Physics MS

at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

Bolstered by its proximity to the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), the nation’s leading site for underground nuclear and particle physics, the Ph.D. program at South Dakota Mines provides unique opportunities for research into the underlying principles of the natural world. Our internationally recognized faculty lead students in searches for the dark matter of the universe, studies of the nature of the neutrino and the origin of the chemical elements, as well as research into condensed matter, e.g. phase transitions in ferroelectric and magnetic materials or quantum materials.

The mission of the physics Ph.D. program is to provide students with quality graduate instruction and research experiences that will prepare them for various career options in academia, industry, and at national labs. First-year students may be teaching assistants or research assistants; teaching load is light in order to allow an early start in research. Important milestones in the course of our program are the qualifying exam, typically taken after completing the required coursework, and the comprehensive exam, in which students defend their dissertation research scope and plan.