Accelerated Master's Program

Accelerated Master's Program

The Accelerated Master's program enables students to obtain both their BS degree in Applied Physics and their MS degree in Engineering Physics in 5 years.  

You can apply for the Engineering Physics accelerated Master's program once you reach the second semester of your junior year at App State (>89 credit hours) with a GPA of 3.2 or higher. If admitted, the GRE requirement is waived for entry into graduate school.

While in the accelerated Master's program, you take 12 hours of coursework in the Engineering Physics Curriculum as an undergraduate. Once you complete your BS degree requirements and are formally accepted into the Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies, these 12 hours apply to your MS degree in Engineering Physics. The MS degree program (non-thesis) requires 36 total hours of coursework. 

The cost of the Accelerated Master's program is the same as the standard BS degree PLUS 1 year of MS degree costs. Financial aid is unaffected. Once accepted into the MS program, students are eligible for graduate level scholarships, fellowships, internships, and teaching and research assistantships.

Example Program of Study

Full-time status in graduate programs is 9-12 credit hours per semester. 


Fourth Year 

FallSpring
(4) PHY 5330: Digital Electronics(4) PHY 5735: Microcontrollers
(4) PHY 5730: Analog SystemsOptional: (4) PHY 5740: Sensors and Transducers**
Other courses required for BS degreeOther courses required for BS degree
Total: 8 credit hours toward MSTotal: 4 credit hours toward MS

*Acceptance into the Graduate School occurs upon BS graduation.

** We recommend that the student also take (4) PHY 5740: Sensors and Transducers to fulfill Undergraduate BS degree requirements since this course is a pre-requisite to (4) PHY 5435: Laboratory Automation

 

Interstitial Summer Session

(3) PHY 5900: Internship or (3) PHY 5500: Directed Research 
Total: 3 credit hours in MS program 

Fifth Year

FallSpring
(0) PHY 5011: Colloquium (0) PHY 5011: Colloquium 
(1) PHY 5400: Professional Skills(1) PHY 5405: Graduate Seiminar 
(4) PHY 5450: PLCs(4) PHY 5740: Sensors and Transducers OR (4) PHY 5435: Laboratory Automation**  
(4) PHY 5620: Optics(4) PHY 5635: LabVIEW Interfacing and Robotics
(3) PHY 5020: Computational Physics 
Total: 12 credit hours in MS programTotal: 9 credit hours in MS program

Go to the Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies accelerated Master's website for application requirements, deadlines, and to apply (click "Apply Now" in the Application Availability and Deadline Information section). You should meet with the Engineering Physics Graduate Program director, Dr. Michael Briley (brileymm@appstate.edu), prior to submitting your application.