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Department of Physics & Energy Science

Master of Sciences; Physics Option


For information about the graduate program please contact: Dr. Robert Camley at rcamley@uccs.edu or (719) 255-3512

The Department of Physics and Energy Science offers a Master of Science Degree through the Master of Sciences degree with a Physics option.  The department offers a traditional set of physics core courses and a variety of specialized electives emphasizing our strengths in thin film, surface and computational physics.  The department also offers a multidisciplinary program with physics as an emphasis.  Students may choose a thesis or non-thesis option.  The program can be completed in two years (4 semesters) and all courses are offered in the evenings (after 4:30 pm).  The program is outlined below with detailed catalog information following.



















         Thesis Option                         Non-Thesis Option     

       24 hours - coursework                      30 hours coursework
         6 hours - thesis work


The Master of Sciences degree has two additional requirements:

1. Because this is a multidisciplinary program, at least two courses (6 credit hours) must be outside of physics. These courses can be in mathematics, chemistry or engineering, for example.

2. Students are required to prepare a 15-20 page paper on some topic in physics. This may represent original work or a report on current physics research being done by others. Students wil present a summary of the paper in a 30-45 minute oral presenation.

CORE COURSES - recommended for students wishing a traditional Physics degree:

  • Math Methods in Physics
  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Theoretical Mechanics
  • Quantum Mechanics I
  • Electromagnetic Theory I
  • Electromagnetic Theory II

OTHER COURSES INCLUDE:

  • Computational Physics
  • Introduction to Solid State Physics
  • Thin Film Physics
  • Stellar Structure and Evolution
  • Quantum Mechanics II
  • Solid State Physics I and II
  • Topics in Advanced Physics:
    • Magnetism
    • Nonlinear Physics
    • Surface Science
    • Astrophysics
    • General Theory of Relativity
    • Advanced Optics: Lasers and Polarization Techniques

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

The primary research of the department is in solid state physics and surface science. This is supported by several ultrahigh vacuum systems for deposition (molecular beam epitaxy) and characterization of thin films (LEED and Auger spectroscopy), a scanning tunneling microscope, a scanning electron microscope, Brillouin light scattering, and good computing facilities for theoretical work. An additional research area is in soft condensed matter with a specialization in liquid crystal physics and applications. The department also has an active program and sophisticated equipment for radon studies. In addition, the department has a variety of research grade telescopes which can be used for precision astrophotography, solar research, and in the determination of the chemical composition and periods of variable stars.

FACULTY RESEARCH INTERESTS:

  • James Burkhart:
    • Applied Physics:
      • Correlation of measured radon levels and geological formations
      • the physics of radon measurement.
  • Robert Camley:
    • Theoretical Solid State Physics:
      • Magnetic and electronic properties of artificially layered structures (superlattices)
      • surface excitations,
      • optical and magneto-optical signal processing.
  • Zbigniew Celinski:
    • Experimental Solid State Physics:
      • Growth and characterization of ultra-thin metallic films and multilayers
      • magnetic materials
      • Brillouin light scattering
      • ferromagnetic resonance
      • exchange coupling in magnetic thin films.
  • Thomas Christensen:
    • Experimental Solid State Physics:
      • Surface physics of metals, polymers and semiconductors
      • oxidation, tribology, optical properties
      • optical scattering from rough surfaces, paper surfaces
  • Anatoliy Glushchenko:
    • Experimental Soft Condensed Matter Physics:
      • Physical properties of liquid crystals
      • Liquid crystal based devices
      • New liquid crystal materials and emerging applications
  • Marek Grabowski:
    • Theoretical Solid State Physics:
      • Chaos,
      • Exotic mechanisms for high temperature superconductivity,
      • Complexity theory, nonlinear physics,
      • solitons, one and two dimensional systems, polymers

  • Current Physics Department Research Projects

Courses
  
For current Masters of Science program course information, please current course bulletin