Ph.D. in the US

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Pursuing a Ph.D. in the US

 The Bachelor's degree in Physics in the US is of 4 years.  Subsequent to that
students in the US wishing to pursue a career in Physics enroll in a Ph.D. programme.  The Ph.D. programme includes 1-2 years of coursework and then 4 or more years of research.  Generally, there is no separate Master's programme though some universities grant a Master's degree as part of the Ph.D. programme after the coursework.  Note that post-Bachelor's programmes in the US are referred to as graduate programmes.

Inidan students can enroll in US Ph.D. programmes after completing their M.Sc. Some universities may admit Indian students after one year of M.Sc. (please check with the universities directly). However we feel that it may be better to complete the M.Sc. and get a good grounding in the fundamental subjects of Physics before starting the Ph.D. programme in the US.

We provide below a few links that may be useful for students planning to apply to the US for a Ph.D. in Physics. Some details on applying to the US are contained in the essay " A Career as a Physicist" by Dr. R. Rangarajan.


Some useful links:

List of good universities by area of research from US News and World Report (2006)
(US News and World Report rankings)
(Links to US universities in the above report)

List of good universities with application fees (2006). (This excludes the very best universities such as Princeton, Stanford, etc. but includes other universities that constitute the next tier.)
(US universities application fees)

The aspirants are advised to look at the ETS home page for more details on the GRE examination required for admission to US universities.

 

Also see the site here for more information on applying abroad for higher studies.