Graduate Programs

The Department of Physics at VCU offers a Master of Science degree in Physics with a traditional set of core physics courses and a variety of specialized electives emphasizing our strengths in theoretical physics, surface & materials physics, optical spectroscopy, physics education and biophysics.

There are ten faculty members in the graduate program, with research interests in the areas of theoretical condensed matter physics (atomic clusters and nanoscale materials, highly-correlated electron systems, biophysics), experimental condensed matter physics (surface physics, materials physics), general relativity and cosmology, and physics education. The M.S. program is designed to be completed in two years (4 semesters).

The department offers an opportunity to obtain an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology through a program that is managed jointly by the Department of Physics and the Department of Chemistry. In addition, some of our students obtain Chemistry Ph.D. degrees through a Chemical Physics program that is managed by the Department of Chemistry.