PhD in Physics

The physics doctorate educates scholars and researchers who can teach and carry out original theoretical, experimental or computational work, or a mix of these. Research areas include biological physics, condensed matter, particle physics and cosmology, photonics and statistical physics. Graduates move into academic, industrial and government careers. Applicants need a bachelor's degree at minimum, in physics or something close to it. The program offers interdisciplinary opportunities, notably with chemistry, computer science and mathematics, and expects students to use advanced computational methods and to act professionally and ethically. Students complete sixteen four-unit courses, sixty-four units in all, with B- or better and an overall B average. Eight lecture courses include mathematical physics, quantum mechanics and a first-year methods course, plus a distribution course outside the research specialty. Limited non-lecture courses count. No foreign language is required.