Any student wishing to pursue a doctoral degree upon receiving the Master of Science degree here is strongly advised to enroll in the Plan I (thesis) option. It has been the experience of many M.S. graduates of this program that the experience gained in completing the thesis research is invaluable in their future doctoral program.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers programs leading to the Master of Science degree and a cooperative Ph.D. in collaboration with the University of Toledo. The curriculum of the programs emphasizes applications as well as a solid foundation for pre-doctoral training. Course work focuses on developing skills in several areas of emphasis: astrophysics, computational physics, theoretical physics, solid state physics and materials science. All graduate students are involved in research as part of the degree program.