Admissions
We admit 10-15 new graduate students each year. Our students have
a wide range of backgrounds. Roughly half of our students are
from Kentucky and the surrounding states of West Virginia,
Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee. The other half of our students
come from elsewhere in the U.S. and from a wide variety of countries around
the world.
Most of our entering students will have completed
the following courses at the upper division undergraduate level
- Mechanics (one semester)
- Electricity and Magnetism (two semesters)
- Thermal Physics (one semester)
- Modern Physics (one semester)
- Quantum Mechanics (one semester)
although some students complete one or more of
these courses after coming to UK and before
embarking on the graduate curriculum.
We look particularly, though not exclusively,
for students with strong interests in
research. Students with research experience as undergraduates
have a high success rate in our program.
All graduate students seeking a degree must complete our core curriculum,
which consists of one semester of advanced mechanics, two
semesters of advanced electrodynamics, two semesters of quantum
mechanics, and one semester of statistical mechanics.
In addition, each student is expected to develop a
knowledge in at least three of the five areas of introductory astrophysics,
atomic, nuclear, particle and solid state physics.
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Professor Tom Troland
Director of Graduate Studies
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The Master's of Science Degree
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Most of our students obtain Master's Degrees, whether or
not they continue their studies in the Ph. D. program.
Our Master's program is flexible and taylored to the
needs of individual students.
A Master's degree can be obtained
either with or without the completion of a Master's thesis.
depending upon the number and level of graduate courses completed
and upon the student's professional objectives. Either an Oral
Examination or an Oral Defense of the Thesis is normally required.
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The Doctor of Philosophy Degree
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Most students complete the course
requirements of the Ph.D. degree within two or three years of obtaining a
baccalaureate degree in physics.
Obtaining a Master's degree is not a
prerequisite for the Ph.D., although many students elect
this option.
Each Ph. D. student has an advisory committee which plays
a crucial role in tayloring the student's program of study.
A written Thesis and an Oral Defense of the Thesis are
required to earn a Ph. D. Degree.
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