PhD Physics at Arizona State University

Programme overview

If you have the interest in a career in independent research, the Doctor of Philosophy program in physics is for you.

Faculty: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | Department: Department of Physics | Duration: 84 credit hours | Study mode: full-time | Location: Tempe, AZ, United States

What you will study

84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation Required Core (18 credit hours) PHY 500 Research Methods (6) PHY 521 Classical and Continuum Mechanics (3) PHY 531 Electrodynamics (3) PHY 541 Statistical Physics (3) PHY 576 Quantum Theory (3) Electives or Research (54 credit hours) Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) PHY 799 Dissertation (12) Additional Curriculum Information Of particular note within the core courses are the PHY 500 Research Methods rotations, which are specifically designed to engage doctoral students in genuine, faculty-guided research starting in their first semester.

Career pathways

As professional physicists, graduates can advance the frontiers of physics by generating new knowledge in their subfields while working on the most challenging scientific problems at the forefront of human understanding. Graduates find positions in a variety of settings, such as administration, government labs, industrial labs and management, and as academic faculty.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in physics or a closely related area from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants must have had adequate undergraduate preparation equivalent to an undergraduate major of 30 credit hours in physics and 20 credit hours in mathematics. Courses in analytic mechanics, electromagnetism and modern physics, including quantum mechanics, are particularly important. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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