NAU Physics & Astronomy - Programs of Study

Graduate Programs		Undergraduate Programs
Master of Science in Applied Physics The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers a two-year master's degree program for students who wish to pursue non-academic, technical employment in the aerospace, defense and high technology industries, government laboratories, and private research institutes. The program would also provide a basic graduate-level scientific foundation which would facilitate further professional studies in various fields of applied physics, as does a traditional Master's degree. The program is designed to train students in laboratory skills, provide them with computational and computer modeling expertise, develop their competencies in the use and design of modern instrumentation, and provide them with a basic foundation in physics. A capstone to this coursework will consist of an internship or a master's thesis made possible through partnerships with government laboratories, private research institutes, and industrial corporations. Programs of studies center on these emphases defined by elective courses that cross the various science and engineering disciplines and which are selected by the student and advisor from a broad selection of cross-disciplinary options, such as geology, chemistry, engineering, and mathematics. Each student would have the flexibility to design his or her own specific program, focusing on a particular area of specialization and a particular set of skills that will satisfy the his or her career goals.		Dr. Cornelison in Photoelectron Lab
Admission Requirements and Procedure To be considered for admission, students must complete and submit application forms and supporting materials separately to the NAU Graduate College and to the Graduate Coordinator for the department. Graduate College admission forms may be downloaded from NAU's Graduate College website. Materials to be sent separately to the Department of Physics and Astronomy are as follows: A concise letter of intent which includes a description of interests, career goals, and future plans. Special emphasis should be given to explaining how these would be realized by enrollment our master's program. Three letters of reference. GRE Advanced Test score in a physical science (e.g., Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, etc.) is recommended but not necessary. Successful applicants will usually have a bachelor's degree in Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, or a related field with a 3.0 GPA or above. Evaluation of applications for Fall admission will begin after Jan. 15 of the preceding year. Financial aid awards in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantships will be selected in April.
Four micron scanning force microscope (SFM) image of "arm of dendritic NH₄CN structure"	Degree Requirements The MS in Applied Physics has two tracks which are designed to accommodate students who are interested in pursuing either a research-style thesis experience or an industry/laboratory-based internship. Click here to see the current requirements as published in NAU's academic catalog. Master's Degree Plan. Graduate Courses Click here to see the current catalog of graduate physics courses.
Research Facilities at NAU Telescopes. Access to world-class facilities such as Steward Observatory, Lowell Observatory, and the Large Binocular Telescope when operational. Condensed Matter Lab. This laboratory contains a Scanning Force Microscope (Thermomicroscopes, Inc.) equipped with liquid cells and phase-imaging capabilities and a Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer, equipped with a nitrogen laser desorption system for MALDI (matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization TOF-MS). An ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with in-situ deposition capability is also currently operational. We also have instrumentation for low energy electron diffraction (LEED) experiments. Photoelectron Lab. Instrumentation includes two PHI ESCA systems, a Nicolet FTIR system, Liquid He cryostat, thin film deposition and analysis equipment, ice formation and analysis equipment, ion beam bombardment, and other processing instruments. Computational Facilities. The department maintains a network of high performance UNIX workstations with FORTRAN and C compilers for general purpose computing and astronomy-specific software including IRAF and IDL. A PC workstation laboratory is also available. Partners Lowell Observatory is the largest private astronomical institution in the United States. The observatory is home to over 20 professional astronomers and operates several state-of-the-art telescopes. Many NAU astronomers collaborate on projects with colleagues at Lowell and this is a fertile area for student projects. United States Geological Survey-Flagstaff. The astrogeology group at the USGS has a long and prestigious history as the premier center for imaging and spectroscopy studies of solar system objects. Scientists at the USGS work with NAU Physics and Astronomy faculty on several NASA space missions. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology is the leading US center for design, construction and execution of unmanned space missions. NAU faculty work with scientists and engineers at JPL making it an excellent training ground for NAU students. Raytheon Systems specializes in defense electronics, including missile systems and air-to-missile defense, and is a pioneer in command, control, and information systems. The Missile Systems Division works with NAU in educational endeavors and provides opportunities for internships at its Tucson facilities. Ball Aerospace Inc. is a leading aerospace company, specializing in the design of scientific instrumentation spacecraft for space missions. Ball has played a leading role in many of the nations premier space missions including the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory and provides and exciting venue for NAU internships. Environment Flagstaff is a relatively small city of approximately 55,000 inhabitants, nestled between mountains to the north and desert to the south. At an altitude of 7000', Flagstaff is imbedded in the world's largest ponderosa pine forest, and is a Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Nearby is the Grand Canyon, snow ski resorts, river rafting, and hiking trails too numerous to mention. The community also boasts an active cultural scene with frequent theatrical and musical performances. The climate is mild: summer highs are typically in the eighties with cool evenings. Winter days are sunny with occasional snow! For more information on Flagstaff, visit Flagstaff Arizona On-Line. Financial Matters Current fees at NAU include both an out-of-state and resident component. These amounts can be found at the Bursars website. Students accepted into the M.S. program in Applied Physics who are awarded an assistantship are automatically given a waiver for the out-of-state portion. Current in-state tuition is approximately $2500 per academic year. There are a limited number of these Graduate Assistantships available (so apply early). Students will typically work under a Teaching Assistantship their first year and a Research Assistantship their second year. For general information on NAU's graduate programs, visit the Graduate College website. Application Forms Download forms from the Graduate College website at NAU,or send e-mail to astro.physics@nau.edu or call 928-523-2661 to request application forms. The deadline for Fall semester admission is March.