Courses, Events & Student Life
Graduate students at OSU Physics engage in a rigorous and flexible curriculum designed to build strong foundations and support early research involvement. Core graduate courses are the following:

• Physics 7601 – Classical & Statistical Physics I
• Physics 7602 – Classical & Statistical Physics II
• Physics 7501 – Quantum Mechanics I
• Physics 7502 – Quantum Mechanics II
• Physics 7701 – Analytical & Numeric Methods of Physics (Electromagnetism I)
• Physics 7401 – Electromagnetic Field Theory (Electromagnetism II)

Outside the classroom, students participate in a vibrant academic community:

• Weekly colloquia featuring leading researchers from around the world
• The annual Alpheus Smith Lecture, a public event showcasing Nobel Laureates and groundbreaking discoveries
• Physics Graduate Student Council (PGSC), which organizes workshops, social events, and student advocacy
• Student-led groups such as URSA and Polaris, which connect graduate mentors with undergraduate students and collaborate with the Department of Astronomy to foster interdisciplinary engagement
• Encouragement and support to attend and present at conferences, including travel funding and mentoring
• Many students also join campus-wide clubs and organizations such as the Buckeye Philharmonic Orchestra, Ballroom Dance, and more, enriching their experience beyond academics

How Appointments Are Determined

• As part of the admissions process, all officially admitted students (domestic and international) are selected for fellowship or teaching associate (TA) positions for their first year.
• No additional materials or steps are required to be considered for these appointments.
• Students who submit their application by December 1 will automatically be considered for fellowship nomination.
• Research associate (RA) positions are typically reserved for advanced students who are part of a research group.

Teaching Associates

• Most first-year graduate students are supported through Teaching Associate (TA) appointments.
• TA appointments typically span the academic year (two semesters).
• Responsibilities include:
  • Up to 8 contact hours per week of lab and recitation instruction
  • Teaching, grading, and individual student support
  • Participation in departmental training for teaching duties
• After the first academic year:
  • Students with satisfactory academic and teaching performance receive a summer research appointment
  • No teaching duties during summer; regular stipend continues
  • Opportunity to begin research early in the graduate program
• TA stipends are competitive and reassessed regularly
• Excellence in teaching is recognized annually with the Hazel Brown Teaching Awards, which include a monetary prize and certificate of recognition

Research Associates

• Graduate Research Associate (RA) positions are available to most advanced graduate students
• RA support is funded by faculty research grants from industrial or governmental sources
• RA stipend is equal to TA stipend
• RAs devote full time to dissertation research

Fellowships

• Prestigious fellowships, including those from the Ohio State University Graduate School, are awarded annually to top applicants
• Fellowship benefits:
  • No teaching duties during the first year
  • Ability to take more courses per semester
  • Accelerated transition into research
• Fellowships are available starting in the first year of the graduate program
• To be considered:
  • Apply by December 1st
  • Ensure all materials, including letters of recommendation, are received by December 20th.

Stipend Information

• All graduate students, international and domestic,— including fellows, teaching associates (TAs), and research associates (RAs) — receive  year-round funding contingent on satisfactory academic and research performance.
• While students have historically received support throughout their program, funding is subject to availability and may change in the event of a funding shortfall.
• For fellowship stipend details, visit the Graduate School Fellowship page.
• For TA/RA stipend details, visit the Graduate Associate Appointments page.

Faculty Excellence

Exceptional Mentorship & Leadership in Physics

The Department of Physics at The Ohio State University is home to a diverse and accomplished faculty committed to excellence in research, teaching, and mentorship.

• Faculty actively engage students in cutting-edge scientific inquiry
• Graduate students benefit from close mentorship and support
• Our inclusive academic environment fosters collaboration and innovation
• Faculty mentorship prepares alumni for successful careers in academia, industry, and beyond

Faculty honors include:

• National academy memberships
• University teaching awards
• The Nobel Prize in Physics

Explore our faculty directory

Physics PhD Application

Please be sure to select "Physics" from the drop-down menu on the application for what program you are applying for. The Astronomy and BioPhysics graduate programs are separate from the Physics graduate program, and must be applied to separately.

If you have any technical questions about the application (e.g how do I upload..., how do I enter_______ information, why haven't I received my confirmation email yet?, checklist status questions) please contact the Graduate Admissions Office at gradadmissions@osu.edu

GRE Policy:

General and physics subject GRE scores are optional, with no negative impact on applicants who choose not to submit them. Each application will have an initial holistic review without reviewers knowing if GRE scores were submitted. After this initial phase, GRE scores from students who chose to submit them could be considered as a “plus-factor” by some admissions committee members representing certain research areas, but would not be used to downgrade applicants who chose not to submit them.

Applicants to the Physics Graduate Program must meet the following criteria of the OSU Graduate School:

• an earned baccalaureate or professional degree from an accredited college or university by the expected date of entry.
• a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative point-hour ratio (on the 4.0 scale used at this university) in the last degree relevant to the program of study earned by the applicant. For international students, the GPA is calculated on the home institution’s grading scheme and the grade key on the transcript is then utilized to approximate an equivalent US grade based on the educational system of that country.
• prerequisite training that will enable the student to pursue the graduate program to which admission is sought, e.g., upper-level physics courses, lab or research experience.

• International students must meet the minimum score requirement of an English proficiency test, as listed on the Graduate School Website. This requirement applies only to any applicant from a country where the first language is not English, unless a bachelor’s degree or higher was earned in an English-speaking country. For a list of exempt countries please use the link above.

   

• International applicants: Submit your application by November 30 and ensure all supporting materials are received by December 10.
• Domestic applicants: Submit your application by December 15 and ensure all supporting materials are received by December 20.

Late applications are accepted until April 14. We cannot confirm the remaining availability of funded spots or advise on whether you should apply late. If it is before April 14 and you wish to apply, please submit your application. Funding and available spots decrease significantly after the deadline, and late applications are less likely to receive a full review. Fee waivers are not available for late submissions.

Every applicant must start by completing an online application that can be found here. Many of the required materials listed below should be uploaded with your application. Please read carefully, and be sure to complete the entire application. 

Additional, required, supplementary materials include:

• 1 copy of an OFFICIAL transcript from all colleges and universities you have attended, where college credit was earned
  • This includes schools you attended for only a short time (even if the transfer credit shows on another transcript).
  • Advising reports or PDF documents of web page listings of courses and grades are NOT acceptable.
  • Once received, your transcript(s) will be uploaded to your application by the admissions office. Sometimes that doesn't happen so if it is still missing after 5 working days from the expected receipt date, please email the admissions office at gradadmissions@osu.edu.
  • If you have any difficulties attaching your transcripts, you can email them to gpadocs@osu.edu, and they will upload it to your application.
    • Please do not send your transcripts to our department, or to the Grad Studies email.
  • Secured, electronic versions of transcripts can be sent to gpadocs@osu.edu.
• 3 letters of recommendation
  • ​We will not accept any additional letters of recommendation beyond the required 3, even though the application system will allow you to request more.
  • Although the new application system requires you to enter information for you recommenders, it does not automatically initiate your request for a recommendation. You will receive a confirmation email, after submitting your application, that will give you instructions about how to request your letters.
  • You will be able, and expected, to monitor the progress of your recommendations.
• Statement of Purpose

  • The application requires a two-page Statement of Purpose (see below for Statement of Purpose prompt), and that you provide short answers to three questions.

    Statement of Purpose prompt: Please discuss your academic record, research experience, research interests, motivation for obtaining your Physics PhD at the Ohio State University, and your long-term goals after obtaining your PhD. Please address any substantial gaps or blemishes in your academic record. In addition to evidence of strong physics scholarship and research ability, we are also looking for other qualities in graduate students that would help them succeed and would support and add to an inclusive graduate student culture and diversity of lived experiences.

  • If you are currently enrolled in a PhD program at another institution and wish to transfer to Ohio State, please briefly explain your reasons for transferring in your Statement of Purpose, in addition to addressing the prompt above.
     

  • We kindly ask that you adhere to the 2-page maximum as closely as possible. 

    o If you have any difficulties attaching your Statement of Purpose, you can email it to gpadocs@osu.edu, and they will upload it to your application. 

     

     

• Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) or Resume
  • Please limit to 1-2 pages   
  • This document should be uploaded with your application.
  • If you have any difficulties attaching your C.V. or resume, you can email it to gpadocs@osu.edu, and they will uploaded to your application.
• Official English proficiency test score
  • This is required of international applicants or those who have held the status of U.S. Permanent Resident for less than one year.
  • Minimum scores are listed on the Graduate School website
  • If you do not meet the university minimum TOEFL IBT score (79), you cannot be considered for our graduate program.
  • We cannot waive the TOEFL requirement or consider scores near (but below) the minimum.
  • TOEFL scores are valid for up to two years following the test date.
  • Ohio State's institutional code is 1592.
  • Applicants who are citizens of, or who have received a bachelor's degree or higher from one of the following countries are exempt from the English proficiency requirement are listed on the Graduate School website for the most up-to-date information. 

​Optional Supplementary Materials

• Writing Sample (THIS IS NOT REQUIRED)
  • ​If you choose to further elaborate on any publications you may have (as publication should be noted in your resume) you may upload a list of publications, or an abstract
  • In total, you should not submit more than 1 page for your 'writing sample'
  • Please do not attach any papers, presentations, thesis, etc. They will not be saved, nor printed for your file.
  • You should upload your list or abstract(s) in the writing sample section of your application
  • If you have any difficulties attaching this document, you can email it to gpadocs@osu.edu, and they will upload it to your application.
    • Please do not send this document to our department, or to the Grad Studies email.
• Adding Course Data
  • ​​​​​​​Our intent is for gathering specific information related to the 4 core Physics topic areas only and additional entries will cloud the data we are trying to compile. Transcripts are reviewed in detail as part of our application review process therefore the committee will see the additional courses in physics or related subject areas.  If you would like to call attention to particular courses we suggest adding them to a section on your resume about further academic preparation beyond the 4 core physics areas.
  • If you have not taken a course that is listed in the Course Data section of our application, you are still eligible to apply for our program.

  Please email gradstudies@physics.osu.edu if you have any further questions about our program or application process.

The application fee for the Physics PhD program $60 for U.S. citizens and $70 for international students. 

Fee Waivers

Fee waivers are extremely limited and are available only to exceptional applicants who align with the strategic mission of the department but may find the application fee prohibitive to applying. They are not awarded solely based on economic need, and the criteria are the same for both international and domestic applicants.

To be considered for a fee waiver, please complete the Fee Waiver Request Form by December 2nd at 4:00 PM EST. 

Please note: If you are an international applicant, you must submit your fee waiver request prior to or on  11/07 to receive a result before the international student deadline. 

Requests submitted via email or after the 12/02 deadline will not be considered.

After you submit your application you will receive a confirmation email from gpadmissions@osu.edu. Please note that it can take a few days for this confirmation email to be sent. If you have not received it within 4 days of submitting your application, please contact the Graduate Admissions office gradadmissions@osu.edu. You confirmation email will assign you an OSU ID and Internet username (lastname.#) with directions to activate your account. You must activate your account to electronically prompt your recommenders for letters, and to monitor the status of your application. Please monitor your spam/junk mail. and send requests for letters of recommendation. 

Once you activate your account you can monitor the status of your application at App Status OSU.  There, you will be able to:

• Verify/update your contact information
• Check your application status by clicking the Application Status link on the main page, then the Status link for the application
• Review what items have been received (and what, if anything, still needs to be submitted) by clicking the Application Requirements tab

We begin our review process in mid-January and do not conclude until the end of April to mid-May. If we are missing any of your paperwork, we will contact you directly via email during that time. We receive a large volume of applications and it is difficult for us to respond to individual requests for confirmation of having received materials, therefore it is very important for you to take responsibility and monitor the status of your application and materials regularly on OSU's application system. 

If at any time you do not remember your ID, Username, or password, help is available. If you need assistance with the activation code request process, please visit 8help.osu.edu; or, contact the IT Service Desk by e-mail at 8help@osu.edu or calling (614) 688-HELP (4357). For those applicants who do know their current password, passwords may be changed or reset by following the instructions at: http://my.osu.edu, or by contacting the IT Service Desk.   

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