The Master of Science (MS) Program in Physics provides graduate level training in physics that prepares graduates for advanced careers in research and industry, or PhD programs in physics or related fields. The Physics and Engineering Physics Department offers an accelerated terminal Master of Science degree, with both non-thesis (course-based) and thesis tracks.
The Tulane 4+1 Program in Physics: Current Tulane undergraduates may earn an MS degree in physics by adding one year to the four years of study usually required for the BS degree. The MS degree provides a more complete preparation for a PhD program than the BS. The MS is usually preferred by industry and business. Normally an MS degree requires at least two years of postgraduate study. In this program the time is reduced to one year by taking some graduate level courses as an undergraduate.
The MS requires 24 hours of physics coursework at the graduate (6000-7000) level plus six additional hours of either graduate courses or research. In the 4+1 program, a student will normally take a total of twelve hours of graduate courses as a junior or senior and nine more hours each semester in the fifth year. This provides a total of thirty hours, including up to six hours of research credit. With permission of the graduate advisor, graduate courses in other departments (e.g. Chemistry, Computational Science, Math, Engineering) may count toward the MS.
A 4+1 student should begin the program in their junior year. While it may be possible to complete the requirements for the 4+1 program by starting in the senior year, this is difficult and not recommended. Please note that some graduate courses are co-taught with similar undergraduate courses and have somewhat different requirements.
Application:
Application may be made using the standard form for graduate admission available on the SSE website (https://sse.tulane.edu/academics/graduate/admissions). Normally an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, overall and in physics courses, is required for admission. One letter of recommendation is required. The GRE is not required.
Program String and Field of Study: SEMS_GR, PHYS
Catalog addenda note: Minor edits were made to this program on 6/13/2025.
