About
The Georgia Tech College of Sciences BS/MS degree program enables highly motivated students with strong academic credentials to earn a Bachelor of Science in Physics or Applied Physics and a Master of Science in Physics. The BS/MS program prepares students for competitive career placements with higher earning potentials as well as competitive admission to Ph.D. and professional programs. Thesis and non-thesis options are offered for the BS/MS program. Undergraduates with a significant amount of AP/IB/dual enrollment credits are highly encouraged to apply to the BS/MS program.
Program Requirements
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To apply to the program, students must have at least 30 credit hours earned at Georgia Tech with an undergraduate GPA of 3.3 or higher, and fewer than 90 credit hours overall (including transfer credit).
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If admitted to the B.S./M.S. program, students must complete six credit hours of approved coursework (4000-level or higher; not seminar or research credit) in the Physics or Applied Physics program with grades of B or higher prior to earning the B.S. degree and proceeding to the M.S. program. These credits will be counted towards both the BS degree and MS degree. Students will need to consult with an advisor to indicate which courses are shared with the graduate degree in DegreeWorks.
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Students considering the M.S. Thesis Option are strongly encouraged to begin undergraduate research early in their B.S. program of study. The student must identify the M.S. thesis advisor prior to completion of the B.S. degree and proceeding to the M.S. program. Research described in an undergraduate thesis submitted as a part of the B.S. Research Option cannot be used in the M.S. thesis.
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The minimum GPA for graduation with a B.S. in Physics or Applied Physics in order to continue to the M.S. program is 3.00. The minimum GPA for graduation with the M.S. is 2.70.
Important: In order to apply any coursework completed during the BS to the MS degree (the 6 shared credit hours or the further 6 hours of graduate coursework that would count only towards the MS), the student must complete the master’s degree within a two-year period from the award date of the bachelor’s degree.
Applications
The BS/MS Physics program application is available now. Please apply using the Graduate Admission Application (gatech.edu) and select the BS/MS Physics degree. There is no application fee. The deadline will be the same as for the other School of Physics graduate programs.
Program of Study
Years 1-4: Completion of all requirements for the B.S. degree including six credit hours of approved coursework (4000-level or higher; not seminar or research credit) in Physics or Applied Physics with grades of B or higher that will be counted towards both the B.S. degree and M.S. degree.
Note: An additional six credits of approved graduate course work (6000 level or higher; not seminar or research credit) in Physics may be completed while an undergraduate and applied towards the M.S. degree (so long as these credits were NOT applied towards the B.S. degree).
Year 5:
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester |
|---|---|
|
PHYS 7000 - Master's Thesis (3 credits) |
PHYS 7000 - Master's Thesis (3 credits) |
|
PHYS 6101 - Classical Mechanics I (3 credits) |
PHYS 6106 - Quantum Mechanics II (3 credits) |
| Total: 12 credits | Total: 12 credits |
Notes: Only 3 of these 24 credits can be taken on a pass-fail basis. The Thesis Option (PHYS 7000) must include an approved thesis describing original research.
Questions
For questions about the BS portion of the program, please contact your major advisor.
For questions about the MS portion of the program, please contact the Associate Chair for Student Success and consult the Physics Graduate Handbook.
FAQ
- What is the cost of the MS portion of the program?
- The Bursar's website lists the yearly tuition and fees for graduate students here: https://www.bursar.gatech.edu/tuition-fees. Undergraduate scholarships cannot be used for the MS portion.
- What is full-time status for graduate students and do international MS students have to be full-time?
- Full-time status for graduate students is 12 credits/semester, and F-1/J-1 students do need to be enrolled full-time unless they have an approved reduced course load. MS students may apply for reduced course load during their semester of graduation. The OIE website here https://isss.oie.gatech.edu/content/enrollment-requirements has detailed rules.
- Is the GRE required for application?
- No, it is optional.
- How many letters of recommendation are needed to apply?
- One letter of recommendation is required.
