Admission to the Physics Department’s graduate program is usually for the doctoral degree. The department does not guarantee tuition or financial support to students who enroll for the Master’s in Physics.

In some circumstances, students with third-party support (e.g. industrial, federal, military, or SU dependent remitted tuition) may wish to enroll in the M.S. program. If you are interested in this, please contact phyacademics@syr.edu to discuss your plans. We do not accept self-supported students in the program, except in very rare circumstances.

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program without a prior M.S. in Physics degree can obtain the Master’s in Physics as they progress towards the Ph.D.

It is up to the student whether she/he wishes to obtain a Master's degree in route to the Ph.D. Obtaining the Master's degree need not require any coursework or projects outside of that required for the Ph.D. The student must satisfy the requirements for the M.S. as described in the Course Catalog and complete the paperwork need obtain the M.S. This should be filed with the graduate school at least one semester before the student defends their doctoral thesis. Students interested in a Master's degree should contact phyacademics@syr.edu about this as soon as soon they are eligible for the Master’s degree.