Physics, MS

Graduate Coordinator: Solomon Bililign Email: bililign@ncat.edu Phone: 336-285-2112
Department Chair: Ashot Gasparian Email: agaspari@ncat.edu Phone: 336-285-2112

The Masters of Science program in Physics prepares students for professional careers in industrial and governmental research, developmental applications of physics, teaching, and further study toward a Ph.D. in physics. Physics Masters are trained to use their advanced knowledge and analytical skills to solve complex problems in industry and research labs. Experimental Low and Medium Energy Physics, Atmospheric Science, Chemical Physics, Physics Education, Seismic Data Processing, Computational Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics. Opportunities to collaborate exist with major research institutions such as Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Wake Forest University, Stanford University, Pennsylvania State University, Hampton University, the University of Virginia and others. Collaborations with national laboratories include the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab), NOAA-Earth System Research Laboratory (NOAA-ESRL), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), National High Magnetic Field Lab-Florida, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). International collaborations include the University of Marseilles in France, the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, ITEF Moscow, Russia, and the Institute for High Energy Physics at Protvino, Russia.

Additional Admission Requirements

• An undergraduate degree in physics or its equivalent
• Applicant’s background reflects maturity in physics from junior and senior level undergraduate courses in classical mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, and quantum physics

Program Outcomes

• Critical Thinking: Students at the MS-Physics program will be able to think critically and use relevant physics concepts to solve physics problems and analyze situations involving physics.
• Communication: MS-Physics students will be able to articulate physical concepts, research work, and findings with tact and professionalism, both orally and in writing.
• General Physics Knowledge and Analytical Reasoning: Students will acquire an in-depth knowledge and thorough understanding of physical principles. Students will develop analytical skills to combine them with their working knowledge to explain the world around us and how things work at the fundamental level.
• Physics Specialty Expertise: Students will develop a physics specialty area of expertise through course work and research.
• Scientific Methodology: Students will develop an understanding of scientific methodology, through data collection from observations, setting up laboratory experiments and data acquisition, data analysis, data interpretation and testing of model/hypothesis, and reporting of data.
• Computer and Computational Expertise: MS-Physics students will develop competency in using computers and computational methods through:
  1. use or write software code to acquire/analyze/visualize data
  2. data analysis
  3. computer simulations