Admission Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in physics with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0
• GRE score of 1000 (combined verbal and quantitative)
• GRE subject exam is recommended but not required
• Students from non-English speaking countries are required to demonstrate proficiency in English via the TOEFL exam. The minimum acceptable score is 550/213 (paper/computer version).
• Applicants should arrange to have two letters of recommendation sent to the graduate chair from individuals qualified to comment on their suitability for enrollment in the program.

Letters should be sent to:

Dr. Brian A. Raue, Director of Physics Graduate Program
Department of Physics
Florida International University
University Park
Miami, FL 33199

• Other requirements may be applicable. Please see the Graduate Catalog for more information.

NOTE: Preference for financial aid (in the form of Teaching Assistantships or Research Assistantships) is given to prospective students applying to the Ph.D. program. After all Ph.D. applicants have been screened, Master degree applicants will then be considered for any remaining financial aid slots. Masters applicants not requesting financial aid need only meet the above requirements for admission.

Application Procedure:

• Applications should be submitted online by visiting FIU’s website at www.fiu.edu/gradadm for applications and instructions. A link on this page takes you to the application page. A valid credit card is required for submitting online applications. A $30.00 non-refundable fee will be charged for each online application.
• Conventional mail applications are no longer accepted.
• Application deadlines may be found at gradschool.fiu.edu/admissions_deadlines.htm.

Program Requirements:

Course requirements. A total of 45 credits is required.
This includes the following required courses:

PHY 5940 Physics Graduate Teaching Workshop
This is required in the first semester for all new students supported on a teaching assistantship but not required for students entering the program on a research assistantship.
PHY 5115 Mathematical Physics I
PHZ 5156 Computational Physics
PHY 5240 Advanced Classical Mechanics
PHY 5346 Advanced Electromagnetic Theory I
PHY 5347 Advanced Electromagnetic Theory II
PHY 6645 Advanced Quantum Mechanics I
PHY 6646 Advanced Quantum Mechanics II
PHY 6XXX Advanced Topics
PHY 6524 Statistical Physics
PHY 6935 Graduate Research Seminar

Credits

1


3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4-6

Additional requirements:

Three credits of specialized course work in the student’s area of specialization. The Graduate Catalog lists all courses taught by the Department of Physics that satisfy this requirement.

12-14 hours of thesis work which include:.

PHY 6936 Graduate Research (6-11 credits)
PHY 6971 Master’s Thesis (3-6 credits taken in the semester of thesis defense)

Admission Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in physics (or equivalent field) with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
• GRE score of 1120 (combined verbal and quantitative).
• GRE subject exam is recommended but not required.
* Students from non-English speaking countries are required to demonstrate proficiency in English via the TOEFL exam. The minimum acceptable score is 550/213 (paper/computer version).
• Applicants should arrange to have two letters of recommendation sent to the graduate chair from individuals qualified to comment on their suitability for enrollment in the program.

Letters should be sent to:

Dr. Brian A. Raue, Director of Physics Graduate Program
Department of Physics
Florida International University
University Park
Miami, FL 33199

• Other requirements may be applicable. Please see the Graduate Catalog for more information.

NOTE: Students who do not meet the admission requirements for the Ph.D. program may accepted for the Master’s program and upon demonstration of proficiency (through course work and research activities) the student will be eligible for consideration for the Ph.D. program.

Application Procedure:

• Applications should be submitted online by visiting FIU’s website at www.fiu.edu/gradadm for applications and instructions. A link on this page takes you to the application page. A valid credit card is required for submitting online applications. A $30.00 non-refundable fee will be charged for each online application.
• Conventional mail applications are no longer accepted.
• Application deadlines may be found at gradschool.fiu.edu/admissions_deadlines.htm

Program Requirements:

Course requirements. A total of 90 credits is required.
This includes the following required courses:

• PHY 5940 Physics Graduate Teaching Workshop
This is required in the first semester for all new students supported on a teaching assistantship although it is not required for students entering the program on a research assistantship.
• PHY 5115 Mathematical Physics I
• PHZ 5156 Computational Physics
• PHY 5240 Advanced Classical Mechanics
• PHY 5346 Advanced Electromagnetic Theory I
• PHY 5347 Advanced Electromagnetic Theory II
• PHY 6645 Advanced Quantum Mechanics I
• PHY 6646 Advanced Quantum Mechanics II
• PHY 6XXX Advanced Topics
• PHY 6524 Statistical Physics
• PHY 6935 Graduate Research Seminar

Credits

1



3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4-6

Additional requirements:

• Four additional graduate level courses. The Graduate Catalog lists all courses taught by the Department of Physics that satisfy this requirement.
• Passing the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam. All doctoral candidates must pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam no later than three years after entering the program. This is a two-part exam covering classical and modern physics covered by an undergraduate and first-year graduate curriculum. The exam is offered before the start of the fall term and, as needed, before the start of the spring term. Students may take each part of the exam twice. New students may take the exam before the start of their first se mester without having a failure count against their two attempts.
• PHY 6936 Graduate Research. Students generally take 1-9 credits per semester (depending on other courses being taken) until they pass the oral exam.
• Passing the Ph.D. Oral Exam. The oral exam generally consists of a defense of the student’s proposed dissertation subject in front of the dissertation committee.
• A minimum of 24 credits of PHY 7981 Ph.D. Dissertation. This is supervised original research in the area of the student’s specialization. Students must have passed the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam and also the Ph.D. oral exam.
• Some teaching experience is required. This is usually in the form of at least one semester as a teaching assistant although other ar rangements can be made.
• Dissertation Defense. This is done before a committee consisting of the student’s major advisor and three to four other members of the FIU graduate faculty.

Financial Aid

Financial Aid is available in the form of either Teaching or Research Assistantships. As of the fall of 2005, our department supports 17 students through teaching assistantships and roughly 12-15 students on research assistantships. There are typically 5-10 openings for new students every year. Follow this link for more information including a review of our department’s areas of research.

Department of Physics
Florida International University
CP 204
11200 SW 8th St
Miami, FL 33199

(305) 348-2605 Phone
(305) 348-6700 Fax