complete, as a graduate student, one course numbered 400 or above in each of the following Areas: fission reactors; plasma physics and fusion; materials; engineering mathematics and computation (see Area Coursework Examples below).

M.S. Coursework Requirements

The following courses, or courses with similar material content, must be taken prior to or during the course of study: N E 427 Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory ; N E 428 Nuclear Reactor Laboratory or N E 526 Laboratory Course in Plasmas ; N E 408 Ionizing Radiation or N E/​MED PHYS  569 Health Physics and Biological Effects .

Thesis pathway 1 : maximum of 12 credits for thesis; at least 8 credits of N E courses numbered 400 or above; remaining credits (also numbered 400 or above) must be in appropriate technical areas 2 ; at least 9 credits must be numbered 500 and above; up to 3 credits can be seminar credits.

Non-Thesis pathway 1 : at least 15 credits of N E courses numbered 400 or above; remaining 15 credits (also numbered 400 or above) must be in appropriate technical areas 2 ; at least 12 credits must be at numbered 500 or above; up to 3 credits can be seminar credits.

For both the thesis and non-thesis options, only one course (maximum of 3 credits) of independent study ( N E 699 Advanced Independent Study , N E 999 Advanced Independent Study ) is allowed.

These pathways are internal to the program and represent different curricular paths a student can follow to earn this degree. Pathway names do not appear in the Graduate School admissions application, and they will not appear on the transcript.

Appropriate technical areas are: Engineering departments (except Engineering and Professional Development), Physics, Math, Statistics, Computer Science, Medical Physics, and Chemistry. Other courses may be deemed appropriate by a student's faculty advisor.

Area Coursework Examples

These courses are examples that would meet the requirement and are not meant to be a restricted list of possible courses. The candidate is required to complete one course in each of the following areas:

Non-Technical Minor Requirements

Ph.D. candidates must complete one of the following four study options prior to receiving dissertator status. As this is a formal Department requirement, the student should select a Non-Technical Minor early in the program, and must complete it to achieve dissertator status (see below). The Non-Technical Minor must be planned with the help of the candidate's advisor and must be approved by the Department NonTechnical Minor Advisor except for Study Option IV which must be approved by the Department faculty. A Non-Technical Minor Approval Form is available from the Graduate Student Coordinator, and must be filed prior to submission of the doctoral plan form. Courses numbered below 400 may be used as a part of the Non-Technical Minor.

Study Option I : Technology-Society Interaction Coursework. This option is intended to increase the student's awareness of the possible effects of technology on society and of the professional responsibilities of engineers and scientists in understanding such side effects. These effects could, for example, involve the influence of engineering on advancement of human welfare, on the distribution of wealth in society, or on environmental and ecological systems.

Suggested courses for fulfilling Option I include:

Study Option II :  Humanistic Society Studies Coursework. The basic objectives of this option are to help prepare the student to bridge the gap between C.P. Snow's "Two Cultures." Snow’s 1959 lecture thesis was that the breakdown of communication between the "two cultures" of modern society - the sciences and the humanities - was a major hindrance to solving the world's problems. Study might be designed to give a greater appreciation of the arts such as the classics, music, or painting, or it might be designed, for example, as preparation for translating technical information to the non-technical public.

Suggested areas of study to fulfill Option II include Anthropology, Area Studies, Art, Art History, Classics, Comparative Literature, Contemporary Trends, English (literature), Foreign Languages (literature), Social Work, Sociology, and Speech. Under either Option I or II, the student must take 6 credits of coursework. The courses must be approved by the student's advisor and the non-technical minor advisor, and the 6 credits should be concentrated in one topical area. Grades in these courses need not meet the Departmental Grade Policy. However, note that all grades in courses numbered 300 or above courses (including grades for Non-Technical Minor courses) are calculated in the Graduate School minimum 3.0 graduation requirement.

Study Option III : Foreign Culture Coursework. This option is intended for the student who desires to live and work in a foreign nation or work with people of a foreign culture. Examples include studies of the history of a foreign nation, of the political stability of a region of the world, of the culture of a particular group within a nation, or of the spoken language of a foreign nation. For Option III the student must take six credits of courses under all of the same conditions and requirements as for Option I and II unless choosing language study. For the latter case, the student must attain a grade of C or better in all courses. If the student has previous knowledge of a language, it is required that either courses beyond the introductory level will be elected or that another language will be elected.

Study Option IV : Technology-Society Interactions Experience. There are many possible technology-society interactions that might be more educational and meaningful for the student as an actual experience than coursework. For example, the student might run for and be elected to a position of alderperson in the city government. Consequently, this option allows the student to pursue a particular aspect of the interaction using his own time and resources.

Study Option IV activity must be planned with the student's advisor and be approved by the faculty. The effort required should be equivalent to 6 credits of coursework. Upon completion of this program, the student will prepare a written or oral report.

Note: Students from countries in which English is not the native language have inherently fulfilled these non-technical study goals and are exempt from these formal requirements.

Graduate School Policies

The  Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures  provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior coursework, graduate work from other institutions.

With advisor and NEEP Graduate Studies Committee approval, students may use up to 15 credits of prior graduate coursework that led to a relevant MS degree. Alternatively, with advisor and NEEP Graduate Studies Committee approval, students may use up to 6 credits of relevant coursework from a prior graduate program.  Please review the Graduate Program Handbook (see contact box) for information about use and restrictions to this policy.

UW–Madison Undergraduate

With faculty approval, students who have received their undergraduate degree from UW–Madison may apply up to 7 credits numbered 400 or above toward the minimum graduate degree credit requirement. This work would not be allowed to count toward the 50% graduate coursework minimum unless taken in courses numbered 700 or above. No credits can be counted toward the minimum graduate residence credit requirement. Coursework earned ten years or more prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

With faculty approval, students who have received an ABET-accredited undergraduate degree (not including UW–Madison) may be eligible to apply up to 7 credits of their undergraduate coursework toward the Minimum Graduate Degree Credit Requirement. No credits can be counted toward the Minimum Graduate Residence Credit Requirement, nor the Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement. 

Coursework earned five or more years prior to admission to a master's degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

UW–Madison University Special

With program approval, students are allowed to count up to 15 credits of coursework numbered 400 or above taken as a UW–Madison special student toward the minimum graduate residence credit requirement, and the minimum graduate degree credit requirement. UW–Madison coursework taken as a University Special student would not be allowed to count toward the 50% graduate coursework minimum unless taken in courses numbered 700 or above. Coursework earned ten years or more prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

This program follows the Graduate School's Probation policy.

ADVISOR / COMMITTEE

Each student is required to meet with his or her advisor prior to registration every semester.

CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED

Time limits.

The Ph.D. qualifying examination should be first taken no later than completion of the M.S. requirements, or the beginning of the fifth semester of graduate study, whichever comes first. Students entering the program with a master’s degree in E M A, E P or N E from another institution, and taking the qualifying exam in that same major, must take the exam by the beginning of their third semester.

Students must submit the doctoral plan of study one month before the end of the semester following the one in which the qualifying exam is passed.

Candidates are expected to pass the Ph.D. preliminary examination no later than the end of the third year of graduate study, or by the end of the second regular semester following the one in which the Ph.D. qualifying examination was passed, whichever is later. A candidate who fails to take the preliminary examination within four years of passing the qualifying examination must retake the qualifying examination.

An oral examination on the findings of the Ph.D. research is required at the end of the thesis work. The candidate must apply for a warrant from the Graduate School through the student services office at least three weeks before the exam.  The final oral examination must be taken within five years of passing the preliminary examination.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Dean of Students Office (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

NEEP Grievance Procedures

Students who feel that they have been treated unfairly have the right to a prompt hearing of their grievance.  Such complaints may involve course grades, classroom treatment, advising, various forms of harassment, or other issues. Any student or potential student may use these procedures.

The student should speak first with the person toward whom the grievance is directed. In most cases, grievances can be resolved at this level.

Should a satisfactory resolution not be achieved, the student should contact the program’s Grievance Advisor to discuss the grievance. The Graduate Student Coordinator can provide students with the name of this faculty member, who facilitates problem resolution through informal channels. The Grievance Advisor is responsible for facilitating any complaints or issues of students. The Grievance Advisor first attempts to help students informally address the grievance prior to any formal complaint. Students are also encouraged to talk with their faculty advisors regarding concerns or difficulties if necessary. University resources for sexual harassment concerns can be found on the UW Office of Equity and Diversity website.

If the issue is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student can submit the grievance to the Grievance Advisor in writing, within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment.

On receipt of a written complaint, a faculty committee will be convened by the Grievance Advisor to manage the grievance.  The program faculty committee will obtain a written response from the person toward whom the complaint is directed. The response will be shared with the person filing the grievance.

The faculty committee will determine a decision regarding the grievance. The Grievance Advisor will report on the action taken by the committee in writing to both the student and the party toward whom the complaint was directed within 15 working days from the date the complaint was received.

At this point, if either party (the student or the person toward whom the grievance is directed) is unsatisfied with the decision of the faculty committee, the party may file a written appeal. Either party has 10 working days to file a written appeal to the College of Engineering.

The Assistant Dean for Graduate Affairs ( [email protected] ) provides overall leadership for graduate education in the College of Engineering (CoE) and is a point of contact for graduate students who have concerns about education, mentoring, research, or other difficulties.

The Graduate School has procedures for students wishing to appeal a grievance decision made at the college level. These policies are described in the Academic Policies and Procedures at https://grad.wisc.edu/academic-policies/ .

Take advantage of the Graduate School's  professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

• Demonstrate an extraordinary, deep understanding of mathematical, scientific, and engineering principles in the field
• Demonstrate an ability to formulate, analyze, and independently solve advanced engineering problems
• Apply the relevant scientific and technological advancements, techniques, and engineering tools to address these problems
• Recognize and apply principles of ethical and professional conduct
• Demonstrate an ability to synthesize knowledge from a subset of the biological, physical, and/or social sciences to help frame problems critical to the future of their discipline
• Demonstrate an ability to conduct original research and communicate it to their peers

Paul Wilson (Chair) Wendy Crone Chris Hegna Oliver Schmitz Carl Sovinec Kumar Sridharan

ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS

Adrien Couet

ASSISTANT PROFESSORS

Stephanie Diem Benedikt Geiger Benjamin Lindley Juliana Pacheco-Duarte Yongfeng Zhang

See also Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics Faculty Directory .

• Requirements
• Professional Development
• Learning Outcomes

Contact Information

Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics College of Engineering https://engineering.wisc.edu/neep

Graduate Student Services [email protected] 3182 Mechanical Engineering 1513 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706

Carl Sovinec, Director of Graduate Studies [email protected]

Graduate Program Handbook View Here

Graduate School grad.wisc.edu

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• University of Wisconsin-Madison

DEGREE Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, PhD

Doctoral degree in nuclear engineering

As a PhD student in nuclear engineering and engineering physics, you’ll gain deeper experience studying the interaction of radiation with matter. With a strong emphasis on engineering and applied science, you’ll be able to focus on any of several areas, including researching, designing, developing and deploying fission reactors; fusion engineering; plasma physics; radiation damage to materials; applied superconductivity and cryogenics; and large-scale computing in engineering science.

At a glance

Nuclear engineering and engineering physics department, learn more about what information you need to apply., how to apply.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online .

GRE scores are optional. Applicants may submit GRE scores, but are not required to do so. Applications without scores are not placed at a disadvantage.  However, received scores will be considered as part of our holistic evaluation of applications.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS and PROCESS

Degree: For admission to graduate study in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, an applicant must have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, or physical science, and an undergraduate record that indicates an ability to successfully pursue graduate study. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. All applicants must satisfy requirements that are set forth by the  Graduate School . 

It is highly recommended that students take courses that cover the same material as these UW-Madison courses before entering the program:

Course and Semester Credits                                                       Typical Courses

Differential equations, 3 cr                                                           MATH 319 or  MATH 320  

Advanced mathematics, 3 cr                                                       MATH 321

Nuclear physics, 3 cr                                                                     N E 305

Materials science, metallurgy, or solid-state physics, 3 cr        M S & E 350 or M S & E 351

Heat transfer or fluid mechanics, 3 cr                                        CBE 320

Mechanics, 3 cr                                                                            PHYSICS 311 or E M A 202

Descriptions of course content can be accessed through The Guide . Students may enter without having taken these courses. However, in such cases the students must inform their advisors, who will help them plan courses of study that will provide adequate background for our department’s graduate curriculum. Provisions for admission on probation, or as an applicant for more than one master’s degree (e.g., simultaneous MS degrees in two departments) are given in the Graduate School website . 

GPA: The Graduate School requires a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 basis on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours from the most recent bachelor’s degree. In special cases, students with grade point averages lower than 3.0 who meet all the general requirements of the Graduate School may be considered for admission on probation.

GRE: GRE scores are optional. Applicants may submit GRE scores, but are not required to do so. Applications without scores are not placed at a disadvantage.  However, received scores will be considered as part of our holistic evaluation of applications.

PhD advisor selection process: PhD applicants are encouraged to identify potential faculty advisors and seek a confirmation. Please review the department  Research and People websites and contact those whose research interests align with yours. Only faculty members listed with the titles of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, can serve as graduate advisors. Do not contact Emeritus faculty, Lecturers, Research Scientists, or Faculty Associates. You are also encouraged to inquire about possible funding opportunities. If a faculty member agrees to be your advisor, ask the person to email an acknowledgment to [email protected] .

Each application must include the following:

• Graduate School Application
• Academic transcripts
• Statement of purpose
• Three letters of recommendation
• GRE Scores (optional – see below for additional information)
• English Proficiency Score (if required)
• Application Fee

To apply to the NEEP program, complete  applications , including supportive materials, must be submitted as described below and received by the following deadline dates:

• Fall Semester—December 15 
• Spring Semester—September 1 
• Summer Session—December 15 

ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT

Within the online application, upload the undergraduate transcript(s) and, if applicable, the previous graduate transcript. Unofficial copies of transcripts will be accepted for review, but official copies are required for admitted students. Please do not send transcripts or any other application materials to the Graduate School or the Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics department unless requested. Please review the requirements set by the  Graduate School  for additional information about degrees/transcripts.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

In this document, applicants should explain why they want to pursue further education in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics and discuss which UW faculty members they would be interested in doing research with during their graduate study (see the Graduate School for  more advice on how to structure a personal statement ).

Upload your resume in your application.

THREE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

These letters are required from people who can accurately judge the applicant’s academic and/or research performance. It is highly recommended these letters be from faculty familiar with the applicant. Letters of recommendation are submitted electronically to graduate programs through the online application. See the  Graduate School for FAQs  regarding letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are due by the deadline listed above. 

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY SCORE 

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. The UW-Madison Graduate School accepts TOEFL or IETLS scores. Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

For more information regarding minimum score requirements and exemption policy, please see the Graduate School Requirements for Admission .

APPLICATION FEE

Application submission must be accompanied by the one-time application fee. It is non-refundable and can be paid by credit card (MasterCard or Visa) or debit/ATM. Additional information about the application fee may be found here (scroll to the ‘Frequently asked questions).

Fee grants are available through the conditions  outlined here by the Graduate School .

If you have questions, please contact  [email protected] .

RE-ENTRY ADMISSIONS

If you were previously enrolled as a graduate student in the Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics program, have not earned your degree, but have had a break in enrollment for a minimum of a fall or spring term, you will need to re-apply to resume your studies. Please review the Graduate School requirements for previously enrolled students . Your previous faculty advisor (or another NEEP faculty advisor) must be willing to supply advising support and should e-mail the NEEP Graduate Student Services Coordinator regarding next steps in the process.

If you were previously enrolled in a UW-Madison graduate degree, completed that degree, have had a break in enrollment since earning the degree and would now like to apply for another UW-Madison program; you are required to submit a new student application through the UW-Madison Graduate School online application. For NEEP graduate programs, you must follow the entire application process as described above.

CURRENTLY ENROLLED GRADUATE STUDENT ADMISSIONS

Students currently enrolled as a graduate student at UW-Madison, whether in NEEP or a non-NEEP graduate program, wishing to apply to this degree program should contact the NEEP Graduate Admissions Team to inquire about the process and deadlines several months in advance of the anticipated enrollment term. Current students may apply to change or add programs for any term (fall, spring, or summer).

Tuition and funding

Tuition and segregated fee rates are always listed per semester (not for Fall and Spring combined).

View tuition rates

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.  Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Offers of financial support from the Department, College, and University are in the form of research assistantships (RAs), teaching assistantships (TAs), project assistantships (PAs), and partial or full fellowships. Prospective PhD students that receive such offers will have a minimum five-year guarantee of support. The funding for RAs comes from faculty research grants. Each professor decides on his or her own RA offers. International applicants must secure an RA, TA, PA, fellowship, or independent funding before admission is final. Funded students are expected to maintain full-time enrollment.  See the program website for additional information.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES FUNDING AND SCHOLARSHIPS

For information on International Student Funding and Scholarships visit the ISS  website .

In the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, we strive to design and deploy unique world-class experimental and computational capabilities to translate novel discoveries into transformative technologies. Having a broad range of laboratory facilities and collaborative centers at the right scale for energy and mechanics research is a hallmark of the department. The technologies we develop can solve challenges in energy, health, space, security and many other areas.

View our research

Curricular Requirements

Minimum graduate school requirements.

Review the Graduate School minimum  academic progress and degree requirements , in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Required Courses

Students must fulfill the coursework requirements for the nuclear engineering and engineering physics M.S. degree whether receiving the M.S. degree or going directly to the PhD. They must complete an additional 9 credits of technical coursework at the graduate level, beyond the coursework requirement for the MS. Candidates must take three courses numbered 700 or above; must satisfy the Ph.D. technical minor requirement; and must satisfy the PhD non-technical minor requirement.

The candidate is also required to complete, as a graduate student, one course numbered 400 or above in each of the following Areas: fission reactors; plasma physics and fusion; materials; engineering mathematics and computation (see Area Coursework Examples below).

M.S. Coursework Requirements

The following courses, or courses with similar material content, must be taken prior to or during the course of study: N E 427 Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory ; N E 428 Nuclear Reactor Laboratory or N E 526 Laboratory Course in Plasmas ; N E 408 Ionizing Radiation or N E/​MED PHYS  569 Health Physics and Biological Effects .

Thesis pathway 1 : maximum of 12 credits for thesis; at least 8 credits of N E courses numbered 400 or above; remaining credits (also numbered 400 or above) must be in appropriate technical areas 2 ; at least 9 credits must be numbered 500 and above; up to 3 credits can be seminar credits.

Non-Thesis pathway 1 : at least 15 credits of N E courses numbered 400 or above; remaining 15 credits (also numbered 400 or above) must be in appropriate technical areas 2 ; at least 12 credits must be at numbered 500 or above; up to 3 credits can be seminar credits.

For both the thesis and non-thesis options, only one course (maximum of 3 credits) of independent study ( N E 699 Advanced Independent Study , N E 999 Advanced Independent Study ) is allowed.

These pathways are internal to the program and represent different curricular paths a student can follow to earn this degree. Pathway names do not appear in the Graduate School admissions application, and they will not appear on the transcript.

Appropriate technical areas are: Engineering departments (except Engineering and Professional Development), Physics, Math, Statistics, Computer Science, Medical Physics, and Chemistry. Other courses may be deemed appropriate by a student’s faculty advisor.

Area Coursework Examples

These courses are examples that would meet the requirement and are not meant to be a restricted list of possible courses. The candidate is required to complete one course in each of the following areas:

Non-Technical Minor Requirements

Ph.D. candidates must complete one of the following four study options prior to receiving dissertator status. As this is a formal Department requirement, the student should select a Non-Technical Minor early in the program, and must complete it to achieve dissertator status (see below). The Non-Technical Minor must be planned with the help of the candidate’s advisor and must be approved by the Department NonTechnical Minor Advisor except for Study Option IV which must be approved by the Department faculty. A Non-Technical Minor Approval Form is available from the Graduate Student Coordinator, and must be filed prior to submission of the doctoral plan form. Courses numbered below 400 may be used as a part of the Non-Technical Minor.

Study Option I : Technology-Society Interaction Coursework. This option is intended to increase the student’s awareness of the possible effects of technology on society and of the professional responsibilities of engineers and scientists in understanding such side effects. These effects could, for example, involve the influence of engineering on advancement of human welfare, on the distribution of wealth in society, or on environmental and ecological systems.

Suggested courses for fulfilling Option I include:

Study Option II :  Humanistic Society Studies Coursework. The basic objectives of this option are to help prepare the student to bridge the gap between C.P. Snow’s "Two Cultures." Snow’s 1959 lecture thesis was that the breakdown of communication between the "two cultures" of modern society – the sciences and the humanities – was a major hindrance to solving the world’s problems. Study might be designed to give a greater appreciation of the arts such as the classics, music, or painting, or it might be designed, for example, as preparation for translating technical information to the non-technical public.

Suggested areas of study to fulfill Option II include Anthropology, Area Studies, Art, Art History, Classics, Comparative Literature, Contemporary Trends, English (literature), Foreign Languages (literature), Social Work, Sociology, and Speech. Under either Option I or II, the student must take 6 credits of coursework. The courses must be approved by the student’s advisor and the non-technical minor advisor, and the 6 credits should be concentrated in one topical area. Grades in these courses need not meet the Departmental Grade Policy. However, note that all grades in courses numbered 300 or above courses (including grades for Non-Technical Minor courses) are calculated in the Graduate School minimum 3.0 graduation requirement.

Study Option III : Foreign Culture Coursework. This option is intended for the student who desires to live and work in a foreign nation or work with people of a foreign culture. Examples include studies of the history of a foreign nation, of the political stability of a region of the world, of the culture of a particular group within a nation, or of the spoken language of a foreign nation. For Option III the student must take six credits of courses under all of the same conditions and requirements as for Option I and II unless choosing language study. For the latter case, the student must attain a grade of C or better in all courses. If the student has previous knowledge of a language, it is required that either courses beyond the introductory level will be elected or that another language will be elected.

Study Option IV : Technology-Society Interactions Experience. There are many possible technology-society interactions that might be more educational and meaningful for the student as an actual experience than coursework. For example, the student might run for and be elected to a position of alderperson in the city government. Consequently, this option allows the student to pursue a particular aspect of the interaction using his own time and resources.

Study Option IV activity must be planned with the student’s advisor and be approved by the faculty. The effort required should be equivalent to 6 credits of coursework. Upon completion of this program, the student will prepare a written or oral report.

Note: Students from countries in which English is not the native language have inherently fulfilled these non-technical study goals and are exempt from these formal requirements.

Graduate Student Services [email protected] 3182 Mechanical Engineering 1513 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706

Carl Sovinec, Director of Graduate Studies [email protected]

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School of Physics, Engineering and Technology

PhD in Physics

Our research community nurtures close to 150 research students, covering everything from nuclear physics and astrophysics to the physics of life. Join our rich and thriving academic community and deliver projects on key research areas in physics.

Your research

As a doctoral student, the focus of your work will be an independent research project.

You'll be part of one of our leading research groups, which bring together expertise in fields such as condensed matter and materials physics , nuclear physics , plasma and fusion science and technologies , physics of life , and quantum science and technologies .

[email protected] +44 (0)1904 322236

Related links

• Research degree funding
• Accommodation
• International students
• Life at York
• How to apply
• School of Physics, Engineering and Technology funding
• Funding for research degrees

Supervision

We encourage you to find out about our academics and get to know how their work and expertise fit your interests before applying. You will be supervised on a one-to-one basis by a member of academic staff and your progress will be continually guided by a supervisor and a thesis advisory panel.

Our academic staff are happy to answer any questions on their research interests or discuss a project you might have in mind.

Find a supervisor

Research excellence

Our physics research is ranked 13th in the UK according to the Times Higher Education’s ranking of the latest REF results (2021).

Committed to equality

We are proud to hold an Athena Swan Silver award in recognition of the work we do to support gender equality in science.

Fantastic facilities

Gain access to our state-of-the-art research and laboratory spaces, working with world-renowned physicists to drive progress in science, industry and policy.

Training and support

Our research programmes combine training in specialist areas with wider scientific skills. We provide training which will equip you with skills in a wide range of research methods, supporting your growing expertise and enhancing your employability.

Alongside your research, taught modules will help you develop specialist skills and relate your project to developments in the field. You'll choose from a wide range of Masters and undergraduate modules in specialist areas to complement your research.

You'll also take part in a transferable skills programme, covering soft and hard skills.

Course location

This course is run by the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology.

You will be based on Campus West . Most of your training and supervision meetings will take place here, though your research may take you further afield.

Entry requirements

You should have, or expect to obtain, an MPhys degree at 2:1 or above, or an MSc in Physics.

We will also consider applicants with a Masters in a closely related field, applicants who have relevant industry experience, and applicants with a BSc at 2:1 or above where sufficient relevant experience can be demonstrated.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you must provide evidence of your ability.

Careers and skills

Your PhD will help to extend your qualifications by training you to complete research in a specific area of experimental, computational or theoretical physics. You will become equipped with transferable skills around creativity and innovation, mathematics and problem solving to become an expert in your field, prepared for the next stage in your career.

Our dedicated careers team offer specific support including a programme of professional researcher development and careers workshops and 1:1 career support sessions. They will help you to build up your employability portfolio and to engage in activities that will build up your skills and experience within and outside of your research work.

Career opportunities

• Software developer
• Principal data scientist
• Product engineer
• Academic researcher
• Lecturer or teacher

Apply for this course

Apply for this course (Distance Learning)

Find your supervisor

Advertised research projects

If you are applying for an advertised research project, please include the project name in your application. You should contact the project leader in advance, who may also ask you to submit a full research proposal.  Advertised research projects may be funded or self-funded, as indicated in the advert.

Find a project

Research proposals

If you are not applying for a particular research project, you should contact the member of the academic staff you wish to work with, who may provide you with a research/project outline.

The research proposal needs to describe the nature of your proposed study and give some indication of how you will conduct your research. The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that you and your potential supervisor(s) have matching research interests. The proposal should be 250 to 350 words in length. It must be in English, and be your own words.

Scholarships and funding

• OU Homepage
• OU Social Media
• The University of Oklahoma

Engineering Physics, Ph.D.

Minimum Total Hours: 90

Program Code: D372

Program Requirements

May be in related fields at G4000 level or above if approved by the advisory committee and graduate liaison.

The General Examination can only be taken after passing the internal departmental qualifying exams on Quantum Mechanics, Electrodynamics, and Classical & Statistical Mechanics.

General Requirements for Doctoral Degrees

A student should expect to spend at least the equivalent of three full academic years beyond the bachelor’s degree to obtain the doctoral degree. During this period the student will take appropriate graduate coursework, successfully complete the general examination, and successfully defend and submit the final dissertation.

All coursework applied to the doctoral degree must carry graduate credit.

The doctoral degree requires at least 90 post-baccalaureate hours, including both formal coursework and hours of research.

The minimum hour requirement for a specific doctoral degree program cannot be waived.

No more than one-half of the credit hours, both OU and overall, excluding Research for Doctoral Dissertation (6980), may be  S/U -graded coursework.

The student must be in residence at OU for at least two consecutive 16-week semesters during the pursuit of the doctoral degree while enrolled and engaged in coursework or research activities as prescribed by the major academic unit.

For more detailed regulations and requirements for Doctoral degrees, please consult the Graduate College Bulletin: http://www.ou.edu/gradcollege/forms/bulletin

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Applying to the Medical Engineering and Medical Physics (MEMP) PhD Program

Passionate about the place where science, engineering, and medicine intersect earn a phd grounded in quantitative science or engineering, combined with extensive training in biomedical sciences and clinical practice..

Learn how to apply below, or explore the program further .

Who should apply?

HST thrives when it reflects the community it serves. We encourage students from groups historically underrepresented in STEMM, students with non-traditional academic backgrounds, and students from academic institutions that have not previously sent many students to Harvard and MIT to apply. 

What should I know before I apply?

The HST PhD Admissions Committee values new perspectives, welcoming students from a wide range of disciplines. Successful applicants will have a strong undergraduate background in an engineering discipline or a physical/quantitative science (for example, chemistry, physics, computer science, computational neuroscience).

In response to the challenges of teaching, learning, and assessing academic performance during the global COVID-19 pandemic, HST will take the significant disruptions of the outbreak in 2020 into account when reviewing students’ transcripts and other admissions materials as part of our regular practice of performing individualized, holistic reviews of each applicant.

In particular, as we review applications now and in the future, we will respect decisions regarding the adoption of Pass/No Record (or Credit/No Credit or Pass/Fail) and other grading options during the unprecedented period of COVID-19 disruptions, whether those decisions were made by institutions or by individual students. In addition, we no longer accept GRE scores.  We expect that the individual experiences of applicants will richly inform applications and, as such, they will be considered with the entirety of a student’s record.

Ultimately, our goal remains to form graduate student cohorts that are collectively excellent and composed of outstanding individuals who will challenge and support one another.

How can I strengthen my application?

In addition to outstanding undergraduate performance, we look for students who have demonstrated a sustained interest in applications of engineering and physical/quantitative science to biology or medicine through classes, research, or work experience.

Are standardized tests required?

International applicants should review the additional requirements below.  We do not accept GRE or MCAT scores.

What about funding? 

HST MEMP is a fully-funded program. Students in good academic standing receive full financial support - consisting of living expenses, tuition, and health insurance - for the duration of their graduate studies. This support comes from a combination of fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. For more detailed information regarding the cost of attendance, including specific costs for tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing and food as well as transportation, please visit the MIT Student Financial Services website .

MEMP PhD students enrolled through MIT can work in the labs of any Harvard or MIT faculty member, including those at the many local institutions affiliated with Harvard and with MIT . 

How do I apply?

All prospective MEMP PhD candidates must apply to HST via MIT.

Candidates who are simultaneously applying for graduate study with one of our partner units at Harvard - the Harvard Biophysics Graduate Program or the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) – may optionally follow these instructions to apply to participate in the MEMP curriculum in conjunction with their PhD at Harvard. This path is appropriate if you have a particular interest in the curriculum of Harvard's interdepartmental Biophysics Program, or if you’re interested in joining the lab of a Harvard SEAS faculty member to work on a SEAS-based project. 

How to apply

Applying to hst's memp phd program via mit.

Ready to take the next step with HST? You’ll submit your application through  MIT’s online application system . Our application will open and a link will be available here on August 1, 2023, for entry in fall 2024. Here’s what we’ll ask for:

1. Statement of objectives

Recommended Length: 800-1200 words

Please give your reasons for wishing to do graduate work in HST. Explain how your background has prepared you for this graduate program. Identify the research area(s) you plan to investigate during your graduate studies, the issues and problems you wish to address, and how HST's program supports your research interests. State your long-term professional goals and specify the unique aspects of the HST program that will help you to accomplish those goals.

• Prepare your Statement of Objectives in whatever format clearly presents your views.
• It is not necessary to name specific professors or labs you might want to join. HST requests that candiates wait to contact professors after applications have been reviewed.
• If applicable, describe any specific academic or research challenges you have overcome. The Admissions Committee will welcome any factors you wish to bring to its attention concerning your academic, research, and work experiences to date .

2. Personal Statement

Recommended Length: 400-800 words

The HST community is composed of individuals who come from a variety of backgrounds, may have faced personal challenges, and serve as leaders in society. Please discuss how your experiences and background inspire you to work for the betterment of your communities. Your response is not limited to, but may discuss, one or more of the following:

• Personal challenges that you may have faced and how they acted to inhibit your scholarly growth; 
• Strategies that you may have found or implemented to cope with challenges in your life or the lives of others;
• How you have fostered justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the past, or how you will in the future at HST and beyond

3. Your unofficial transcript(s)

Upload unofficial transcripts or grade reports from any school where you received or expect to receive a degree.

Please do not send official transcripts until you are invited to interview and prompted to submit them. More info here .

4. Letters of recommendation

Ask a minimum of three (and maximum of five) people to submit letters of recommendation on your behalf.

At least two letters should be from people well acquainted with your academic work and research capabilities. Your recommenders must upload their letters online by the application deadline. The letter should be on institutional letterhead and include a legible signature.

5. Resume/CV

The online application will prompt you to upload a resume or CV.

Additional Notes

We do not accept copies of journal articles, certificates, photographs, or any other materials; they will not be reviewed. 

Training programs

MEMP offers optional training programs in Neuroimaging and Bioastronautics . To express your interest, simply choose one of these specializations from the Areas of Research section in your online application. Otherwise, you should select MEMP, with no sub-specialty.

Fee Waivers

Applying to graduate school can present a financial obstacle for many qualified applicants. Application fee waivers are available for US citizens and permanent residents who meet eligibility requirements set by the MIT Office of Graduate Education.  All requests are made through the MIT Office of Graduate Education process. 

Information for applicants to Harvard

Joining hst's memp phd program via harvard.

Are you simultaneously applying for graduate study with one of our partner units at Harvard? If so, you may optionally apply to participate in the MEMP curriculum in conjunction with your PhD at Harvard.

1. In addition to your MIT application (instructions above), submit a full application to either the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) or the Program in Biophysics .

2. notify hst of your harvard application..

Upload a PDF copy of your completed Harvard application to your MIT HST graduate application. 

Ideally, Harvard applications should be included with an MIT application and uploaded by our December 1 deadline. Harvard applications can be added to the MIT application until December 9.

If you cannot upload the PDF directly, email it to hst-phd-admissions [at] mit.edu (hst-phd-admissions[at]mit[dot]edu) . We can only accept and add Harvard applications until 5 pm (ET) on December 16 . We will not accept or consider joint admission for Harvard applications received after December 16.

Successful applicants to MEMP through Harvard must be accepted by both the Harvard program and HST. Candidates then have three options for enrollment

• Participate in both programs -  accept the offer from Harvard as your primary PhD institution and notify HST that you will participate in the j oint program .
• MIT MEMP PhD only - decline the offer from Harvard and accept the MIT HST offer.
• Harvard PhD only -  accept the offer from Harvard only and decline MIT HST offer for both the primary institution and joint program.

Information for international applicants

Here are a few additional things to consider when applying from abroad.

1. Transcripts  Submit transcripts as described elsewhere for all candidates. Transcripts that do not already include an English version must be accompanied by a certified English translation.

2. English language proficiency You are required to take either the IELTS, Cambridge English or TOEFL exam unless:

• English is your first language;
• You have received a degree from a high school, college, or university where English is the primary language of instruction;
• You are currently enrolled in a degree program where English is the primary language of instruction. 

More information here . 

All applications are evaluated without consideration of nationality or citizenship. Funding offers to admitted candidates are typically the same for domestic and international candidates.

Have Questions?

Please check our  PhD Admissions FAQ .

Still have questions?

Just email the  hst-phd-admissions [at] mit.edu (HST PhD Admissions staff) . We’re here to help.

Key Dates (all Eastern Time)

October 17, 2023, at 12pm Virtual PhD Admissions Information Session, event has passed. The Zoom webinar invitation is sent to all registered participants closer to the time of the event.

November 8, 2023, at 12pm Virtual PhD Admissions Information Session, event has passed. The Zoom webinar invitation is sent to all registered participants closer to the time of the event.

December 1, 2023, at 11:59pm Deadline for applications via MIT

Mid-January 2024 Promising applicants invited to interview

Late January 2024 Virtual Interviews

Mid-February 2024 Admission decisions released

Early March 2024 Open House for admitted applicants

April 15, 2024 Last day for applicants to declare admission decision

Medical Physics and Bioengineering MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

This degree is focused on a multi-disciplinary subject at the interface of physics, engineering, life sciences and computer science. The PhD programme involves 3-4 years (more for part-time students) of original research supervised by a senior member of the department.

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2021 rated the department’s research, as part of UCL Engineering, as 97% "world-leading"(4*) or "internationally excellent" (3*) and UCL was the second-rated university in the UK for research strength.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

• Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or another closely related discipline, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Knowledge and expertise gained in the workplace may also be considered, where appropriate.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2 Overall score of 7.0 and a minimum of 6.5 in each component.

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

If you are intending to apply for a time-limited visa to complete your UCL studies (e.g., Student visa, Skilled worker visa, PBS dependant visa etc.) you may be required to obtain ATAS clearance . This will be confirmed to you if you obtain an offer of a place. Please note that ATAS processing times can take up to six months, so we recommend you consider these timelines when submitting your application to UCL.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

PhD projects will be strongly multi-disciplinary, bridging the gap between engineering, clinical sciences and industry. Over 100 non-clinical and clinical scientists across UCL will partner to co-supervise a new type of individual, ready to transform healthcare and build the future UK industry in this area.

Who this course is for

As a multi-disciplinary subject at the interface of physics, engineering, life sciences and computer science, our postgraduate students have a diverse range of options upon graduation. Many choose to continue in academia through the subsequent award of a PhD studentship or a postdoctoral research post.

What this course will give you

With a Postgraduate Research degree, you will become part of a Department of leading researchers and work towards becoming an expert in your chosen field. Postgraduate study within UCL Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering offers the chance to develop important skills and acquire new knowledge through involvement with a team of scientists or engineers working in a world-leading research group. Following a Postgraduate Research degree, our students have entered a number of varied careers. Many choose to continue in academic research with a postdoctoral post, enter the NHS or private healthcare sector, or apply their skills in industry.

The foundation of your career

Postgraduate study within the department offers the chance to develop important skills and acquire new knowledge through involvement with a team of scientists or engineers working in a world-leading research group. Graduates complete their studies having gained new scientific or engineering skills applied to solving problems at the leading edge of human endeavour. Skills associated with project management, effective communication and teamwork are also refined in this high-quality working environment.

Employability

As a multi-disciplinary subject at the interface of physics, engineering, life sciences and computer science, our postgraduate students have a diverse range of options upon graduation. Many choose to continue in academia through the subsequent award of a PhD studentship or a postdoctoral research post. Another common career route is employment in industry where newly-acquired skills are applied to science and engineering projects within multi-national medical device companies, or alternatively, within small-scale start-up enterprises. A substantial number of graduates also enter the NHS or private healthcare sector to work as a clinical scientist or engineer upon completion of further clinical training.

Supervision and mentorship are available from scientists and engineers who have collaborated nationally and internationally across clinical, industrial and academic sectors. This provides natural opportunities to work in collaboration with a variety of external partners and showcase output at international conferences, private industry events and clinical centres to audiences of potential employers. Moreover, the department holds close working relationships with a number of charitable, research council and international organisations, for example, in new projects involving radiotherapy and infant optical brain imaging in Africa.

Teaching and learning

Our PhD programme involves 3–4 years of original research supervised by a senior member of the department. At any one time, the department has around 60–80 PhD students from a variety of disciplines

A dissertation of up to 100,000 words for a PhD, or up to 60,000 words for an MPhil, is completed as a part of this programme.

Contact hours depend on the type of project and the stage you are at in your PhD. At the start of an experimental, lab-based project, you might spend most of your time working with your supervisor or other researchers. At other times, you might spend most of your time reading or writing and be more self-directed. As a rule, it’s common for students to meet with their supervisor on a weekly basis. You should treat a full-time PhD as you’d treat a full-time job and aim to spend 40 hours a week or so working on your PhD. Sometimes you may need to spend more than this (for example if you’re travelling to a conference, using equipment that has limited availability or have an urgent deadline), but this would be a reasonable average.

Research areas and structure

• Biomedical optics
• Biomedical Ultrasound
• Computing, digital image processing
• Continence and skin technology
• Functional electrical stimulation
• Implanted devices
• Laser and endoscopic surgery
• Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy
• Medical imaging including 3D graphics
• Neurophysiology including electrical impedance tomography
• Physiological sensing
• Radiation physics

Research environment

UCL's Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering is one of the largest medical physics departments in the UK. We have exceptionally close links with major teaching hospitals, as well as excellent academic research. We offer BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering.

Our academic research rating is a top level 5, which means that we have an internationally leading reputation in medical physics and biomedical engineering research. Ours is a joint department with Medical Physics in the UCLH NHS Trust, and so our staff work side-by-side with hospital physicists, clinical doctors and other health professionals. This close liaison with clinical colleagues in this exciting field enriches our research and teaching. We develop new technologies and methods for diagnosing, treating and managing medical conditions and diseases.  A PhD at UCL Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering will allow you to pursue original research and make a distinct and significant contribution to your field. We are committed to the quality and relevance of the research supervision we offer and as an MPhil/PhD candidate you could work with academics. Furthermore, as a research student, you will be an integral part of our collaborative and thriving research community. Student-run ‘work in progress’ forums and an end-of-first-year PhD workshop will give you the opportunity to present and discuss your research and academic colleagues. Tailored skills seminars will provide you with a supportive research environment and the critical skills necessary to undertake your research. To foster your academic development, we also offer additional department funds, which can assist you with the costs of conferences and other research activities.

The length of registration for the full-time research degree programmes is 3 to 4 years.

You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade viva 12 - 18 months after initial registration.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration, you may register as a completing research student (CRS) while you write up your thesis. 

Within three months of joining the programme, you are expected to agree with your principal supervisor the basic structure of your research project, an appropriate research method and a realistic plan of work. You will produce and submit a detailed outline of your proposed research to both your supervisors for their comments and feedback. We hold a PhD workshop at the end of your first year, which provides you with an opportunity to present your research before an audience of UCL Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Academic staff and fellow PhD students.

In your second year you will be expected to upgrade from an MPhil to a PhD. To successfully upgrade to a PhD, you are required to submit a piece of writing (this is usually based on one chapter from your thesis and a chapter plan for the remainder). You are also required to present and answer questions about this work to a panel consisting of your subsidiary supervisor and another member of the faculty who acts as an independent assessor.

The length of registration for the research degree programmes is 5 to 6 years for the part-time route.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

There are no additional costs associated with this programme.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

Deadlines and start dates are usually dictated by funding arrangements so check with the department or academic unit to see if you need to consider these in your application preparation. In all cases the applicant should identify and contact potential supervisors with a brief research proposal before making your application. For more information see our How to apply page: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medical-physics-biomedical-engineering/study/postgraduate-research/mphilphd-medical-physics-and-biomedical-engineering/applying-doctoral

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Got questions get in touch.

Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering

[email protected]

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Expected Background and Preparation for Applicants to the Physics PhD Program

Undergraduate degree.

Students applying to the PhD program are expected to have substantial undergraduate background in physics and typically hold a Bachelor's Degree in Physics, although in the past, students with degrees in engineering, mathematics, or other areas have been admitted. Candidates planning graduate study in physics should have completed at least (preferably more than) 15 semester credit hours in undergraduate physics beyond introductory courses, including upper division courses in Classical Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Quantum Mechanics, and Statistical Physics, as well as at least 6 credits of mathematics beyond college-level calculus, including for example multivariable calculus, ordinary differential equations, linear algebra and/or a course or courses in mathematical methods of physics.

Standardized Exams

GRE exams are not required, but may be submitted if you believe they bolster your application.

International students must take the  TOEFL  exam to demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English. During the pandemic, other options are also available.  Please see the updates on the graduate school COVID-19 updates. Please see the updates on the graduate school COVID-19 updates. Further information for international students can be found on the graduate school webpages  here .

For further information about the GRE and TOEFL exams, contact the  Educational Testing Service .

More Information

For more information about the graduate program, useful links, and other information, see the  PhD Program page.  Be sure in particular to see our page on  Essential Information for PhD Applicants .

For questions about the application process, please feel welcome to contact our Graduate Program Manager, Katie Bryant, at  @email .

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Award-winning teaching, research opportunities, and interdisciplinary programs in a diverse, inclusive community of excellence.

Main Office: Department of Physics 1126 Lederle Graduate Research Tower (LGRT) University of Massachusetts 710 North Pleasant Street Amherst, MA 01003-9337 USA

Phone:  (413) 545-2545 Fax:  (413) 545-0648

Electrical Engineering PhD

The Electrical Engineering PhD program studies systems that sense, analyze, and interact with the world. You will learn how this practice is based on fundamental science and mathematics, creating opportunities for both theoretical and experimental research. Electrical engineers invent devices for sensing and actuation, designing physical substrates for computation, creating algorithms for analysis and control, and expanding the theory of information processing. You will get to choose from a wide range of research areas such as circuits and VLSI, computer engineering and architecture, robotics and control, and signal processing.

Electrical engineers at SEAS are pursuing work on integrated circuits for cellular biotechnology, millimeter-scale robots, and the optimization of smart power groups. Examples of projects current and past students have worked on include developing methods to trace methane emissions and improving models for hurricane predictions.

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PhD in Electrical Engineering Degree

Harvard School of Engineering offers a  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)  degree in Engineering Sciences: Electrical Engineering , conferred through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS). Prospective students apply through the Harvard Griffin GSAS. In the online application, select  “Engineering and Applied Sciences” as your program choice and select " PhD Engineering Sciences: Electrical Engineering ​."

The Electrical Engineering program does not offer an independent Masters Degree.

Electrical Engineering PhD Career Paths

Graduates of the program have gone on to a range of careers in industry in companies such as Tesla, Microsoft HoloLens, and IBM. Others have positions in academia at the University of Maryland, University of Michigan, and University of Colorado.

Admissions & Academic Requirements

Prospective students apply through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS). In the online application, select  “Engineering and Applied Sciences” as your program choice and select "PhD Engineering Sciences: Electrical Engineering​." Please review the  admissions requirements and other information  before applying. Our website also provides  admissions guidance ,   program-specific requirements , and a  PhD program academic timeline .

Academic Background

Applicants typically have bachelor’s degrees in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, or engineering. In the application for admission, select “Engineering and Applied Sciences” as your degree program choice and your degree and area of interest from the “Area of Study“ drop-down. PhD applicants must complete the Supplemental SEAS Application Form as part of the online application process.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Not Accepted

Electrical Engineering Faculty & Research Areas

View a list of our electrical engineering  faculty  and electrical engineering  affiliated research areas , Please note that faculty members listed as “Affiliates" or "Lecturers" cannot serve as the primary research advisor.  

Electrical Engineering Centers & Initiatives

View a list of the research  centers & initiatives  at SEAS and the  electrical engineering faculty engagement with these entities .

Graduate Student Clubs

Graduate student clubs and organizations bring students together to share topics of mutual interest. These clubs often serve as an important adjunct to course work by sponsoring social events and lectures. Graduate student clubs are supported by the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin School of Arts and Sciences. Explore the list of active clubs and organizations .

Funding and Scholarship

Learn more about financial support for PhD students.

• How to Apply

Learn more about how to apply  or review frequently asked questions for prospective graduate students.

In Electrical Engineering

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PhD in Physics

Application deadline: Jun 17, 2024 at 11:59 PM

Call for Applications

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Doctoral programme start date: Nov 01, 2024

Alessandro Gabrielli

Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "Augusto Righi" - DIFA

Viale Berti Pichat 6/2 Bologna (BO)

[email protected]

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School of Physics

College of sciences, search form, college of sciences announces new minors, ph.d. program and curriculum additions.

This fall, the College of Sciences will debut three new minors, a new Ph.D. program, and a new “4+1” B.S./M.S. degree program. 

The announcement follows curriculum updates for the 2023-24 academic year, including the launch of the Minor in the Science of Mental Health and Well-Being in the School of Psychology and the creation of three new bachelor of science degrees in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. 

“We are excited to announce these additions to the College’s portfolio of academic opportunities for our students,” says David M. Collard , senior associate dean in the College of Sciences and professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry . “The updates reflect our College’s growth and respond to our students’ interest in pursuing advanced study.”

The additions for the 2024-2025 academic year include: 

“4+1” B.S./M.S. Degree Program

The College offers several options for undergraduate students to earn both a bachelor of science degree and a master of science degree as a part of a “4+1” program. Students may apply to the B.S./M.S Degree Program after being at Georgia Tech for about one year. This allows them to tailor their undergraduate and graduate academic requirements to complete both degrees in a timely manner. 

Computation and Cognition Minor 

The Minor in Computation and Cognition is a highly interdisciplinary program that combines advanced computational training with the study of human cognition. Students will learn about the computational mechanisms underlying human cognition and use computational methods to better understand human cognition. Established by the School of Psychology in collaboration with the College of Computing and with support from the Schools of Physics and Mathematics , the minor is open to all students starting this fall.

There are several new courses in the School of Psychology supporting this minor, including PSYC 4690 (Sensation and Perception: A Computational Perspective) and PSYC/PHYS 4745 (Physics of Cognition). These two classes are offered as special topics this fall but will have permanent course numbers in Spring 2025. More new courses in computation and cognition are planned for the next year and beyond.  

Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Ph.D. Program, Neuroscience Minor

The new Ph.D. and minor offerings build on the recently launched Neuro Next Initiative in Research and the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience , respectively. 

The new Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Ph.D. Program is a joint effort across the Colleges of Science, Computing and Engineering. It is focused on educating students to advance the field of neuroscience through an interdisciplinary approach, with scientists and engineers of diverse backgrounds — ultimately integrating neuroscience research and technological development to study all levels of nervous system function. The program expects to enroll its first graduate students in Fall 2025.

Approved by the Board of Regents in 2017, the interdisciplinary B.S. in Neuroscience degree enrolled more than 400 undergraduate students in 2022, and has been the fastest growing undergraduate major at Georgia Tech. The Minor in Neuroscience is set to become available during the 2024-25 academic year.  

Quantum Sciences and Technology Minor

In response to the explosion of research, development, investment, and hiring in quantum information science taking place across academia, national labs, and private industry, the School of Physics is now hosting a new Minor in Quantum Sciences and Technology . 

Available starting this fall, the program is open to all students, regardless of major, who are interested in learning more about quantum information theory, applications of quantum information to measurement, quantum materials, quantum computation, quantum algorithms, quantum communication, or any other quantum science related topics. The coursework includes basic training in quantum mechanics and quantum information, and a choice of quantum-related electives in physics, math, chemistry, computer science, and electrical engineering. 

The minor was established by the School of Physics in partnership with the School of Mathematics and the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry in addition to the Colleges of Computing and Engineering.

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Related Links

• Georgia Tech to Offer Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, New Minor
• School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences to Offer Three New Undergraduate Degrees — Including Interdisciplinary Environmental Science Major
• New Minor in the Science of Mental Health and Well-Being Launches in the School of Psychology

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2024 Graduate Awards and Fellowships

There are 21 graduate award and fellowship recipients in the School for 2021. The fellowship recipients are as follows: Burlaga Fellowship: Nicholas Kruegler Goldman Summer Fellowship: Zhifei Yang Hoff Lu Summer Fellowship: Kazi Ranjibul  Islam Larkin Summer Fellowship : David Mayrhofer  Pepin Summer Fellowship: Derek Perera, Hayley Williams Voloshin Fellowship: Arpon Paul

Award recipients: Rahman Prize: Wen-Han Kao, Mohit Gupta

Outstanding TA Awards: Felipe Fontinele Nunes, Alex Granados, Chelsea Rodriguez, Will Benoit, Colin Weber, Ethan Stark, Jacob Ritz, Nicholas Kruegler, Virginia Gali

Mentor TA:  Nicholas Kruegler, Virginia Gali, Jacob Ritz

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Computer Science and Engineering

WE ENGINEER EXCELLENCE

CSE Student Awarded an Honorable Mention for the Jane Street Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF)

This fellowship supports outstanding doctoral students pursuing PhDs in computer science, mathematics, physics, or statistics. Out of over 800 global applicants, only 40 students were selected and invited to New York City for the award ceremony. Xiaojun Dong from our department was among the distinguished invitees. More information about the fellowship and the 2024 profiles can be found at:  https://www.janestreet. com/join-jane-street/programs- and-events/grf-profiles-2024/ .

Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

At michigan state university, international research team uses wavefunction matching to solve quantum many-body problems, new approach makes calculations with realistic interactions possible.

FRIB researchers are part of an international research team solving challenging computational problems in quantum physics using a new method called wavefunction matching. The new approach has applications to fields such as nuclear physics, where it is enabling theoretical calculations of atomic nuclei that were previously not possible. The details are published in Nature (“Wavefunction matching for solving quantum many-body problems”) .

Ab initio methods and their computational challenges

An ab initio method describes a complex system by starting from a description of its elementary components and their interactions. For the case of nuclear physics, the elementary components are protons and neutrons. Some key questions that ab initio calculations can help address are the binding energies and properties of atomic nuclei not yet observed and linking nuclear structure to the underlying interactions among protons and neutrons.

Yet, some ab initio methods struggle to produce reliable calculations for systems with complex interactions. One such method is quantum Monte Carlo simulations. In quantum Monte Carlo simulations, quantities are computed using random or stochastic processes. While quantum Monte Carlo simulations can be efficient and powerful, they have a significant weakness: the sign problem. The sign problem develops when positive and negative weight contributions cancel each other out. This cancellation results in inaccurate final predictions. It is often the case that quantum Monte Carlo simulations can be performed for an approximate or simplified interaction, but the corresponding simulations for realistic interactions produce severe sign problems and are therefore not possible.

Using ‘plastic surgery’ to make calculations possible

The new wavefunction-matching approach is designed to solve such computational problems. The research team—from Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University in Turkey; University of Bonn, Ruhr University Bochum, and Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany; Institute for Basic Science in South Korea; South China Normal University, Sun Yat-Sen University, and Graduate School of China Academy of Engineering Physics in China; Tbilisi State University in Georgia; CEA Paris-Saclay and Université Paris-Saclay in France; and Mississippi State University and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University (MSU)—includes  Dean Lee , professor of physics at FRIB and in MSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and head of the Theoretical Nuclear Science department at FRIB, and  Yuan-Zhuo Ma , postdoctoral research associate at FRIB.

“We are often faced with the situation that we can perform calculations using a simple approximate interaction, but realistic high-fidelity interactions cause severe computational problems,” said Lee. “Wavefunction matching solves this problem by doing plastic surgery. It removes the short-distance part of the high-fidelity interaction, and replaces it with the short-distance part of an easily computable interaction.”

This transformation is done in a way that preserves all of the important properties of the original realistic interaction. Since the new wavefunctions look similar to that of the easily computable interaction, researchers can now perform calculations using the easily computable interaction and apply a standard procedure for handling small corrections called perturbation theory.  A team effort

The research team applied this new method to lattice quantum Monte Carlo simulations for light nuclei, medium-mass nuclei, neutron matter, and nuclear matter. Using precise ab initio calculations, the results closely matched real-world data on nuclear properties such as size, structure, and binding energies. Calculations that were once impossible due to the sign problem can now be performed using wavefunction matching.

“It is a fantastic project and an excellent opportunity to work with the brightest nuclear scientist s in FRIB and around the globe,” said Ma. “As a theorist , I'm also very excited about programming and conducting research on the world's most powerful exascale supercomputers, such as Frontier , which allows us to implement wavefunction matching to explore the mysteries of nuclear physics.”

While the research team focused solely on quantum Monte Carlo simulations, wavefunction matching should be useful for many different ab initio approaches, including both classical and  quantum computing calculations. The researchers at FRIB worked with collaborators at institutions in China, France, Germany, South Korea, Turkey, and United States.

“The work is the culmination of effort over many years to handle the computational problems associated with realistic high-fidelity nuclear interactions,” said Lee. “It is very satisfying to see that the computational problems are cleanly resolved with this new approach. We are grateful to all of the collaboration members who contributed to this project, in particular, the lead author, Serdar Elhatisari.”

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the German Research Foundation, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative, Volkswagen Stiftung, the European Research Council, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Security Academic Fund, the Rare Isotope Science Project of the Institute for Basic Science, the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Institute for Basic Science, and the Espace de Structure et de réactions Nucléaires Théorique.

Michigan State University operates the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) as a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), supporting the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics. Hosting what is designed to be the most powerful heavy-ion accelerator, FRIB enables scientists to make discoveries about the properties of rare isotopes in order to better understand the physics of nuclei, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions, and applications for society, including in medicine, homeland security, and industry.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of today’s most pressing challenges. For more information, visit energy.gov/science.