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Graduate Announcements > School of Arts and Sciences > Departments and Programs in the School of Arts and Sciences > Department of Physics

Department of Physics

Professors	John Philip, Chair; Duilia F. DeMello; Aaron Dominguez; Biprodas Dutta; Tanja Horn; Steven B. Kraemer; Ian L. Pegg; Lorenzo Resca
Professors Emeritus	Hall L. Crannell; Jack R.Leibowitz; Daniel I. Sober; Herbert M. Uberall;
Associate Professors	Abhijit Sarkar; Vadim Uritsky
Research Professors	Leon Ofman; Tommy Wiklind; Robert Robinson
Adjunct Associate Professors	Shrikanth Kanekal; Shawn Domagal-Goldman; Travis Fischer, Henrique Roberto Schmitt
Adjunct Assistant Professor	Teresa Neives-Chinchilla
Research Associate Professors	Valentina Braito; Michael Corcoran; Michael A. Cordiner; Nicholas A. Mecholsky; James N. Reeves; Adolfo F. Viñas; Jia Yue; Rachel Bartek
Assistant Professor	Grzegorz Kalicy
Research Assistant Professors	Gioia Rau
Research Associates	Hassanali Akbari, Kevin Albin, Carina Alden, Madeleine Anastopulos, Jose Aponte Silva, Mary Aronne, Tibebu Ayalew, Miguel Benayas Penas, Jeffrey Brosius, Alessandro Bruno, Fernando Carcaboso Morales, Juan Diego Carrillo Sanchez, Marta Casti, Fanny Cattani, Peter Chen, Min-Yang Chou, Anna Chulaki, Angela Chung, Glyn Collinson, Michael Corcoran, Gonzalo Cucho-Padin, Natalie Curran, Lars Daldorff, Kristen Darnell, Erin Dawkins, Darren De Zeeuw, Simone di Matteo, Gwenaelle Dufour, Mostafa El Alaoui, Frank Ferguson, Cristian P. Ferradas, Henrike Fleischhack, Barbara Frasl, Austen Gabrielpillai, Beatriz Gallardo-Lacourt, Priyarshini Ghosh, Ashley Greeley, Sun Hee Lee, Andrew Inglis, Mi Wha Jin, Shaela Jones-Mecholsky, Intae Jung, Suk-bin Kang, Christina Kay, Graham Kerr, Gladys Kober, Burcu Kosar, Alexander Kutepov, Harri Laakso, Iker Liceaga Indart, Guiping Liu, Robert Loper, Sonya Lyatsky, Ramesh Mainali, Pertti Makela, Hannah McLain, Anne Michelle Mendoza, Karin Muglach, Haruka Muramatsu, Krister Nielsen, Chigomezyo Ngwira, Leon Ofman, Elon Olsson, Gangkai Poh, Petr Pokorny, Gioia Rau, Nelson Reginald, Michael Reiner, Luis Rodrigues de Marcos, Jenny Marcela Rodriguez, Michelangelo Romano, Nathaniel Roth, Tarik Mohammad Salman, Tyler Schiewe, Chris Shrader, Mykhaylo Sergeevich Shumko, Danielle Simkus, Nithin Sivadas, Jonathon Smith, Richard Starr, Orville Christoper St. Cyr, Christopher J. Stubenrauch, Nimalan Swarnalingam, Aleksandre Taktakishvili, Teresa Tatoli, Samuel Teinturier, Jack Wang, Tongjiang Wang, Sambid Wasti, Isak Wold, Hong Xie, Seiji Yashiro, Sachiko Yashiro-Akiyama, Valery Yudin, Natalia Zambrana Prado

The Department of Physics offers programs leading to the degrees of Master of Science in Physics, Applied Physics and Nanotechnology, Nuclear Environmental Protection and Applied Space Weather Research and Doctor of Philosophy in Physics, Applied Physics and Nanotechnology. These degrees are designed to prepare the candidate for a professional research career. Research areas include nanophysics, astrophysics, nuclear physics, particle physics, biophysics condensed matter physics, and statistical mechanics. Also, arrangements can be made for cooperative research projects in nearby governmental laboratories such as GSFC, NRL, NIH and NIST.

Master of Science Degree in Physics

Candidates for the M.S. degree in Physics must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate work in residence. For successful completion, the cumulative GPA is required to be at least 3.0. In the non-thesis program at least 24 semester hours must be in physics, and no more than nine of these may be in courses numbered below 600. Mastery of the material presented in PHYS 621, PHYS 622, PHYS 623, PHYS 624, PHYS 659 and PHYS 660 is required of all students. In the thesis option, at least 18 semester hours must be in physics, six of which may be in research guidance and not more than nine in courses numbered below 600. For either option, the student must satisfactorily pass a comprehensive examination.

Master of Science Degree in Applied Space Weather Research

Space weather refers to conditions in the space environment that impact technical systems, such as communication, navigation, aviation, satellite command and control, and electric power. Recognition of the importance of space weather has been increasing over the past 20 years, largely due to new knowledge about the many impacts to human technology from solar and geomagnetic storms. With the increasing human presence in space and blossoming of the New Space industry, this is the ideal time for the creation of academic departments in Space Weather at colleges and universities. Candidates for the CUA’s M.S. degree in Applied Space Weather Research must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate work, maintaining a B average. In the thesis option, at least 18 semester hours must be in core space weather courses. Mastery of the material presented in ASWR 601, ASWR 602, ASWR 603, ASWR 604, ASWR 628, and PHYS 525, PHYS 536 is required of all students. The master’s thesis research project will account for an additional six semester hours. For the non-thesis program at least 24 semester hours must be in space weather courses.

Master of Science Degree in Applied Physics and Nanotechnology

Candidates for the M.S. degree in Physics must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate work in residence. Mastery of the material presented in APN 525, APN 565, APN 568, APN 586, APN 641, APN 667, APN 677 is required of all students. For successful completion, the cumulative GPA is required to be at least 3.0. In the non-thesis program, the students will be required to take at least twenty-four semester hours from the list of approved courses. The remaining six credit hours may comprise courses taken in other departments at Catholic University with the director’s consent. In the thesis option, a maximum of six credit hours may be devoted toward independent research performed for the preparation of a thesis and at least eighteen semester hours must be from Applied Physics and Nanotechnology courses. Courses will be selected in consultation with the program director such that no more than twelve credit hours may be accumulated from courses below 600-level. The remaining six credit hours may be out-of-discipline courses taken at Catholic University with the permission of the student’s advisor or program director. Each student in the thesis-option category will be required to choose a thesis advisor and submit a project proposal to the program director. The thesis project will focus on subjects in the general field of applied physics and nanotechnology. Before a degree is awarded, students must make a formal presentation of their thesis work to a general audience, including the faculty of the program. Students pursuing an undergraduate degree in any science or engineering discipline or in mathematics at Catholic University can opt for the “4+1 Track” option for the M.S. in Applied Physics and Nanotechnology. In this track, after successful completion of their B.S. degree, the student will be able to earn an M.S. degree in two additional semesters or in approximately nine months. For the “4+1 Track” option, a student must take four courses stipulated by the Applied Physics and Nanotechnology program (12 credit hours or more) with good standing in Catholic University (cumulative GPA of 3 or more). Thesis option will not be allowed in the “4+1 track”; the students will take an additional 18 credit hours of coursework from the list of approved courses. These courses will be chosen in consultation with the program director following the completion of the B.S. curriculum.

Master of Science Program in Nuclear Environmental Protection (NEP)

The current reevaluation of nuclear power options, including fuel recycling and underground disposal options for used fuel and other high-level wastes, is crucially dependent on the role of and commitment to nuclear environmental protection. Also, environmentally responsible cleanup of legacy wastes from the Manhattan Project and the cold war demands that a large and well-educated workforce of nuclear professionals be trained over the next several decades. The NEP Master’s program contributes to these goals by providing a thorough understanding of the underlying chemical, physical, materials and radiation safety aspects as well as of transport, storage, disposal, and regulatory issues. The degree will provide students with immediate marketability as well as significantly increased career opportunities for professionals working in nuclear and related fields.

The NEP program consists of a total of eight courses (three credits each) and a final project (six credits) and requires one year (full time) or two to three years (part-time) to complete. Students must earn at least a ‘B’ grade point average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) – both overall and on the final project. The program is open to students with undergraduate degrees in science or engineering who have completed undergraduate level courses in chemistry and physics. This link provides more details on the NEP.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Applied Physics and Nanotechnology

Candidates for the Doctoral degree must complete a minimum of fifty three (53) semester hours of graduate course work. For successful completion, a student must pass the comprehensive exam (after 53 hours) and all other CUA and Physics Department requirements. In addition, the cumulative GPA is required to be at least 3.0. Students will be expected in their third semester (if not earlier) to select a faculty member from the Physics department who will serve as their dissertation director. Together, they will identify an original research problem with the student embarking on independent research no later than after completing 30 credit hours of coursework. Mastery of the material presented in APN 525, APN 565, APN 568, APN 586, APN 641, APN 667, APN 677 is required of all students. In order to qualify for the Doctoral degree, each student must complete independent thesis research which will form the basis of their dissertation.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Physics

Candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in physics are required to complete 53 semester hours, of which 35 must be in physics. Mastery of the material presented in PHYS 611, PHYS 612, PHYS 615, PHYS 621, PHYS 622, PHYS 623, PHYS 624, PHYS 659 and PHYS 660 is required of all students. A maximum of nine semester hours in courses below 600 may be applied toward the degree. A comprehensive examination must be passed after completing 53 credit hours of coursework. In addition, candidates must present a satisfactory dissertation.

Prospective students are invited to write to the department for additional information.

Courses Offered

Consult Cardinal Station for additional information about courses and to determine course offerings by semester.