Physics (SPHYS) or (PPHYS) or Medical Physics (SMPHP)
This department offers studies leading to Master of Science (MS), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees.
The MS degree in physics requires 30 hours of graduate course work with a thesis, or 36 hours of course work and a passing score on the departmental qualifying exam.
Formal requirements for the PhD degree include seven required courses (PHYS 7221 , PHYS 7225 , PHYS 7231 , PHYS 7241 , PHYS 7242 , PHYS 7398 , and PHYS 7857 ), 12 hours of advanced graduate courses beyond the required 19 core hours, a passing score on the departmental qualifying exam and the general exam, publication of research results, and a final examination. The qualifying exam is offered twice each year. It is comprehensive and composed of questions at the advanced undergraduate level. This exam must be completed by the end of the second year of study. The general exam consists of the successful defense of a thesis topic and an examination of the student’s knowledge of the subject area of the thesis. The final examination is an oral defense of the thesis.
A dual PhD degree program in Material Science also exists between LSU and Nanjing University in Nanjing and the Institute of Physics in Beijing, China. Further details can be found on the department web site http://www.phys.lsu.edu.
The MS degree in medical physics and health physics offers two areas of concentration: medical physics or health physics. The concentration in medical physics requires 38 credit hours of course and clinical work in addition to a minimum of six hours of thesis research. The concentration in health physics requires 33 hours of course work, plus a minimum of six hours in thesis research
A program leading to a Masters of Natural Science (MNS) program is also offered, providing breadth in science subjects as well as the depth in physics that is required for science teachers in junior and senior high school. For the MNS, 30 hours of graduate courses are required together with a thesis.