PhD in Physics and Astronomy
Our PhD program in Physics and Astronomy trains graduate students at the highest level to conduct research in forefront areas, including Astronomy and Cosmology, Biological Physics, AMO/Condensed Matter Physics, High Energy Physics, and Quantum Information Science. During the course of the graduate program, core graduate courses are taken during the first 3 semesters, followed by a minimum of 4 elective classes. Students in this program are expected to join a research group during their first year, pass a screening examination during their first two years, and pass a PhD qualifying exam during their first three years.
Those areas include experimental science, computation, and pure theory. Our research laboratories include lasers, optical measurement systems, low temperature facilities, cluster and atomic beam equipment, materials growth and characterization, biomaterials handling, and one of the fastest supercomputers in the world. In addition to the individual laboratories of faculty, graduate students gain access to the world-class research facilities of USC, which include: The Center for Electron Microscopy and MicroAnalysis (CEMMA); Molecular Imaging Center; Keck Photonics Center; Chemistry Instrumentation Facility; NanoBioPhysics Core Facility; Cell and Tissue Imaging Facility; Proteomics Core Facility; the D-Wave experimental quantum computer, and the High Performance Computing Center.
Here are some of the research groups of note currently taking PhD students:
Astrophysics and Cosmology
Biological Physics
AMO/Condensed Matter Physics
High Energy Physics
Quantum Information Science