The Department of Physics offers programs leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and both thesis and non-thesis M.S. tracks are available. However, preference in admission will be given to Students seeking a Ph.D. degree. Usually a Ph.D. student devotes the first year mostly to basic courses, and takes the qualifying exam at the first January following his arrival. Students should become involved with a research project by the second year, and after passing the qualifying exam, must present the beginnings of a research project to a committee within six months. This presentation will normally turn into a dissertation, but the student is not bound to it and can switch to another project or even another area of research later. Typically 5-10 candidates are admitted to the PhD program every year and are offered financial support.
