Graduate Program

Why come to Rutgers?

Excellent Research:

Prominent efforts in Astrophysics, Biophysics, Condensed Matter, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics
Home of the Moore Foundation Center for Quantum Materials Synthesis
Strong collaboration with Simons Foundation Flatiron Institute Centers in Computational Astrophysics, Biology, and Quantum Physics

Academics:

Curriculum of core courses in first year, followed by qualifier, research, and advanced courses in subsequent years
A decade ago we threw out the old written / oral qualifier system and replaced it with one more tailored to what you will have to do professionally: you write a paper, give a talk, and answer questions
Excellent student to faculty ratio of below 2:1

Successful Outcomes:

For Ph.D. students who entered the program from 2007-2011, 80 of 94 (85%) have succesfully defended their Ph.D. dissertations, 7 left the program with M.S. degrees, 3 left the program with no degree, and 4 remain in the program. For the years 2007-2017, we awarded about 75% as many Ph.D.'s as we had entering Ph.D. students.
Average time to Ph.D.: slightly below 6 years
About half of graduates become postdocs; about half move to full time positions in industry
Examples of our excellent students with high impact results

Fellow students:

Our active Graduate Student Organization (GSO) arranges mock quals, a seminar series, and parties and other recreational activities
Shared graduate student office wing encourages collaboration in classwork
A large, excellent group of undergraduates to work with on research

Environment:

Culturally rich area, with Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, and the State Theater of New Jersey in New Brunswick
Nearly midway between New York City and Philadelphia (about an hour from each, public transit available)
Nearby beaches for recreation during the summer, ski areas for during the winter, and local parks for all year round
Wide variety of cuisines in local restaurants, along with excellent breweries

Reports of broken links or other technical comments about this Web page should be reported to rgilman@physics.rutgers.edu.

All correspondence about the Graduate Program in Physics and Astronomy should be addressed to graduate@physics.rutgers.edu.

Last revised March 22, 2019