Graduate Admission Requirements

Admissions Procedure

The graduate school application is now on-line UNLV Graduate College. Applications, fees, supporting documents, and assistantship applications are all submitted on-line to the Graduate College.

The following supporting documents are required to complete the application:

1. Official transcripts.
2. A cover letter.

You may contact the department at: grad-info@physics.unlv.edu for further assistance.

International students should check with the Graduate College for current deadlines and procedures. International students are required by the Graduate College to complete the TOEFL exam with a score of 550 or higher, or to show comparable evidence of competence in English.

Admission into the MS Program in Physics

1. Applicants with a BS degree in physics must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a 3.00 GPA for the last two years of undergraduate work.
2. Applicants with a BS degree in a related field must have completed 18 semester credits of upper-division undergraduate physics with a minimum GPA of 3.00 in all upper-division physics.

Admission into the PhD Program in Physics

1. Applicants with a bachelor's degree in physics must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 for all undergraduate work or a 3.25 GPS for the last two years of undergraduate work, and a minimum of 18 credits of upper-division physics.
2. Applicants with a master's degree in physics must have at least 15 credit hours of graduate-level course work in physics with a grade of B or better and a 3.25 GPA in the master's program.

Admission into the MS Program in Astronomy

1. Applicants must have a BS degree in Physics, Astronomy or other related area.
2. Applicants must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a minimum 3.00 GPA for the last to years of undergraduate work.
3. Applicants must have completed 18 semester credits of upper-division physics with a minimum GPA of 2.75 in all upper-division physics.

Admission into the PhD Program in Astronomy

1. Applicants must have a BS degree or a Masters degree in Physics, Astronomy or related area.
2. Applicants must have completed 18 semester credits of upper-division physics.
3. Applicants seeking direct admission to the doctoral program without a previous earned Master of Science degree must have minimum GPA of 3.00 for all undergraduate work or an overall 3.25 GPA for the last two years of undergraduate work.
4. Applicants with a Master's degree must have an overall 3.00 GPA in their Master's program and at least 15 credit hours of graduate-level course work in physics or astronomy with a grade of B or better.

All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.