DEGREE PROGRAMS

The department of Physics offers curricula leading to the following degrees:


B.S./M.S. Materials Physics (for current UCSD Undergraduate students only)
M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics
Ph.D. in Physics (Biophysics)

The Department has developed a flexible program that provides a broad, advanced education and at the same time gives students the opportunity to focus on their specialized interests. This program consists of graduate courses, apprenticeship in research, teaching experience, and thesis research.

Students working towards a Ph.D. in Physics (Biophysics) take courses in physics, biology and chemistry during the first two years and complete the departmental course requirements and examinations by the end of their third year of graduate study. There is no foreign language requirement.

Master's Degree: The Physics department does not offer a stand-alone MS program. Students may choose to pursue a Master's degree en route to the Ph.D. Current UCSD undergraduate Physics majors with specialization in Materials Physics may apply to our B.S./M.S. program in Materials Physics during the Fall quarter of their 3rd year. This program spans a student's 4th year as an undergraduate Physics major plus one additional year of Physics coursework in Materials Physics at the graduate level.

 

INTERDISCIPLINARY DEGREE SPECIALIZATIONS

The department has developed a flexible Ph.D. program that provides a broad, advanced education in physics while at the same time giving students opportunity for emphasizing their special interests. Physics Ph.D. students can choose to further enhance their interdisciplinary research and collaborations through participating in one of the two degree specializations below.

Computational Neuroscience Specialization at UCSD is to train researchers that are equally at home with behavioral methods, electrophysiology, statistical tools for data analysis, and developing models for brain function. Projects can extend from single cell dynamics through large-scale imaging of dynamics across the nervous system.

CSME is an interdisciplinary Ph.D. specialization program designed to to train the next generation of scientists, mathematics, and engineers in the use of modern tools of computational science. It is integrated into the existing Physics doctoral program as well as 6 other core participating departments.

Quantitative Biology (qBio) is a newly created interdisciplinary Ph.D. Specialization. qBio refers to the use of quantitative approaches to discover the organizational principles of living systems. The goal of the program is to prepare students with the theoretical concepts and experimental approaches for taking on pioneering studies of the living systems. Prior knowledge in biology is not required.