Home
|
Home |
...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, biophysics, chemical physics, elementary particle theory, experimental particle physics, low-temperature physics, many-body theory, nuclear physics, physics education, solid-state physics, and observational and theoretical astrophysics. The ratio of faculty members to graduate students is about 3:5, and formal class sizes range from 5 to 40. MSU uses the semester system.
Financial Aid
Graduate assistantship stipends began at $1450/month for the 2007-08 academic year. Summer assistantships are available. Assistants spend 20 hours per week on their duties. Teaching assistants typically have from 10 to 14 in-class contact hours for laboratory classes and tutorial help-rooms. 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
Teaching and research assistants receive a full tuition waiver, a waiver of all registration fees, and are provided with health insurance. COGS and Radio taxes are not waived and cost about $15 a semester. Tuition for 2007-08 was $376.25 per credit hour for Michigan residents. Out-of-state tuition was $797.50 per credit hour. The matriculation fees are paid by MSU for all graduate assistants.
Living and Housing Costs
Single rooms in Owen Hall, the graduate residence center, were rented for $2,954 per semester in 2007-08. This cost includes credit for one meal per day (approximately $300 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 $587 to $773 per month, and include all utilities, essential furniture, a private telephone, and internet.