Physics PhD

Beginning Fall 2021, the program is no longer accepting applications. 

Admission Requirements

The Department requires applicants to have adequate backgrounds in such areas as mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, electronics, and modern physics. Students admitted to the program with deficiencies in these areas are required to take appropriate undergraduate courses. If necessary, a remedial program is determined in consultation with the department graduate studies director at the time of application for admission.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 42 hours past the master’s degree with satisfactory performance. The university has a residency requirement of three years/six semesters (for those with master’s degree, two years/four semesters) at UMSL and/or Missouri S&T. The Ph.D. qualifying exam, dissertation, and dissertation exam are administered in cooperation with Missouri S&T. All graduate work requires B grades or better. The dissertation may be written in absentia, and there is no foreign language requirement.