Doctor of Philosophy - Physics

Plan Description

The purpose of the Physics M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are to prepare students for a career in Physics Research or in education at the university level. The program achieves this with a custom program for each student set up by their advisor and their advising committee. In the case of Ph.D. the students will be able to conduct these steps independently.

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes, please visit the Degree Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements

Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

1. Applicants seeking direct admission to the doctoral program without a previously earned Master of Science degree must have a score in the 65th percentile or above on the Advanced Physics portion of the GRE before admission. Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in physics must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 for all undergraduate work or a 3.25 GPA for the last two years of undergraduate work, and a minimum of 18 credits of upper-division physics.
2. Applicants with a master’s degree in physics must have at least 15 credit hours of graduate-level course work in physics with a grade of B or better and a 3.25 GPA in the master’s program.
3. All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

 See Subplan Requirements below.

Subplan 1: Post-Bachelor’s Track
Subplan 2: Post-Master’s Track

Subplan 1 Requirements: Post-Bachelor’s Track

Total Credits Required: 60

Course Requirements 

Required Courses – Credits: 18

PHYS 700 - Mathematical Physics I  

PHYS 711 - Electromagnetic Theory I  

PHYS 712 - Electromagnetic Theory II  

PHYS 721 - Quantum Theory I  

PHYS 722 - Quantum Theory II  

PHYS 731 - Statistical Physics I  

Elective Courses – Credits: 18

Complete 18 credits of 600- or 700-level AST or PHYS courses, or other advisor-approved courses.

Graduate Seminar Course – Credits: 6

Complete 6 credits of the following, including three acceptable presentations.

PHYS 796 - Graduate Seminar  

Dissertation – Credits: 18

PHYS 799 - Doctoral Dissertation  

Degree Requirements 

1. Students must complete a minimum of 60 credits.
2. A minimum grade of B- is required in each course. An overall GPA of 3.00 or better is required on all course work that is part of the degree program.
3. In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a thesis committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.
4. Each student’s advisory committee will carry out an annual review of the student’s progress.
5. Course work taken outside the Physics & Astronomy Department must have departmental approval.
6. Satisfactory performance on a written qualifying examination on advanced undergraduate physics must be fulfilled during the first two years in the graduate program. Students who fail to pass the exam within the specified timeline will be placed on academic probation and will be allowed one retake of the exam. Failure to pass the retake or meet the requirements of academic probation will result in separation.
7. A dissertation of high quality. The doctoral dissertation reports the results of significant original research, performed independently by the student, written in lucid scientific prose.
8. Satisfactory performance on a final examination that will consist of an oral defense of the dissertation.

Graduation Requirements 

See Plan Graduation Requirements below.

Subplan 2 Requirements: Post-Master’s Track

Total Credits Required: 30

Course Requirements 

Required Courses – Credits: 6-18

Complete 6-18 credits from the following list of courses:

PHYS 700 - Mathematical Physics I 

PHYS 711 - Electromagnetic Theory I 

PHYS 712 - Electromagnetic Theory II 

PHYS 721 - Quantum Theory I 

PHYS 722 - Quantum Theory II 

PHYS 731 - Statistical Physics I 

Graduate Seminar Course – Credits: 0-6

Complete 0-6 credits of the following, including three acceptable presentations.

PHYS 796 - Graduate Seminar 

Dissertation – Credits: 18

PHYS 799 - Doctoral Dissertation 

Degree Requirements 

1. Students must take an advisor approved combination of the coursework listed above, completing a minimum of 30 credits. Additional credits may be required to address student deficiencies or build specialized expertise.
2. The total number of Required Courses and Graduate Seminar Courses will be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor.
3. A minimum grade of B- is required in each course. An overall GPA of 3.00 or better is required on all course work that is part of the degree program.
4. In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a thesis committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.
5. Each student’s advisory committee will carry out an annual review of the student’s progress.
6. Course work taken outside the Physics & Astronomy Department must have departmental approval.
7. Satisfactory performance on a written qualifying examination on advanced undergraduate physics must be fulfilled during the first two years in the graduate program. Students who fail to pass the exam within the specified timeline will be placed on academic probation and will be allowed one retake of the exam. Failure to pass the retake or meet the requirements of academic probation will result in separation.
8. A dissertation of high quality. The doctoral dissertation reports the results of significant original research, performed independently by the student, written in lucid scientific prose.
9. Satisfactory performance on a final examination that will consist of an oral defense of the dissertation.

Graduation Requirements 

See Plan Graduation Requirements below.

Plan Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
2. The student must submit and successfully defend his/her dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
3. The student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted hard-copy dissertation to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.