Physics and Astronomy (Archived 2016-17 Graduate Catalog)

Chair: John Laird
Graduate Coordinator: Lewis Fulcher
Address: 104 Overman Hall
Phone: 419-372-2421
E-mail: physics@bgsu.edu
Physics and Astronomy Program Website

Degrees Offered

Master of Science (M.S.)
Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)

Programs Offered

M.S. in Physics
M.A.T. Physics
Ph.D. in Physics (consortial with The University of Toledo)

Prerequisites to Graduate Work

M.S. applicants should have the equivalent of a bachelor's degree with a major in physics, or a minor in physics and a major in a cognate field, from an accredited institution. Applicants should also have taken a minimum of one year of undergraduate chemistry. Applicants with prerequisite deficiencies may be required to take undergraduate course work or satisfactorily complete an examination as a condition of admission.

M.A.T. applicants must have at least one year's teaching experience and hold a valid teaching certificate from the state in which they are teaching.

Admission Procedure

Applicants seeking admission to the graduate programs in Physics should follow the instructions outlined in the Graduate Admission section of this Graduate Catalog.  All application materials should be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office.

In addition, applicants should review the admissions requirements specific to the program to which they seek admission.  

Additional criteria for the Physics M.S. program include three letters of recommendation.

Degree Requirements

M.S. in Physics: The M.S. degree is offered under two plans.

Plan I: Candidates must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of courses approved for graduate credit including a minimum of 26 hours in physics. In addition to the 26 hours of courses in physics, candidates must present a formal thesis and pass an oral examination on the thesis.

Plan II: Candidates must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours of courses approved for graduate credit including a minimum of 28 hours in physics. In addition to the 28 hours of physics courses, candidates must submit a scholarly paper and pass a final written comprehensive examination covering selected fields.

M.A.T. Physics: Degree requirements are listed under the heading of Master of Arts in Teaching in the "Graduate Degrees Offered” section of this catalog.

Consortial Ph.D. Program in Physics: Students wishing to obtain a Ph.D. in physics through the consortial program with The University of Toledo (UT) should complete requirements for the M.S. at BGSU and take the Ph.D. qualifying exam at The University of Toledo. After successfully passing that examination, the student would be admitted to UT’s program and could take courses at UT and at BGSU. After being admitted to candidacy, students may engage in dissertation research with faculty from BGSU, UT, or both.

View a full list of specific required courses for each of the above programs.

Graduate Courses

Please access graduate courses online by clicking the “Browsing Course Catalog” button. Graduate courses offered by the Department of Physics and Astronomy use the prefix PHYS.