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MS programs in Physics

Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:11 am
by wisegops
Would anyone be able to suggest a few fairly decent universities which offer an M.S program in Physics with full funding?

Re: MS programs in Physics

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 1:40 am
by leedj23
sorry but there is almost no terminal MA program in Physics and it is almost impossible to have full funding at MA degree in any course

Re: MS programs in Physics

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 11:08 am
by johnpauljones
There are some programs out there which offer full funding for M.S. students, although it typically has a very strict 2 year deadline; you can be supported as a TA for 2-4 semesters and as an RA for 0-2. This may be more common at schools which used to be just terminal masters but now have PhD programs (as of, say, the last 10-20 years).

Just pulling examples, Depaul University in Chicago has a terminal masters program, although I'm not sure what the funding is like there. Florida International University and Northern Illinois University are schools with "newer" PhD programs, so it *might* be easier to find opportunities there for funding as an MS student.

This isn't a sure fire way to find what you're looking for, but it's one strategy that might work. It never hurts to email the schools and ask.

Re: MS programs in Physics

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:18 pm
by pqortic
I did a quick search. the following universities offer funded master programs:

-University of Minnesota-Duluth

-San Diego State University

-North Dakota State University

I am pretty sure there are more than these.

Re: MS programs in Physics

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:43 pm
by physicienne
the university of hawaii at manoa offers full funding as TAs to students (i don't know of any who weren't funded that wanted/needed funding) who have enrolled in their physics MS program. they often wind up hiring TAs from other departments since their influx of grad students is generally small, so if you did get in (i actually have no idea how many applicants they get) you'd likely get a TA offer. the stipend is just above $15k/year, however, with no sign of increasing in the future; so you'd be living in an expensive city on limited means.

university of maine at orono is another (good for materials/surface science and biophysics with sam hess) that accepts masters students and funds most of them.

more generally - i too am looking for a funded masters program, and there seem to be a decent amount of good schools with direct admission into masters programs. some of the websites (i've only really looked at ones whose deadlines haven't passed...) have also said that they fund 'almost all' of their graduate students*; this i would take to mean PhD *and* MS students, unless i'm missing something?

*for instance, the university of florida and purdue.

Re: MS programs in Physics

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:49 pm
by grae313
So I just clicked on the Florida link, went to "degrees offered," and it is not clear that they offer a terminal masters program. It says the masters can be obtained as a terminal degree or on the way to a PhD, but it says that most students who opt for the terminal masters do so because they don't wish to or cannot continue in the PhD program. I didn't hunt for it so I could be wrong, but where to you see that is says you can be admitted directly into a terminal masters program?

Re: MS programs in Physics

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:58 pm
by physicienne
hm - i thought i read something more specific than that, but otherwise a masters in physics is an option on their application.

Re: MS programs in Physics

Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 2:02 pm
by grae313
Ah, OK cool.