Graduate Admissions

Admission into the physics graduate program is by recommendation of the graduate admission committee of the Department of Physics. The committee takes into consideration the following:

• an undergraduate degree in physics or a related field
• prior academic performance in physics courses
• a personal statement of career goals
• prior research experience
• letters of recommendation
• optional: verbal and quantitative scores on the GRE

Students may enter our program at the beginning of any semester. Assistantships and other financial support are mostly allocated to the students entering in the Fall semester.

Application Information

Students are accepted into the program during the Fall or Spring of each year. Students are strongly encouraged to submit their completed application materials to the Graduate School no later than July 1 for Fall admission and November 1 for Spring admission. If you are interested in obtaining financial assistance in the form of, for example, a teaching assistantship or a Blazer fellowship, you are encouraged to apply by early March. Assistantships are typically distributed by the end of April.

A completed application includes the following:

• application for admission
• payment of application fee (domestic applicants and green card holders, $50; international applicants, $60)
• transcripts from all post-secondary institutions the student attended
• three letters of recommendation
• a personal statement

GRE scores are optional. If you have taken the test and would like to send scores, please use Institution code 1856.

Application for admission can be made online through the UAB Graduate School website. For concentration, choose ‘not applicable.'

The Graduate School requires an official transcript from every institution that you have attended. The mailing address to send official transcripts is:

UAB Graduate School
LHL G03
1720 2nd Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294-0013

International Students

International students are encouraged to consult with the UAB Graduate School before submitting their application to our Graduate Program. TOEFL and TWE are required for all international applicants whose native language is not English. Minimum scores:

• TOEFL: 80
• IELTS: 6.5
• PTEA: 53

Electronic transfer code for submission of TOEFL scores is 1856.

The admissions committee will review your application after the above information has been submitted. If admitted, the following will also need to be provided:

• Financial Affidavit of Support
• Immigration documentation if currently residing in the U.S.

Graduate Catalog

Read about the Physics program and course descriptions in the Graduate Catalog.

Questions?

Contact the graduate program director Dr. Shane Aaron Catledge.