brown phd physics admission

Graduate Programs

The Physics Ph.D. program provides students with opportunities to perform independent research in some of the most current vital areas of physics.

Students will develop a solid and broad base of physics knowledge through our core curriculum, departmental colloquia and training. They conduct research in astrophysics and cosmology and in high energy, condensed matter and biological physics that is interdisciplinary and international in scope. Our graduate students train with 30 physics professors and 12 joint and affiliated faculty, primarily in engineering, applied mathematics, biology, and chemistry. Multidisciplinary inquiry is encouraged. The academic program is rigorous yet flexible, combining strong core training with multiple options for more specialized studies. We foster a strong sense of community not always found in larger departments. Brown’s affiliations provide national and international research opportunities. Easy access to seminars and courses of the greater Boston area universities enriches our intellectual life.

Upper-level courses and departmental seminar series subsequently provide more specialized exposure. Armed with the core knowledge, a graduate student joins a research group working in an area of particular interest. This research is performed in very close collaboration with one or more of our faculty, whose interests span a wide range of physics fields.

Application Information

Applicants are expected to have a strong background in physics or closely related subjects at the undergraduate level.

Application Requirements

Gre subject:, gre general:, toefl/ielts:.

Required for any non-native English speaker who does not have a bachelor's degree or higher from an institution where English is the sole language of instruction or from a university in the following countries: Australia, Bahamas, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada (except Quebec), Ethiopia, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Gambia, Uganda, United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales), West Indies, Zambia).

Letters of Recommendations:

Three (3) letters of recommendation required.

Personal Statement:

1000-1500 word personal statement that gives your reasons to pursue graduate work in the field of your study. The statement should include examples of your past work in your chosen field, your plans for study at Brown, issues and problems you'd like to address in your field, faculty you are interested in working with, and your professional goals.

Additional Materials:

Texts: Please provide information about courses you are currently enrolled in or have taken at the undergraduate or graduate level, and the textbooks that were used, as related to Physics.

Additional Requirements:

Please also see our additional  Information for International Students .

Dates/Deadlines

Application deadline, completion requirements.

All core courses, four advanced courses, qualifying examination, preliminary examination, faculty-supervised research, dissertation, and oral defense.

Physics Ph.D.

Alumni Career Data

Contact and Location

Department of physics, mailing address.

• Program Faculty
• Graduate School Handbook
• Program Handbook

Department of Physics at Brown University

Physics is the most fundamental of sciences. It provides a foundation for ideas critical to other scientific fields and the underpinnings for modern technologies.

Dynamic research and innovations that impact our daily lives.

The Physics Department at Brown is dedicated to both teaching and research, delving into phenomena spanning from the subatomic to the cosmic. In collaboration with biologists, chemists, engineers, geologists, and mathematicians, we cultivate the most comprehensive education in scientific and mathematical methods and the problem-solving process, bolstered by our world-renowned faculty and cutting-edge research facilities.

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Department of Physics Box 1843 182 Hope Street Providence, RI 02912

[email protected] Phone: (401) 863-2641 Fax: (401) 863-2024

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Graduate School

Doctoral and select master’s programs.

• Application Information

The following information is for applicants to all doctoral and MFA programs. 

Applicants also are strongly urged to visit the websites of the departments to which they are applying, as those sites offer detailed information about those departments' graduate programs.

Admission Inquiry Form

The Application

The online application offers tools for collecting and submitting all documents and information required for the application. Departments may require additional information, so please check their listings. 

Online application

In general, though, applicants are responsible for submitting the following: 

Personal Statement

While most applicants must submit a personal statement regarding their interests and/or intended areas of study, some programs ask applicants to respond to short-answer questions instead of a personal statement. Some programs ask applicants to address specific questions in their personal statements (they are provided in the prompt).

Ph.D. Requirements

Master’s requirements, transcripts.

We strongly encourage applicants to submit a scanned image of the transcript at the time of application, which can speed processing; however, a final, official transcript will be required of all admitted students who matriculate. Applicants who have attended international institutions must submit transcripts or certified attestations of study, with certified English translations. Once translated, the original transcript and the certified translations are to be sent to the Graduate School admission office. College seniors should submit current transcripts, followed by a final official transcript showing the award of the baccalaureate degree prior to matriculation, as is required and mentioned above. 

Letters of Recommendation

The Graduate School requires three letters of recommendation by persons well qualified to speak from first-hand knowledge about the applicant's potential for graduate study. All letters should comment on an applicant’s ability to do research and perform in the program’s required coursework. At least two of these letters should be from faculty at the institution of current study or, if the applicant is not in school at the time of application, at the institution most recently attended. Letters of recommendation for applicants to master’s programs may be from academic or non-academic sources; please consult individual program listings for details. Letters of recommendation must be submitted online. If you are using Interfolio please refer to their website for instructions on submitting your recommendations electronically.

Applicants to programs requiring the Graduate Record Examination must have their results to the Graduate School or, if applying to one of the programs in the School of Public Health, to a separate Brown University code. Please refer to our GRE page and individual listings for the Ph.D. or master’s program for details. 

GRE Information

Toefl/ielts.

All international applicants whose native language is not English must ensure that the Graduate School receives their official score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), TOEFL ITP Plus for China or International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Language Proficiency: TOEFL or IELTS

All international applicants whose native language is not English must submit an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score.

Application Fee and Waivers

A non-refundable fee of $75 is charged for processing each application received by the Graduate School. This fee must be paid when the application is submitted. An application will not be processed unless the fee is paid. Applicants who want to be evaluated by more than one graduate program must submit separate applications to each program for which they would like to be considered. The Graduate School is not responsible for errors made by applicants during the application process. There are no application-fee refunds. Application-fee waivers are available under certain circumstances. Applicants to Brown's graduate programs who can demonstrate financial need may apply for an application-fee waiver.

Application-Fee Waivers

Paper Credentials and Other Documentation

All materials related to an application that are not submitted electronically as part of the online application should be mailed to the Graduate School admission office:

47 George St., Box 1867 Brown University Providence, R.I. 02912.

Do  not  send any application materials directly to the program you are applying to as this will only slow the progress of your application. Material submitted in support of the application, including transcripts and writing samples, will not be returned to the applicant. 

Criteria for Admission

Admission to the Graduate School is determined at the program level with oversight by the Graduate School. Each program, in consultation with the dean of the Graduate School, sets its own admission criteria. The individual academic programs evaluate applications for admission. Admission decisions are made after a full review of the materials in the application. Programs consider previous records, test scores, and recommendations and look for clear evidence of the ability to do advanced work of the highest quality. The admission decisions are final. There is no appeals process.

Notification

Applicants should expect to be notified within four to eight weeks of the application deadline for their programs (February or March for a January 1 deadline). Whether or not applications that are submitted after a program's stated deadline will be reviewed is at the discretion of each program. While individual academic programs evaluate applicants for admission, offers of admission are only binding when made in writing by the Dean of the Graduate School. Admission may, in some cases, be deferred; aid offers cannot be deferred. 

Equal Opportunity, Nondiscrimination and Affirmative Action

The Graduate School follows Brown's policy on Equal Opportunity, Nondiscrimination and Affirmative Action.

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The Department of Physics offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Science (ScM) degree and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree.  For more information on admission and program requirements, please visit the following website:  http://www.brown.edu/academics/gradschool/programs/physics

Master of Science (ScM)

A total of 8 credits in 2000 level courses form the main requirement for the ScM degree in Physics, typically taken over 4 semesters.  Of the eight required courses, four must be selected from the six core courses of the graduate program.  

Core Courses

Four additional credits at the 2000 level are required.  These courses are to be selected from the remaining core courses or the large number of other upper level physics courses.  Up to two of these can be taken in research, or taken in another department with prior approval of the program director.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Beyond the core courses, PhD candidates are expected to pass four additional advanced courses. At least one of the courses must fall outside the student’s research area. These courses are to be selected from the following: 

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