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...one of the leading university centers for Physics and Astronomy in the country. Faculty members and graduate students are active in most areas of modern physics and astronomy plus a variety of interdisciplinary fields.
 Control room at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. |
Programs of Study
M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are offered with specializations in accelerator physics, chemical physics, elementary particle theory, experimental particle physics, low-temperature physics, many-body theory, nuclear physics, solid-state physics, and observational and theoretical astrophysics. The ratio of faculty members to graduate students is about 1:2, and formal class sizes range from 5 to 40. MSU uses the semester system.
Financial Aid
Half-time graduate assistantship stipends began at $15,300 for the 1998-99 academic year. Summer assistantships are available. Assistants spend up to 20 hours a week on their duties. Teaching assistants typically have from 6 to 8 in-class contact hours for recitation and laboratory classes. The normal course load for assistants is 6 to 9 credit hours. The duties of research assistants are commonly in the general area in which their Ph.D. thesis will be written. Fellowships and scholarships are also available.
Cost of Study
Tuition for 1998-99 was $216 per credit hour for Michigan residents. Teaching and research assistants pay instate rates and receive a tuition waiver of 6 credits per semester. Out-of-state tuition was $437 per credit hour. The matriculation fees are paid by MSU for all graduate assistants beginning 1998-99. Registration fees for students in 1998-99 were $566 per year.
Living and Housing Costs
Single rooms in Owen Hall, the graduate residence center, were rented for $1928 per semester and double rooms for $1649 in 1998-99. This cost includes credit for one meal per day (approximately $280 per month). The University owns and operates more than 2,000 one- and two-bedroom apartments to help meet the housing needs of married students. These rent for $390 to $465 per month, respectively, and include all utilities, essential furniture, and a private telephone.