Graduate Studies

Physics
2024-2025

Admission | Courses | Program | Requirements | Integrated Degree | Profile

Chairperson:  Kishor T. Kapale
Graduate Committee Chairperson: P.K. Babu
E-mail: PK-Babu@wiu.edu
Office:  Currens Hall 212
Telephone: (309) 298-1596 Fax: (309) 298-2850
E-mail: Physics@wiu.edu
Website: wiu.edu/physics
Location of Program Offering: Macomb

Graduate Faculty

Professors

  • Esteban Araya, Ph.D., New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
  • P. K. Babu, Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science
  • Kishor Kapale, Ph.D., Texas A & M University
  • Saisudha Mallur, Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science
  • Pengqian Wang, Ph.D., Peking University

Learning Outcomes

For student learning outcomes, please see wiu.edu/provost/learningoutcomes.

 Program Description

The Department of Physics offers a program of graduate study leading to the Master of Science degree. The program serves as preparation for a) further advanced study in physics or related fields, b) a career in government or industrial research, or c) teaching at the secondary or postsecondary level.

Integrated Baccalaureate and Master’s Degree Program

Please refer to integrated programs for details and program offerings.

 Admission Requirements

  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 OR 3.0 or higher GPA for the last two years (60 s.h.) of undergraduate work

  • Bachelor's degree with a major in physics. At the discretion of the Departmental Graduate Committee, other students may be admitted to the program; however, they may have to remedy deficiencies in their undergraduate preparation.

Applications for admission are accepted at any time, but decisions concerning graduate assistantships are generally made by March 1 for the following academic year.

 Degree Requirements

Students must complete 34 semester hours of graduate credit including:

I. Core Courses: 9 s.h.

PHYS 510 Classical Mechanics I (3)
PHYS 520 Electromagnetic Theory I (3)
PHYS 530 Quantum Mechanics I (3)

II. Select one of the following plans of study: 25 s.h.

A. Internship

PHYS 572 Internship Preparation (to be completed before the internship is begun) (1)
PHYS 578 Graduate Physics Internship (8)
Directed Electives (PHYS 577 not to exceed 3 s.h.) (16)
Oral report to the Graduate Committee following the internship is required.

B. Thesis Plan

PHYS 571 Introduction to Thesis (must take prior to Thesis) (1)
PHYS 577 Special Problems in Physics (4)
PHYS 601 Thesis/Thesis Research (3)
Directed Electives (PHYS 577 not to exceed 4 s.h.) (17)

C. Course Work Plan

PHYS 505 Mathematical Physics (3)
PHYS 570 Experimental Techniques in Physics (3)
PHYS 600 Seminar (1)

Any two of the following courses (6):
PHYS 528 Advanced Modern Optics (3)
PHYS 540 Nuclear and Particle Physics (3)
PHYS 555 Statistical Mechanics (3)
PHYS 560 Topics in Solid State Physics (3)
Directed Electives (PHYS 577 not to exceed 6 s.h.) (12)

TOTAL PROGRAM: 34 s.h.

Only two of the following 400-level physics courses can be counted toward the 34 credit hour requirement:

PHYS 406G Mathematical Methods of Physics II (3)
PHYS 410G Computational Methods (3)
PHYS 421G Electricity and Magnetism II (3)
PHYS 431G Introductory Quantum Mechanics II (3)
PHYS 461G Stellar Astrophysics (3)
PHYS 462G Galactic and Extragalactic Astrophysics (3)
PHYS 477G Special Problems in Experimental and Theoretical Physics (1–4)

 Course Descriptions

Physics (PHYS)

406G (formerly 468G) Mathematical Methods of Physics II. (3) Complex variables, orthogonal functions, special functions, general solution of partial differential equations in physics. Fourier series and Fourier integrals. Prerequisite: PHYS 367.

410G Computational Methods. (3) Introduction to programming and applications of modern programming languages to numerical and analytical calculations, data fitting, simulation of physical problems, and individualized work on physics problems chosen from the student’s field of interest. Prerequisite: One year of introductory physics, one year of calculus, or permission of the instructor.

421G Electricity and Magnetism II. (3) Maxwell’s equations, plane EM waves in infinite media, reflection and refraction of EM waves, guided EM waves, radiation of EM waves, relativistic treatment of electricity and magnetism. Prerequisites: PHYS 367, PHYS 420 or permission of the instructor.

430G Introductory Quantum Mechanics I. (3) Atomic nature of matter, introduction to quantum mechanics including the Schrödinger equation. Prerequisites: PHYS 214. Prerequisite or Corequisite: MATH 333 or PHYS 406 or permission of the instructor.

431G Introductory Quantum Mechanics II. (3) Spin, fine structure, atomic spectroscopy, perturbation theory, applications. Prerequisite: PHYS 430.

439G Methods of Teaching Middle and High School Science. (3) Study of secondary teaching methods (Grades 6-12) from the standpoints of theory and practice, curriculum objectives and standard implementation, materials, and evaluation and assessment. Included are demonstration, discussions, lectures, classroom participation, and field observations. Corequisite: EIS 303 Prerequisites: BIOL/GEOL 181 or GEOG/PHYS 182, BIOL 281, and EDS 301 (all with C- grade or better).

461G Stellar Astrophysics. (3) Introduces basic concepts and tools in modern astrophysics, including celestial mechanics, spectroscopy, and telescopes. Provides a comprehensive description of stellar astrophysics. The physical processes and observational characteristics of stars in hydrostatic equilibrium, including our sun, are analyzed. Prerequisite: PHYS 214 or permission of the instructor.

462G Galactic and Extragalactic Astrophysics. (3) An overview of galactic and extragalactic astrophysics. The Milky Way galaxy is studied in detail, including dark matter and stellar evolution. Other galaxies, the large scale properties of the universe and cosmology are discussed. Prerequisite: PHYS 214 or permission of the instructor.

476G Special Topics in Physics. (1–4, repeatable) Lecture course in topics of current interest are given under this number. Topics based on the student's previous training and interests. Subjects announced in the class schedule. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

477G Special Problems in Experimental and Theoretical Physics. (1–4, repeatable) Individual investigations or studies of any phase of physics not provided for in the regular subjects. Opportunity for undergraduates to engage in experimental or theoretical research under the supervision of staff member. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

481G (cross-listed with BIOL/CHEM/GEOL/METR 481G) Scientific Techniques and Issues. (3) An interdisciplinary course wherein preservice middle and high school science teachers develop techniques and resources appropriate for their instructional program, deepen understanding of scientific concepts, and examine lab safety. Requires involvement in several professional development activities outside of class time. Not open to students with credit in BIOL/CHEM/GEOL/METR 481G. Prerequisites: EDUC 439 and ENG 280 or equivalent. Corequisite: BIOL/CHEM/GEOL/METR/PHYS 482G.

482G (cross-listed with BIOL/CHEM/GEOL/METR 482G) Science in Context. (3) Interdisciplinary course for science majors in which students explore science through inquiry, the unifying principles of science, and the role of social contexts and ethics in science. Writing Instruction in the Discipline (WID) course. Not open to students with credit in BIOL/CHEM/GEOL/METR 482G. Prerequisites: Senior standing in one of the following science majors – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, or Meteorology; ENG 280; or permission of the instructor.

490G Seminar. (2) Reading, discussion, and criticism of selected topics. Oral presentation and formal paper on a chosen topic. Writing Instruction in the Discipline (WID) course. Prerequisite: ENG 280.

505 Mathematical Physics. (3) Modern approach to tensor and vector analysis, vector spaces, special functions, partial differential equations, Green’s function, Gamma function, Bessel function, Legendre functions, and integral transforms. Prerequisite: PHYS 406 or equivalent or permission of the instructor.

510 Classical Mechanics I. (3) Philosophical underpinnings of the variational principles; Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of mechanics; Hamilton-Jacobi Theory; connection with quantum mechanics and quantum field theory; applications to constrained motion, central-force problems, rigid-body dynamics, and small oscillations. Prerequisite: PHYS 311 or equivalent.

520 Electromagnetic Theory I. (3) Modern approach to electromagnetism as a classical field theory, and general solutions of boundary value problems in electrostatics and magnetostatics, multipoles, macroscopic media, Maxwell’s equations, and conservation laws. Prerequisite: PHYS 420 or equivalent.

528 Advanced Modern Optics. (3) Diffraction theory utilizing Fourier analysis, transformation properties of lens systems, spatial filtering, information processing. Prerequisite: PHYS 428 or equivalent.

530 Quantum Mechanics I. (3) Mathematically sophisticated treatment of modern quantum mechanics. The basic formalism, quantum dynamics, theory of angular momentum, and symmetry in quantum mechanics are described using Dirac notation. Prerequisite: PHYS 430 or equivalent.

535 Quantum Information Science. (3) Based on the paradigm that all information is physical, this course involves application of quantum mechanics to the study of how quantum objects carry information, and how they can be used to process information more efficiently than classical information systems. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

536 Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics. (3) A study of simple atomic and molecular systems, their structure, and their interactions with electromagnetic radiation, as well as the experimental techniques used to investigate these systems. Prerequisites: PHYS 420 (Electricity and Magnetism I) or equivalent and PHYS 430 (Introductory Quantum Mechanics I) or equivalent.

537 Superconductivity and Magnetism. (3) This course will give an overview of experimental and theoretical topics that have led to the development of our modern understanding of superconductivity and magnetism in solids. Prerequisites: PHYS 420 or equivalent and PHYS 430 or equivalent.

540 Nuclear and Particle Physics. (3) Selected topics in nuclear physics with emphasis on experimentally observed phenomena including nuclear forces, nuclear reactions, energy levels, nuclear models, decay of unstable nuclei, and an introduction to elementary particles.

555 Statistical Mechanics. (3) Study of classical and quantum mechanical distributions with Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac, and Bose-Einstein statistics. Topics include equations of state, electron and photon gases, liquid helium, and behavior of metals. Prerequisite: PHYS 354 or equivalent.

560 Topics in Solid State Physics. (3) A study of the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of crystalline solids, including lattice bonding, phonon dynamics, band theory, electrons in metals, semiconductors, and superconductivity. Prerequisite: PHYS 430 or equivalent.

563 Data Science in Radio Astronomy. (3) Introduction to analysis of large datasets in radio astronomy (no astronomy background needed). The course focuses on environments that generate radio emission and the use of software for data and image analysis of observations conducted with radio telescopes. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

570 Experimental Techniques in Physics. (3) Introduction to experimental research techniques including equipment design, machining, vacuum techniques, cryogenics, and practical electronics.

571 Introduction to Thesis. (1) A course intended to familiarize the student with technical literature searches, selection of research areas, and thesis writing techniques. Graded S/U.

572 Internship Preparation. (1) A course intended to prepare the student for PHYS 578, Graduate Physics Internship. Graded S/U.

576 Special Topics in Physics. (1–4, repeatable under different special topics) Lecture courses in topics of current interest.

577 Special Problems in Physics. (1–8, repeatable) Individual problems in the field of physics are selected according to the interest and needs of the student. Graded S/U.

578 Graduate Physics Internship. (8) A one‑semester on‑the‑job experience in an industrial facility or research laboratory. Graded S/U. Prerequisite: PHYS 572.

600 Seminar. (1, repeatable) Prerequisite: 2 s.h. of PHYS 577

601 Thesis/Thesis Research. (3) Graded S/U.