QUESTION: Why LSU Physics and Astronomy?
ANSWER: Because we are a top quality research University with a wide variety of fun programs in physics and astronomy. We have some of the best programs in the world for gravity research (both theory and experiment), quantum optics and quantum information, medical physics, and compact objects in astrophysics. We have great facilities with LIGO (for gravity wave detection), CAMD (a synchrotron light source for many applications in solid state physics), QueenBee (one of the larger supercomputers), and the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (for medical physics). Our faculty are major players in some of the most exciting groups around; including Auger (for the highest energy cosmic rays), Swift (the latest Gamma-Ray Burst satellite), and Super-Kamiokande (for neutrinos). The promise of these programs includes a likely Nobel Prize for LIGO and a median starting salary of $80,000/year for our medical masters graduates. All of this translates into great opportunities for you to work on a fun thesis that will place you in the front-line of science, and this will translate into a good job for you when you graduate from LSU.
QUESTION: When are applications due?
ANSWER: For admissions starting in August, the deadline for us to receive completed applications is 25 January of the same year. (For admissions starting in January, the deadline is 15 October of the previous year.) This deadline is a bit 'fuzzy' as we will actually accept applications up until 15 May, even though applications after 25 January will have a smaller chance of acceptance. What is going on is that we collect all the applications that come in by 25 January, rank them, and make a first round of offers. But it will be a while until people from our first round reply back to our offer. After we hear back, then we will make more offers as needed to fill up all available TA slots, and these offers will be made to people including those with later applications. So submit your application by 25 January to have the best chance of acceptance.
QUESTION: Do you offer graduate assistantships or other forms of financial support?
ANSWER: Yes, essentially all students accepted into our Department are offered financial support in the form of a graduate assistantship. (Some fraction of incoming students are offered scholarships in various forms which cover salary at similar levels but with no requirement of being a TA or RA.) The yearly salary varies somewhat depending on circumstances, but the average yearly salary was $19,000 in 2006 and $23,000 in 2007, and this includes a full tuition waiver. The graduate assistantships are
either in the form of a Teaching Assistantship (TA) or a Research Assistantship (RA). A TA will help in running undergraduate labs, grading, recitation sections and such. An RA will be doing research with some professor, generally doing their own research towards a PhD. Typically, incoming students start out as TAs until they pass their Qualifying Exam, whereupon they will join some research group or start working with a particular professor as an RA. In general, it is a good idea to get some experience as a TA, but to start the RA work on your thesis as soon as is reasonable.
QUESTION: Must I spend $25 for the application fee?
ANSWER: No. By mailing your application directly to our Department, you can avoid paying the application fee. The reason to recommend this is simply that the Department does not require the $25 application fee. [If you mail your application to the Graduate School, or use the on-line application form that goes to the Graduate School, they do require you to pay the $25 fee up front. The Graduate School then forwards your application to our department where we do the selection amongst the applicants. The reason we do this is that we are aware that many good students, especially in foreign countries, will have real hardship paying this amount. So if the Department wants to make you an offer of admission, then we will pay your application fee to the Graduate School for you.
QUESTION: Where should I send the completed application?
ANSWER: Send it directly to our Department. This mail address is "Graduate Admissions, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA".
QUESTION: What is needed for the application?
ANSWER: You must send in:
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Completed Application form.
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GRE scores (including Verbal and Quantitative).
You must arrange for the GRE and TOEFL scores to be sent directly to us by the testing agency. [Depending on the date you take the exams, we are willing to consider photocopies of official reports for initial consideration, but you must arrange for an official report before we can formally admit you.] We would like you to take and send in your scores on the GRE Physics exam, but this is not required, however such scores can greatly increase your odds of acceptance.
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TOEFL scores (if from foreign country and with no degree from English speaking college).
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Official transcript of all colleges attended.
We require the official transcripts from all your colleges before we can formally admit you, but for initial considerations we can work with photocopies of official forms.
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Three letters of recommendation from people who know your research and education experiences. The letters can be included in a signed and sealed envelope along with your application, or it can be emailed to us (to gradstudy@phys.lsu.edu), or it can be mailed directly to us ("Graduate Admissions, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA").
QUESTION: Must I submit the Immunization Form?
ANSWER: The Department of Physics and Astronomy does not want and does not consider the immunization form when selecting who to admit. Louisiana law does require a completed Certificate of Immunization filed before the end of your first year here. But getting and paying for a doctor can be a substantial burden for some, so most applicants wait until they arrive at LSU and have the Certificate filled out by the local health group.
QUESTION: Must I submit the Affadavit of Support?
ANSWER: No. The Department of Physics and Astronomy supports all the graduate students, so this form is irrelevant for our department. (The form was included in the Graduate School's application packet because some other departments need it.) Our department does not consider the Affadavit of Support in choosing who to admit. So don't send this in.
QUESTION: What are typical and minimum scores for admission?
ANSWER: For the GRE Verbal+Quantitative scores added together, our formal minimum is 1000. The 2006 incoming class had the lowest V+Q score being 1150 while the median V+Q score was 1300. The 2007 incoming class had the lowest V+Q score being 1360 while the median V+Q score was 1420. LSU imposes a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00, which corresponds to a B in the American grade system. GPA minima vary with country of the college as other places have different systems; so for example our limit corresponds to 60 in the Indian system and 80 in the Chinese system. The minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 600, which translates into 250 on the computerized version, and which is 100 on the iBT internet version. As always, we are looking at the whole application, so a low score at one place can be made up for with high scores or good research experience elsewhere.
QUESTION: What are we looking for when admitting students?
ANSWER: We are looking for evidence of skill and knowledge at research. In part, this will come from grades and test scores. But work in a research group, published papers, or independent research are strong positive factors. In your letters of recommendation, we are looking for evidence that you can think on your own, understand what research is all about, and can move past the book-learning of undergraduate education. We consider all the submitted material, and try to make some sort of overall evaluation. This means that if your application is somewhat poor in one respect then this can be made up for in other respects. Also, we have no bias against non-traditional students (i.e., those not applying directly out of a four-year undergraduate program), as often maturity and experience make for the best students.
QUESTION: Do I need to be a physics major in college to apply to the LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy?
ANSWER: Our graduate students come from a variety of backgrounds. However, all students must have a solid background in physics, including a year of calculus-based general physics, mechanics, E&M, modern physics and experimental lab.
QUESTION: When should I hear about my application?
ANSWER: This varies somewhat from year-to-year and when your application was submitted. For applications from before 25 January, you might hear back from us anytime from middle February to even as late as May. For later applications, you will likely hear from us sometime in April or May.
QUESTION: How many students do you accept each year?
ANSWER: This varies substantially for the PhD program. In 2005, we had 4 students starting in January and 17 students starting in August. In 2006, we had 1 student starting in January and 18 students starting in August. In 2007, we had 2 students starting in January and 6 students starting in August. For the Medical Masters program, we usually have five students starting each year, only in August.
QUESTION: What duties and time commitments are required for a Graduate Assistant?
ANSWER: Students are expected to work 20 hours per week for their assistantships. Teaching Assistants (TAs) may teach undergraduate physics labs, do grading and proctoring for the physics service courses, or work in the department's tutoring center. Research Assistants (RAs) work in the research lab of their major professor, generally pursuing study towards their own PhD thesis.
QUESTION: What is the 'University Code' for reporting GRE and TOEFL scores?
ANSWER: LSU's University Code is 6373 . For reporting GRE scores, our Department code is 0808. For reporting TOEFL scores, our department code is 76.
QUESTION: Whom should I contact if I have more questions?
ANSWER: This depends a bit on what your question is about. For questions on courses and such, contact Gabriela Gonzalez (225-578-0468 or gonzalez@lsu.edu). For questions on admissions issues and such, contact Brad Schaefer (225-578-0015 or schaefer@lsu.edu). For procedural questions or to get an admissions packet, contact Arnell Dangerfield (225-578-1193 or adanger@lsu.edu). For general queries, try gradstudy@phys.lsu.edu or the Department office at 225-578-2261. For questions on particular research programs, you can try looking at our Department web page for the "RESEARCH" tab on the left or you can contact any individual faculty from their information in the "PEOPLE" tab on the left in our main web page.
