Program Requirements
After meeting the general degree requirements for admission to The Graduate School, students selecting Physics as a major will be assigned to the Department Graduate Committee, which must approve and direct their course of study.
Core requirements (9 credit hours):
Must take three of the four courses listed below:
PHYS 7100 - Classical Mechanics Credit Hours: (3)
PHYS 7200 - Quantum Mechanics I Credit Hours: (3)
PHYS 7300 - Electrodynamics Credit Hours: (3)
PHYS 7520 - Statistical Mechanics Credit Hours: (3)
Satisfactory completion of an oral comprehensive exam typically given during the final thesis oral presentation.
Materials Science Concentration, non-thesis program (33 credit hours)
(Physics Program requirement: 9 credit hours, Concentration requirement: 6 credit hours, Additional courses: 18 credit hours)
Materials Science Concentration requirement:
Must take two of the following courses:
PHYS 6020 - Soft Matter and Biological Physics Credit Hours: (3)
PHYS 6610 - Solid State Physics Credit Hours: (3)
PHYS 6720 - Materials Physics Credit Hours: (3)
PHYS 7390 - Polymer Physics Credit Hours: (3)
MECH 7361 - Mech Bhvr Of Materials Credit Hours: (3)
Sufficient additional courses
Sufficient additional courses (18 credit hours in collateral field of study with course numbers 6000 or above), to satisfy a minimum of 33 semester hours. These courses must be approved by the graduate advisor.
Complete
Complete a survey of an area of current research in fundamental or applied materials physics and make an oral and written presentation based on this survey before a faculty committee. The subject of this survey must be approved by the departmental graduate committee at least one semester prior to graduation.
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please
September 2025
College of Arts and Sciences
107 Scates Hall,
MEMPHIS,
Tennessee,
38152, United States
Baccalaureate Degree: The applicant must provide an official transcript showing that a bachelor’s degree was awarded by an accredited college or university. If you are a UofM undergraduate student applying to Graduate School at UofM, you do not need to request that an official transcript be sent to Graduate Admissions. This office has access to your transcript. In addition, transcripts from any other college or university attended may be requested. Only transcripts received directly from an issuing institution are considered official. Personal copies are not acceptable as official documents.
GPA: The applicant must have earned an acceptable grade point average, typically a minimum of 2.5 on a scale of 4.0, but departments may make exceptions for students whose overall GPA does not adequately reflect their ability to succeed in their chosen field.
English proficiency test scores accepted by the University:
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
A degree from the University of Memphis is much more than a qualification. It is a community and an experience which prepares students for success.
