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Information
for Graduate Program Applicants
 Overview
Degrees Offered
Criteria for Admission
Financial Aid
Health Insurance
Living and Housing Costs
Opportunities for US Applicants to Visit Kent
Recommended Date for Submission of Applications
List of Items Needed for Complete Application
*** APPLICATION PROCEDURE ***
Timetable for Admission Decisions
Frequently-Asked Questions and Additional Information
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Overview |
The physics graduate program at Kent State University offers solidly-based
fundamental course work and the opportunity to do experimental or theoretical
research with first-class scientists. Our research
groups enjoy international recognition in front-line areas of physics,
we have excellent experimental and computational facilities (see
virtual tours), and we
interact extensively with other strong research centers.
The quality of our program is reflected in our success in competing
nationally for grant support and in the publication record of our
faculty and students. AIP data
for a three-year period during the 1990s, when statistics were last
compared with peer departments, showed the KSU Physics Department's
extramural funding per faculty to be the highest in Ohio. A ranking
of physics PhD programs, published by the National Research Council,
rated our program in the top 5% nationwide in both the percentage of
faculty publishing regularly and the percentage engaged in sponsored
research. In publications per faculty, the same study ranked Kent
near the top 20% nationwide. Recent
awards and honors are another indicator
of the strength of our research and programs. The most recent outside
review of our graduate program took place in 2005.
Our graduates enter initial employment in permanent positions at a higher
rate than national norms (based on AIP data). The physics
doctoral program at Kent has been a major source in the US for PhD
physicists employed in the area of liquid crystal applications,
and our program offers excellent flexibility to choose among research
topics spanning the full range from fundamental theoretical work to
highly application-oriented experimental physics.
Over a ten-year survey period ending in the mid 1990s,
the average time to completion of the PhD from first enrollment in the
graduate program has been 5.7 years — about 9 months less time than
the national average for physics over the same period. More recent
statistics reveal no measurable increase in the time taken by our PhD
graduates to complete their degrees.
Another statistic in which we take pride is our status as one of the
most diverse physics programs in the country in terms of both women
and minorities. See our page on diversity
for details of how we rank exceptionally high on three separate measures.
We have typically
50 to 60 graduate students enrolled in our year-round program. Graduate
study may be started any term, including the summer. However, a new
student with a typical undergraduate preparation is usually advised to
start in the fall.
The campus environment
and city of Kent offer the advantages
of a university town in the mostly rural setting of Portage County,
while the cultural attractions of Cleveland (web site
1 or site 2) and
Akron
are within 30 to 50 minutes by car. For further details, a useful resource is Prof.
Manley's Student Links Page and
Visitor/Entertainment Guide .
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Degrees Offered |
Any admitted graduate student has the option to be a candidate for the PhD degree without
first completing a Master's Degree. A student who chooses to pursue a Master's Degree
has two options: an MS degree, which includes a Master's Thesis research project, or an
MA degree, which requires only the completion of 32 semester-hours of courses.
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Criteria for Admission |
Applicants must have at least a baccalaureate degree in physics or a
closely-related subject.
Good undergraduate preparation for graduate study typically includes the
equivalent of the following upper-division courses at Kent: classical
mechanics, modern physics (two semesters), laboratory (two semesters),
electromagnetism, quantum and atomic physics, thermodynamics, data
analysis and computational physics, and some electives such as nuclear
physics and solid state physics. A grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0
on a scale of A = 4.0 is required for unconditional admission.
Students from countries where GPA is not used are assessed according to a
standard appropriate for their own country.
General GRE scores are optional. Physics GRE scores are normally a required part
of the application materials for the PhD program. Final-year undergraduates who have
not yet completed one or more courses needed to prepare for the Physics GRE are still
recommended to take the test in the fall of their final year. We recognize that such
applicants cannot be expected to score at their full potential, and we take this special
circumstance into account. In cases where an applicant is faced with significant
difficulty in arranging to take the Physics GRE in their country or region, he or she
should contact us as early as possible for further clarification of our requirements.
It is an advantage for applicants to have research experience, and we take this into
account in admission decisions. However, research experience is not required.
Applicants from countries where English is not the first language should have
a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of at least 560 on the paper-based
test. This corresponds to 220 on the computer-based test, or 83 on the internet-based
test. We also accept minimum scores of 6.5 on the IELTS test, or 78 on the MELAB test.
Foreign applicants who have completed two or more years of study at a US institution are
exempt from the English testing requirement. Only the following countries are recognized
by Kent State University as having English as their first language:
Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Commonwealth Caribbean (including Belize), Ireland,
Liberia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States and its Territories (except
Puerto Rico).
A student with an academic record not truly representative of his/her present ability
is also encouraged to apply and submit additional supporting information.
Each application is given individual attention.
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Financial Aid |
Grant-funded Research Assistant (RA) appointments normally cover the full
12-month period, and effective from September 2009, will carry a stipend of
$24,000 plus a full tuition scholarship. Beginning graduate students are
supported by a Graduate Assistant (GA) appointment, known as a Teaching
Assistantship at many universities. As the name implies, this appointment
carries a teaching duty. Students on teaching assistantships at minimum are
supported half-time during the three months of the summer, and thus their
annual stipend for Academic Year 2009/10 is at least $21,000, plus a full
tuition scholarship. Entering students in some cases receive
the full 12-month stipend of $24,000 by carrying out exploratory sponsored
research, during the summer at the end of their first year, under the
direction of a faculty member who is seeking to recruit a new student. More
details can be found on our FAQ page.
Note that the above-mentioned stipend level of $2000/month comes into effect
in September 2009. This represents a 12.5% increase over the present stipend
level.
A number of Application Fee
Waivers are made available each year; see below for details.
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Health Insurance |
University-sponsored health insurance for a single student can be purchased for $1443 per year.
The university requires foreign students to obtain and maintain health insurance. We provide a
flat allocation of $1010 towards this expense, a subsidy that can be used towards either an
individual or family policy. These amounts are current as of Fall 2007.
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Living and Housing Costs |
Various housing options are available for graduate students. Rooms are
available for single graduate students in some campus dormitories.
The cost for AY 2005-2006 is $2705 per semester for a deluxe single.
One- and two-bedroom furnished apartments for married students are available
in the University-owned Allerton Apartments. Monthly rents for these units
currently (Fall 2007) is $660 for a one-bedroom unit, and $690 for a two-bedroom
unit (this includes utilities such as heating, electricity, cable TV, and
high-speed internet service). In addition,
a variety of reasonably priced rental housing can be found in the Kent
area. The Campus Bus Service provides a transportation network for the
Kent campus and links the campus with shopping centers and residential
neighborhoods in nearby communities; service to Akron and Cleveland
is also provided. Local bus service is free to Kent students.
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Opportunities for US Applicants to Visit Kent |
US citizens and residents who have applied for admission in the fall semester are encouraged
to visit us during the preceding spring semester. A travel scholarship fund can cover expenses
for a number of visiting applicants. Applicants will be contacted when the time for visits
approaches, and detailed information will be communicated at that stage.
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Recommended Date for Submission of Applications |
Fall 2008:
Fall 2008 admission remains a possibility only for special cases where an applicant requests
no more than a tuition scholarship and does not need support via an assistantship.
Spring 2009:
New applications of the normal kind (requesting an assistantship), if submitted between now
and the end of August 2008, will be considered for admission in January 2009. Advanced
applicants are sometimes admitted at the beginning of the spring semester (January). However,
most new students are admitted in August each year, because our normal introductory graduate-level
classes are offered only in the fall semester. If an applicant requests consideration for
January admission and is judged by our Admissions Committee to be better suited for admission
the following semester, we will advise the applicant accordingly and will keep his/her
application active.
Fall 2009:
Prospective students wishing to be considered for admission in fall 2009 are recommended to
submit their applications by the end of January 2009. It is understood that certain items
for inclusion in an applicant's file might arrive at a later date.
Any general deadline information printed on university-wide paper application forms does
not apply to the physics graduate program.
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List of Items Needed for Complete Application |
The following is the list of requirements for applicants to the Physics Graduate Program,
and is up-to-date as of the datestamp at the bottom of this page. This list has been
different in the past, and elsewhere on the Kent State website, you might find remnants
of an older list, which you should ignore.
1. Completed application forms and fee.
2. Statement of Goals and brief CV.
3. Three Letters of Recommendation (electronic or hardcopy; use of this
form is entirely optional).
4. Official hardcopy transcript sent by postal mail.
5. GRE scores sent directly from ETS to Kent State (see above for other details).
6. Where applicable, TOEFL score sent directly from ETS to Kent State.
Please note: after an applicant instructs ETS to send scores directly to Kent State
University by normal delivery, it can take 4 to 6 weeks before we receive the information.
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Application Procedure |
Applicants are requested to send e-mail to
physgradprogram
immediately after submission of an application. The only information needed is
your name and the date of your application.
ONLINE SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
from all categories of applicant (US citizens, and citizens of other countries)
is strongly encouraged. Prospective foreign graduate students can also find
further useful information at the page of Kent State's Office of International Affairs.
Occasionally, an applicant may have a special reason to prefer to download
forms and send in all materials by postal mail. This method is slower, and the online
method is recommended for several reasons. Here are .pdf forms for paper-based
applications by US citizens and permanent residents
and by international applicants.
Foreign citizens who are currently enrolled at an educational institution in the US
need to submit an additional form
if using the paper-based application. The international forms linked above are the
most up-to-date versions with addressing instructions that provide the most timely
processing.
The physics department may elect to pay the application fee for a
limited number of promising applicants. US citizens and foreign nationals
are eligible to apply for this waiver of the application fee. To apply,
send an e-mail message which includes your available scores (overall GPA or
its equivalent, physics GPA or its equivalent, name of university, GRE score
in percentiles for each section, and TOEFL or IELTS where relevant), write
"Request for Application Fee Waiver" in the subject line of the message,
and send it to
physgradprogram .
This e-mail method is the only method for requesting an application fee waiver.
Do not send a fee waiver request in writing along with an application on
paper forms, since the physics department generally will never see this request.
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Timetable for Admission Decisions |
The date when we make admission decisions and inform applicants depends on many factors,
and varies from year to year. Typically our last couple of offers of fall semester
admission with an assistantship are sent out by e-mail and postal mail in mid-May at the latest.
As of early May 2008, all applicants whose files are complete have been notified of our decision.
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Frequently-Asked Questions & Additional Information |
Much additional information can be found on our special FAQ page for Graduate Program applicants.
Applicants are urged to check this FAQ page for instant answers before sending
inquiries by e-mail.
Further detailed information (mostly oriented to current students) can be found in
the Departmental Information and Policy Guide..
If you still have unanswered questions, please contact:
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Graduate Coordinator
Department of Physics
Kent State University
Kent, OH 44242
Phone: (330) 672-2246
E-mail:
physgradprogram
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Last Updated: May 07, 2008
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