School of Arts and Sciences
Department of Physics and Astronomy

Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program: BS/MS in Astrophysics

The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers exceptional Tufts undergraduate Physics and Astronomy majors the option of earning a Fifth-Year Master’s Degree: BS/MS in Astrophysics. This program allows students to finish the undergraduate degree and the master's degree in five years.

Graduates of the Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program receive both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Tufts, and each degree is awarded upon completion of requirements for each portion. Students will graduate with an undergraduate degree with their undergraduate class, and graduate with a master's degree with their master’s cohort, after the graduate requirements are met.

Students seeking admission to the program in Physics and Astronomy should consult their undergraduate major advisers and also the Director of Graduate Studies before applying to the graduate school.

Program Requirements and Policies

Graduates of the Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Program must complete all requirements for both the BS in Astrophysics and the Master's-Level requirements of the Fifth-Year Program listed below.

  • Graduates of the Fifth-Year Master’s Degree in Astrophysics must complete 28 graduate credits (8 three-credit courses and two seminar courses of two credits each), of which six courses must be:
    • PHY 131 - Advanced Classical Mechanics
    • PHY 145 - Classical Electromagnetic Theory I
    • PHY 163 - Quantum Theory I
    • PHY 0153 - Statistical Mechanics
    • AST 121: Galactic Astronomy
    • AST 122: Extragalactic Astronomy
  • Tufts undergraduate students have the option of double-counting up to two graduate-level courses (100-level or higher) toward both their Bachelor's and Master's degree requirements.
  • One of the 3-credit elective courses must be one of: 
    • PHY 146: Classical Electromagnetic Theory II
    • PHY 164: Quantum Theory II
    • A course in radioactive processes in astrophysics (may be taken at another institution)
  • The remaining elective courses may be from any of the Elective Courses lists below.
  • Graduate-level elective courses and substitutions must be approved by the student’s advisory committee. 

  • Learn more about the Fifth-Year Master's Program.

    Elective Courses

    Physics Elective Courses – available at both graduate and undergraduate level

  • PHY 0103 Graduate Teaching Seminar
  • PHY 0107 Astronomy and Physics Seminar
  • PHY 0108 Astronomy and Physics Seminar
  • PHY 0115 Optics and Wave Motion
  • PHY 0118 Computational Physics
  • PHY 0153 - Statistical Mechanics
  • PHY 0167 General Relativity
  • PHY 0173 Introduction to Solid-state Physics I
  • PHY 0174 Introduction to Solid-state Physics II
  • PHY 0183 Particle Physics I
  • PHY 0184 Particle Physics II
  • PHY 0191 Physics Seminar
  • PHY 0192 Physics Seminar
  • PHY 0193 Selected Topics
  • PHY 0194 Selected Topics
  • PHY 0196 Special Topics: Study Abroad

  • PHY 0197 Special Topics: Study Abroad

    Physics Elective Courses – graduate level only

  • PHY 0263 Advanced Quantum Mechanics
  • PHY 0264 Quantum Theory Of Fields
  • PHY 0268 Cosmology
  • PHY 0283 - Special Topics In Theoretical Physics
  • PHY 0284 Special Topics In Theoretical Physics
  • PHY 0291 Graduate Seminar
  • PHY 0292 Graduate Seminar
  • PHY 0293 Special Topics
  • PHY 0294 Special Topics
  • PHY 0295 Thesis
  • PHY 0296 Thesis
  • AST 0111 New Frontiers in Astrophysics
  • AST 0112 New Frontiers in Astrophysics
  • AST 0151 Astrophysics Laboratory
  • AST 0161 Exoplanets and Their Orbits
  • AST 0191 Special Topics
  • AST 0192 Special Studies
  • AST 0193 Topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • AST 0194 Topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Note: Upon approval of a student graduate committee, and of the host department, an elective course can be taken in the department of a related field of research.

Admissions

Students must apply for this program before they complete their undergraduate studies, typically in their junior year. The deadline to apply is December 15 for seniors and March 15 for juniors. Therefore, students interested in the program should contact their advisers early in their academic career to facilitate program planning. A student may elect to withdraw from the program at any time by filing the appropriate petition.

Seniors or recent undergraduate alumni who have graduated within the past three years are also eligible for the Return to Tufts Program, which simplifies the application process for master's programs. Admitted applicants are also eligible for tuition scholarships.

Student Resources

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