This program is for students who wish to earn an MA in Physics and teach grades 7 - 12.

Departmental requirements for admission are an undergraduate degree with a major in physics. A grade point average of 2.8 or better is required in both the applicant’s overall undergraduate course work and in the applicant’s science courses.

Applicants who have an overall GPA between 2.5 and 2.79, and meet all other requirements for matriculation may be considered for admission to nonmatriculate status. Only students who demonstrate strong verbal skills in addition to other indices of ability to do graduate work will be admitted as a nonmatriculate. Applicants will be required to provide an on-site writing sample (essay) and participate in a face-to-face interview. Academically relevant data, such as scores on the General Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Exam or on the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test of the NYS Teacher Certification Examination may also be submitted in support of admission.

See the School of Education website for additional information on admission and program requirements.

Meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not guarantee acceptance to the program, which is based, by necessity, on the limitations of space and resources.

Degree Requirements:
(minimum 16 credits)

PHYS 630       Science and Society (3 credits; required)

PHYS 660       Challenging Concepts in Physics (4 credits; required)

Plus three electives chosen from: 

PHYS 685       Numerical Methods I (3 credits; strongly recommended)

PHYS 605       Mathematical Physics (3 credits)

PHYS 615       Electromagnetic Theory (3 credits)

PHYS 625       Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (3 credits)

PHYS 645       Solid State Physics (3 credits)

PHYS 695       Numerical Methods II (3 credits)

700-level physics courses offered at the Graduate Center can be substituted for 600-level courses with permission of the graduate advisor.

Culminating Project Students will be expected either to prepare a research proposal or to conduct a Physics Education Research (PER) project while enrolled in PHYS 660, which serves as the capstone course in physics.