Earn your MS in physics

The Master of Science program in physics requires a minimum of 30 semester hours (s.h.) of graduate credit. All students must earn the required 30 s.h. of graduate credit in courses numbered 4000 or above, with at least 15 s.h. in courses numbered 5000 or above. At least 24 s.h. must be completed under the auspices of the University of Iowa after admission to the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Students must maintain a program GPA of at least 2.75 (3.0 for PhD program).

Each student's plan of study should provide for as much advanced work as aptitude and previous preparation permit. Up to one-third of the program of study may be taken in related scientific fields other than physics (e.g., mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, engineering).

The degree is offered with thesis or critical essay. Students who choose the thesis option must write a thesis based on an original experimental or theoretical investigation that they have conducted. Students may earn a maximum of 6 s.h. in PHYS:7990 Research: Physics or PHYS:7992 Individual Critical Study.

Students who choose the critical essay option must conduct an independent study of the literature on a particular area of physics and write a critical essay on that topic. Students may earn a maximum of 4 s.h. in PHYS:7990 Research: Physics or PHYS:7992 Individual Critical Study.

The MS may be a terminal degree or a step toward a PhD In either case, the final examination is oral, conducted by a committee of three faculty members.