Programs at a glance
Admissions cycles:
Fall, Spring
Application deadlines:
February 5 (Fall)
November 1 (Spring)
Assistantships:
Teaching, Research
Physics Graduate Programs
Preparing students for careers in cutting-edge scientific research that expands humanity’s knowledge of the physical universe.
The Physics Graduate Programs prepare students for careers in cutting-edge scientific research that expand humanity’s knowledge of the physical universe. Our students benefit from collaborations with researchers across the country and throughout the world. Our graduates have continued into a variety of careers as experimentalists and as theorists, including working at national labs, in academia, in industry, and as educators. We are also affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs in Atmospheric Science and in Chemical Physics.
Research specialties
- Astrophysics
- Atmospheric Science
- Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
- Condensed Matter Theory
- High Energy Density Physics
- Plasma Physics
In addition to on-campus laboratories, our graduate students perform experiments at world-class facilities at national labs such as Lawrence Berkeley, SLAC, Sandia, and others. Our students additionally use telescopes operated by NASA and the National Science Foundation.
How to apply
Applications are submitted online through the University’s Graduate School. All applicants must meet the general requirements of the graduate school and the Physics Graduate Admissions departmental requirements.
Accepted students are offered financial assistance, usually in the form of a Teaching Assistantship in their first year. Learn more about graduate assistantships on our departmental site.
Contact information and questions
Have questions about Physics graduate programs? Reach out to the admissions and recruitment director about fee waivers and admissions, or send other program-related questions to the program director.
Thomas White
Physics Graduate Program Director
Email: tgwhite@unr.edu
Phone: (775) 682-6614
Richard Plotkin
Physics Graduate Admissions and Recruitment Director
Email: rplotkin@unr.edu
Phone: (775) 784-6508
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