Physics, Specialization in Scientific Instrumentation MS

Admission Requirements

Application Website

For admission to graduate study in Physics and Astronomy the following, in addition to the minimum Graduate School requirements, are required:

1. A bachelor’s degree in physics or a closely related field from an accredited institution. In the case of the M.Sc. in Quantum Information Science and Technology the degree must be in science and engineering, but need not be in physics or a closely related field.
2. A minimum grade average of B in all undergraduate coursework, and B or better in the sciences and mathematics.
3. Acceptance by the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Graduate School.

In special cases, a student not meeting requirement A (or, in unusual cases, requirement B) may be admitted on a provisional basis, without financial support. Upon admission, the student will be informed of the requirements that must be satisfied for termination of provisional status.

Retention of students in subsequent years will depend on satisfactory academic progress.

Degree Requirements

A candidate for the master’s degree with concentration in instrumentation will be required to demonstrate a certain level of knowledge of physics(by written and/or oral examination), to take required and elective courses, and to complete both a major and minor project. The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of students learning about the design, construction, and testing of sophisticated instrument systems. The degree holder will not be a super-technician, but a professional scientist trained in both physics and measurement techniques.

1. A student shall demonstrate proficiency in undergraduate physics at the level of the courses PHY 335 (Junior Laboratory I), 405 (Advanced Quantum Physics). Students need to have demonstrated knowledge in two of the three areas Nuclear and Particle Physics (covered in PHY431), Condensed Matter Physics (PHY 472) and Laser and Atomic Physics (PHY 452). This can be done (1) by acceptance by the Master’s in Scientific Instrumentation Committee of courses taken as an undergraduate, (2) by written examination, or (3) by passing the courses appropriate to a student’s background;
2. A course about research instrumentation (PHY 514 );
3. Two semesters each of graduate lab (PHY 515 ) and graduate seminar (PHY 598 , PHY 599 );
4. Students shall work as teaching assistant in an undergraduate laboratory for at least one semester (being a TA in PHY 445 may satisfy the requirement of taking the second semester of graduate lab (PHY 515 ));
5. Thirty credits (minimum) of graduate courses (500 level or above), including a minor project and a master’s thesis. This thesis must describe a major piece of work in scientific instrumentation and must be in a form acceptable to the Graduate School. It need not be original research in the same sense as a Ph.D. thesis, but it should be the result of an effort consistent with a year of full-time work. The thesis should present animprovement of the state of the art in some area, the development of a sophisticated apparatus, or some other significant laboratory project, andbe defended before a committee;
6. Students shall acquire those technical skills deemed necessary by their thesis supervisors. These must include, but are not limited to, machiningcapability and computer literacy.

Each student will be assigned an advisory committee of three faculty members and will be required to meet frequently with them. It is expectedthat close communication among all the faculty and students involved will foster spirit, expose problems, and generally contribute to success.

• PHY 514 - Current Research Instruments 3 credits
• PHY 515 - Methods of Experimental Research I 3 credits
• PHY 598 - Graduate Seminar I 0-1 credits
• PHY 599 - Graduate Seminar II 0-1 credits

Requirements for the Professional MSI Track

In the Professional MSI Track the minor project is replaced by a minimum of 9 credits of “Plus Courses” in Stony Brook’s College of Business,the School of Journalism or similar courses from a different program (subject to approval). The advisory committee will advise the student on which “Plus Courses” to take.

For further information on this program, contact Professor Harold Metcalf.