Physics

Graduate Physics Degree Programs

Nurture your curiosity with some of the brightest minds in the field. Many research-intensive opportunities exist in the Michigan Tech Department of Physics to prepare your mind. Graduate students can customize their degree with the applied physics option or choose the pure physics focus. Those interested in the atmosphere can choose to create an interdisciplinary study.

In addition to our graduate degree program, the Department of Physics offers graduate certificates for those who wish to earn academic credentials with about nine coursework credits per certificate. Current graduate students can earn these credentials simultaneously with their graduate degrees.

Michigan Tech undergraduates can complete their Master's Degree alongside their Bachelor's in only one additional year by taking advantage of the Accelerated Master's Program.

Red laser in a physics laboratory

Applied Physics — MS, PhD

Explore new functional nanomaterials. As the most flexible yet specialized program of study, students design a degree tailored to their interests in an interdisciplinary research area: atmospheric science, nanoscale physics, materials science, condensed matter, biomedical science, photonics, or optoelectronics.

Students in the Physics Learning Center

Physics — MS, PhD

Investigate the properties of molecules in electrical discharges. In the physics program of study, graduate students work side-by-side with research faculty to innovate in areas such as atomic and molecular laser spectroscopy, gamma-ray emission and bursts, single-electron transport devices, the dielectric response of molecules under external electrostatic fields, molecular electronics devices, and more.

Graduate student standing over computer while another sits inside the Cloud Chamber laboratory

Atmospheric Sciences (Interdisciplinary)—PhD

Discover the role turbulence plays in cloud formation. In the atmospheric sciences program, students can choose to study under one or more of the program’s 12 faculty in five departments across campus. Current research areas of focus include atmospheric interactions with other parts of the Earth’s system, the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere, and climate change.

Researcher with telescope

Graduate Certificates

Prepare yourself to explore future science and technology with our interdisciplinary graduate certificate program. These certificates allow students to learn beyond their graduate research, with four specific themes on Advanced Computational Physics, Frontiers in Optics and Photonics, Big Data Statistics in Astrophysics, and Frontiers in Materials Physics.

Recent Graduate Student Research

Coming to Michigan Tech from all over the country and beyond, students in the Physics Department are a diverse group. Their research interests are equally diverse, revealed in the abstracts of their theses and dissertations. Whether it is investigating heterogeneous ice nucleation in supercooled droplets resting on cold substrates under two different dynamic conditions or tracking reduction of transmission loss in optical fibers our graduate students innovate and join other physicists in becoming top researchers in their fields. 

"When most people think of astronomy, they imagine the night sky sparkling with stars, or our Milky Way galaxy painted across the sky. However, there is an entire astrophysical world untouchable by the naked eye."Rhiannon Turner '24, PhD Physics

Graduate Resources

Funding Opportunities

Graduate Contacts

Ranjit Pati

Ranjit Pati

  • Graduate Director of Physics
  • Professor, Physics
Yoke Khin Yap

Yoke Khin Yap

  • University Professor, Professor of Physics
  • Affiliated Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Affiliated Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Director of Applied Physics Graduate Program, Osaka University Global Alumni Fellow
  • ykyap@mtu.edu
  • 906-487-2900
  • Office: Fisher 219, Labs: Fisher B013, B009, B031, B034
Claudio Mazzoleni

Claudio Mazzoleni

  • Distinguished Professor, Physics
  • Director, Atmospheric Sciences Ph.D. Program
Jae Lee

Jae Lee

  • Administrative Aide
  • Graduate Program Assistant

College of Sciences and Arts

The College of Sciences and Arts is a community of faculty, staff, and students committed to excellence and driven by our passion for education, outreach, research, and creativity across the social and natural sciences, humanities, and the arts. Uniquely situated in the heart of Michigan's R1 flagship technological university, we specialize in human-centered potential and discovery-based learning designed to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Knowing that every student at Michigan Tech will pass through our doors, our college strives to be at the forefront of interdisciplinary collaborations that lead to breakthrough solutions.

Our students gain a profound understanding of social and cultural contexts through experiential learning and innovative research. We welcome you to be part of our caring, expansive college community, with 32 undergraduate and 24 graduate degrees to choose from.

The opportunities in Michigan Tech's College of Sciences and Arts are limitless. Transform into a civic leader ready to contribute to a sustainable future. Lead and participate in action-based experiences that are critical to the start of a fulfilling career. Job-shadow at a local hospital or veterinary clinic while preparing for a career in health. Design sound and lighting for a regional production. Conduct community forums on the implications of artificial intelligence. Work to purify vaccines. Study the impact of social media on society. Research the mysteries of space and galaxies beyond our universe. Explore transforming abandoned iron and copper mines into giant batteries. Understand freshwater ecosystem health. Document the nature of changes in cognitive function and motor behavior in aging and dementia.

At Michigan Tech, your academic growth is supported by a variety of learning centers, along with our Humanities Digital Media Zone and Writing Center. Model climate in the only cloud chamber of its kind. Take part in interdisciplinary health research in our state-of-the-art H-STEM Complex. Create amazing sights and sounds in our visual art, sound, and theatre performance spaces. 

Tomorrow Needs You

Supercharge your analytical skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow's high-tech business landscape.