PhysicsMS, PhD
Bolstered by its proximity to the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), the nation’s leading site for underground nuclear and particle physics, the Ph.D. program at South Dakota Mines provides unique opportunities for research into the underlying principles of the natural world. Our internationally recognized faculty lead students in searches for the dark matter of the universe, studies of the nature of the neutrino and the origin of the chemical elements, as well as research into condensed matter, e.g. phase transitions in ferroelectric and magnetic materials or quantum materials. For more on the departmental research click here.
The mission of the physics Ph.D. program is to provide students with quality graduate instruction and research experiences that will prepare them for various career options in academia, industry, and at national labs.
Requirements for MS and PhD
Application InstructionsRequirements
Successful applicants typically have a GPA above 3.0 on a 4.0 scaleGeneral and Physics GREs recommended but not required
Bachelor’s Degree
- Physics or other related discipline
- Students without a physics degree should contact the program coordinator (Dr. Xinhua Bai, Xinhua.Bai@sdsmt.edu) before applying.
Application Deadline
Thesis
Credits
Type
Non-Thesis
Related Links
Department of PhysicsRecent Positions
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Engineer, I.I. Stanley Incorporated
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NESAP Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
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Senior Professional Staff I, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
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Magnetic Design Engineer, BH Electronics
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Post-doctoral Researcher, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Possible Industries
Academia
National Laboratories
High-performance Computing
Industrial Research
Electronics
Career Outcomes
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NESAP Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
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Senior Professional Staff I, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
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Assistant Professor, La Salle University
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Systems Administrator, Advanced Research Computing group at the University of British Columbia
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Systems Radar Signal Processing Engineer, General Dynamics
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Staff Scientist, Sanford Underground Research Facility
The professors here are very kind and helpful, and they made sure I had no trouble at all adapting to college. There are a lot of really great things about the physics program here at Mines, but I think the one that should be mentioned more than any of the others is their emphasis on undergraduate research.
