IU/USPAS Master's Degree Details

Master of Science Degree in
Beam Physics and Technology

Indiana University and the U.S. Particle Accelerator School

The U.S. Particle Accelerator School together with Indiana University offer an opportunity to earn a Master of Science Degree in Beam Physics and Technology. Students may earn credit toward the Indiana University diploma at USPAS/university-sponsored courses. Participants take their USPAS course for Indiana University credit instead of the host university credit. Some students may complete this degree program within 3 years. The maximum completion time to accrue the required 30 credit hours and defend their thesis project is strictly limited to 5 years. At this time, we are unable to accept international students into the IU/USPAS Master's Degree Program. The following information will outline this program in more detail. If you have questions, feel free to contact the USPAS Office (uspas@fnal.gov, phone 630-840-3896).

Course Requirements

Award of a Master of Science Degree requires 30 hours of credit with a grade point average of B or above; a maximum of 8 credit hours may be transferred; some credits earned at previous USPAS courses may be eligible for transfer. All courses require a minimum of B- to earn credit. Note that the requirement for both graduate-level Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism courses can be fulfilled by taking one 2-week USPAS course on Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism in Accelerator Physics (3 credit hours). All graduate-level USPAS credit courses are applicable for course credit towards the Master of Science degree. Past USPAS courses given and how they fit into the category designations below are listed in Course Categories. Students may transfer up to 8 credits from prior USPAS classes that they may have taken within 5 years of their MS degree program enrollment date.

3-6 credit hours: Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism
Classical Mechanics (3 credit hours) with a grade of B or above and Electromagnetism (3 credit hours) with a grade of B or above [each transferred in from a previous university] or
IU/USPAS P570 Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism in Accelerator Physics (3 credit hours)

3 credit hours: Introductory Accelerator Physics
IU/USPAS P570 Accelerator Physics course at the graduate level (3 credit hours)

15 credit hours: Special Topics and Advanced Topics in Accelerators
IU/USPAS P571 series courses on Special Topics in Physics of Beams, and/or
IU/USPAS P671 series courses on Advanced Topics in Accelerator Physics

3-9 credit hours: Thesis
IU/USPAS P802 Master's Thesis (3 credit hours). Can be taken up to 3 times while carring out thesis research and for thesis composition.

MS Thesis

Students complete and defend a written MS thesis for formal submission to the IU Physics Department and defend their thesis to an evaluation committee. Students defend in-person at IU with their thesis advisor present. In special circumstances, a written final exam can be substituted. Students enroll for 3 - 9 credit hours of P802 Master's Thesis which count toward their 30 credit hour requirement. Most students in this program find that they are able to structure a MS thesis project within accelerator-linked jobs they are in concurrently with the program. When needed, the USPAS and IU will try to help facilitate student projects, but cannot guarantee that specific student interests and work situations can be accommodated. Thesis format requirements can be found in this link https://uspas.fnal.gov/programs/masters-degree/masters-thesis.shtml and example IU/USPAS MS theses can be found at this link https://uspas.fnal.gov/programs/masters-degree/masters-graduates.shtml

Fees/Financial Assistance

Participants in the Master's Degree Program qualify for USPAS financial assistance for USPAS session classes. This financial assistance generally covers housing, the USPAS Registration Fee and 2 meals per day. Travel is not included nor are the fees to Indiana University included. Students are responsible for the $70.00 IU application fee (payable by credit card to Indiana University) which must accompany your IU application. If accepted into the program, you will also be required to pay the $150.00 per credit hour fee to Indiana University.

Application

To apply for this program please complete an IU Online Admissions Application. Send a copy of your undergraduate transcripts and provide three letters of recommendation. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores are strongly recommended. It is very important that you indicate in the "statement of purpose" and in the "student comments section" that the distance M.S. in Beam Physics is desired. Spring applications are due by November 1 (to begin earning credit at winter USPAS sessions) and summer applications are due by March 31 (to begin earning credit at summer USPAS sessions).

Thesis Advisors

Students are encouraged to find a qualified advisor at their home institution. If an advisor is not available please contact the USPAS.

Deadline

Spring applications are due by November 1 (to begin earning credit at winter USPAS sessions) and summer applications are due by March 31 (to begin earning credit at summer USPAS sessions).