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The University of Kentucky, located in Lexington, was founded in 1865 and
is the state's comprehensive Ph.D. land grant institution. It is
classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Research I University. As the
premier university in Kentucky, it is particularly charged with
responsibility for professional and graduate training in all fields.
Approximately 30,000 students are currently enrolled on the Lexington
campus, a 350 acre site within easy walking distance of downtown Lexington,
and at the adjacent Lexington Community College. Of these students, about
20 percent (over 6,000) are enrolled in graduate or professional schools.
The academic work of the University is organized into the Colleges of
Agriculture, Allied Health Professions, Architecture, Arts and Sciences,
Business and Economics, Communications and Information Studies, Dentistry,
Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Human Environmental Sciences, Law,
Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work, and the Graduate School; all
located on the Lexington campus. The Lexington Community College offers
many additional programs and services to citizens of the state.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy is composed of 31 fulltime faculty
members, approximately 55 graduate students, and 36 research, technical and
administrative staff members. Research in the Department is divided into
five broad areas: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atomic Physics, Condensed
Matter Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Particle Theory. Within each of these
areas, graduate students can complete both course work and individual
thesis research projects leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.
Upon entering the graduate program, students usually complete one to three
years of work in the classroom, depending upon the student's background and
the degree sought. In some cases, students enroll in advanced undergraduate
physics courses to remedy specific deficiencies.
Nearly all
graduate students serve during at least part of their years in the program
as Teaching Assistants for introductory undergraduate physics courses.
Students are encouraged to become familiar as soon as possible with the
work of one or more of the research groups in the Department; usually by
attending topical seminars and then arranging to work with a faculty member
on a research project during the summer. In this way students become
prepared to enter the research program and complete the thesis requirements
of the graduate degrees. Master's degree candidates may choose to complete
additional courses in the place of a thesis option. While completing a
research project with a member of the faculty, graduate students have
access to the broad range of resources provided by the Department and
University. The array of computational resources is described elsewhere in
this brochure.
Additional services are provided by fully staffed machine shop, electronics
shop and vacuum/technical shop located in the ChemistryPhysics building. In
addition, several of the research programs are conducted in part at major
national and international research facilities.
Persons considering graduate study in physics and astronomy should be aware
that mastery in these fields requires both a commitment from the student
and dedication to hard work. The rewards of meeting this challenge are
considerable, however, and can provide the professional physicist with
membership in one of the great modern adventures of mankind.
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Professor Michael Cavagnero, Chair
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Professor Joseph Brill
Director of Graduate Studies
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Professor Michael Kovash
Director of Undergraduate Studies
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