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Center for Graduate Studies Graduate Programs 

The general and subject GREs are no longer required for admission. Please consult the most recent NMT catalog for the current official documentation. If you have any further questions regarding the physics department or the information below, email physics@nmt.edu.

Important Department Procedures

Preliminary Examination

All graduate candidates must pass a preliminary examination within a timeline dependent upon their undergraduate preparation and the degree being sought.

Preliminary Examination Procedures (pdf)

PhD Candidacy

The main purpose of the candidacy examination is to evaluate the student's ability to complete dissertation research.  The process of petitioning for PhD candidacy and the logistics of the candidacy examination are described below, along with the appropriate form.

PhD Candidacy Procedures (pdf)

The Master of Science degree in Physics may be earned with thesis or independent study: 

• With Thesis: The student’s course of study and thesis topic must be approved by the student’s advisory committee. A thesis consists of directed research, usually of a nature which would be suitable for publication in a refereed journal, and a write-up of the research. An oral defense of the thesis is required. The thesis is an archival document published electronically and kept in the NMT Library.
• Without Thesis: The student’s course of study must be approved by the student’s advisory committee. A student who elects not to write a thesis will instead write an independent study paper on a topic selected with guidance from their advisory committee. Unlike a thesis, this paper is not archived electronically by the NMT Library.

General Requirements

In addition to the Master of Science general degree requirements, all students enrolled in the M.S. in Physics degree must satisfy the following course requirements:

• PHYS 5001 - Intro Research & Scientific Comm I (2) (must be completed in first two semesters)
• PHYS 5002 - Intro Research & Scientific Comm II (2) (must be completed in first two semesters)
• PHYS 5009 - Methods of Theoretical Physics (3) 
• PHYS 5005 - Advanced Dynamics (3) or PHYS 4025 - Astrophysics III (3) or PHYS 5026 - Fluid Dynamics (3) or PHYS 5027 - Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (3)
• PHYS 5079 - Graduate-Faculty Seminar (1) (must be taken during first four semesters)
• PHYS 5008 - Statistical Mechanics (3)
• PHYS 5010 - Electromagnetism (3)
• PHYS 5018 - Quantum Mechanics (3)

While the listed courses are the simplest route to achieving this credit, a student may petition their committee and the department chair either with proposed substitute course work or other prior experience that demonstrates competence in any of these areas.