Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy School of Science Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

A Top Physics Department in the Nation

Ranking among the best applied physics graduate programs in the nation, the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, is at the forefront of physics research. Faculty members have received the National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Awards, the Humboldt Research Award Senior US Scientists, and many other prestigious research and teaching awards.

The Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy offers a master's and a doctoral program in physics. Graduate students develop flexible, individualized programs of study and research in one or more of the department's research areas, which include astronomy and astrophysics, biological physics, condensed matter physics, energy research, nanoscience, optical physics, and particle physics. One third of the Physics Department faculty members conduct computationally-driven research programs.

The MS in Physics at Rensselaer

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute awards a Master of Science (MS) to graduate students who complete a 30 credit requirement. Twenty-one of those credits must be in course work. Courses include Statistical Mechanics, Electrodynamics, and Quantum Mechanics. Students can fulfill a research requirement at RPI, either through a multiple-semester project or a master's thesis.

The PhD in Physics at Rensselaer

Doctoral students in the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy complete 72 credits beyond the bachelor's degree. Core courses include "Electrodynamics," "Statistical Mechanics," and "Quantum Mechanics." Doctoral students also take courses in the different research areas within physics such as "Quantum Field Theory," "Particle Physics," "Solid State Physics," "Computational Physics," and "Astrophysics." Students are welcome to take technical classes in other departments (such as "Mathematics," "Computer Science," "Chemistry," "Biology," and "Engineering") if those courses meet their educational needs.

Ground-breaking Research in Applied and Theoretical Physics

Faculty members, post-graduates, and graduate students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute conduct both theoretical and applied research in diverse research areas. Researchers are solving the protein folding problem and analyzing networks and complex systems using the techniques of Statistical Mechanics. They are understanding nanomaterials and devices in the laboratory setting and through computational quantum mechanical techniques. They are researching better solid state lighting for the future.

Experimental particle and nuclear physicists are studying leptons in the Daya Bay Neutrino Oscillation Experiment and baryons through experiments at the Jefferson Laboratory. High energy theoretical research at Rensselaer is primarily focused on studying strongly interacting systems beyond the Standard Model of particle physics using lattice gauge theory methods. This includes supersymmetric gauge theories and models of compositeness at high scales.

Research in optical physics focuses on optical interconnects, terahertz pulses, and the characterization materials, including nanocrystalline metal and semiconductor particles in organic materials or glass.

The condensed matter physic group takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of electron transport, optical and electronic materials, and surfaces, interfaces, and nanostructures. The biological physics group is conducting theoretical and computer simulation studies in order to better understand the dynamics, the stability, and the statistical mechanisms of biological molecules. RPI researchers are also implementing a new electronic method to measure the motion of single cells in a culture to examine the effects of chemical agents on cell motility.

Researchers in the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy are also exploring astrobiology and interstellar chemistry, galactic and intergalactic astronomy, and astrophysics. Applied research aims at the spectroscopic detection of organic molecules within interstellar gas, dust, and protoplanetary disks. Theoretical research focuses on simulations of protostellar collapse, multifluid magnetohydrodynamic shock waves, and shock chemistry. Researchers examine how galaxies form, and in particular study the structure and formation history of the Milky Way galaxy.

Internationally-Renowned Faculty

The Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is home 22 faculty members who are leaders in their fields of research. Eight professors in the Department hold distinguished chairs and 8 are fellows of the APS.

Professor Michael Shur is the recipient of many prestigious awards including the Senior Humboldt Research Award, Pioneer Award from Compound Semi, van der Ziel Award, several Best Paper awards, and Commendation for Excellence in Technical Communications. Professor Shur's work with plasma wave excitation in submicron field effect transistors and similar device structures is expected to lead to a new generation of terahertz tunable devices with importation applications to defense, biotechnology, and microelectronics.

Professor Heidi Newberg shared the Gruber Cosmology Prize for her work on the Supernova Cosmology Project. She helped develop the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which obtained over a million spectra of galaxies, and proposed the SEGUE survey of hundreds of thousands of Galactic stars that was carried out with the same telescope. She currently heads the Participants in LAMOST, US (PLUS) collaboration with the Chinese Large Area Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) project.

Cutting-Edge Facilities and Affiliated Centers

Researchers in the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy at RPI benefit from the department's affiliation with many well-equipped and well-funded research centers. These include the Center for Integrated Electronics, the Computing Center for Nanotechnology Innovations, the NY Interconnect Focus Center, the New York Center for Astrobiology, the NSF Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center, and the Center for Terahertz Research, center for Biotechnology and interdisciplinary studies.

Admission and Financial Assistance

Applicants interested in the PhD program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute must submit GRE general and subject test scores. Doctoral students must pass qualifying exams as well.

Teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships are available to graduate students in the PhD program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Students must maintain GPAs of 3.3 in order to keep this financial aid.

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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute -- A Top University in the Nation

Founded in 1824 in Troy, New York, Rensselaer was the first technology university in the country. Today, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is considered to be one of the best universities, ranking among the top 50 universities in the nation according to "US News & World Report."

Rensselaer alumni have been integral to national and technological development, from the first alumni who helped build the infrastructure of the nation by constructing canals, roads, bridges, and skyscrapers, to more recent alumni who have developed innovative research and solutions for such prestigious clients as GE Energy, Boeing, and IBM.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Master of Science (MS)
  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees 10
• Doctoral Degrees 13
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Yes
• Evening/weekend programs available? No
• Distance learning programs available? No
• Terminal master's degree available? Yes

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees Required
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied145
• Accepted58
• Acceptance Rate40%
• Enrolled12
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic $75
• Application Fee - International $75
• Electronic applications accepted? Yes
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Yes
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline January 1st January 1st Not Reported
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline August 15th August 15th Not Reported
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's DegreesGRE General Test, GRE Subject Test
• Doctoral's DegreesGRE General Test, GRE Subject Test
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesTOEFL required, 600 paper based, TOEFL iBT

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *$39,600
• Out-of-state tuition *$39,600
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year fees$1,896.00
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitNot Reported
• Application deadlines for financial awardsFebruary 1
• Types of financial support availableFellowships, Research Assitantships, Teaching Assistantships

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students61
• Female Percentage20%
• Male Percentage80%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students61
• Part-time PercentageNot Reported
• Full-time PercentageNot Reported
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino0%
• Black / African American2%
• White / Caucasian2%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native0%
• Asian36%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander0%
• Two or more races0%
• Unknown60%

• Faculty Breakout
• Total Faculty28
• Full-time Percentage89%
• Part-time Percentage11%
• Female Percentage14%
• Male Percentage86%

• Existing Research
• Focus of faculty researchAstrophysics, condensed matter, particle physics, optical and biological physics
• Externally sponsored research expenditures last year$8,489,962