The University of Missouri offers exceptional academic opportunities for graduate study in physics and astronomy. The department allows close contact between faculty and students in a friendly environment, while providing outstanding research facilities both on and off campus and various means of financial aid for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Classes are generally small and provide ample opportunity for informal contact between students and faculty. The faculty have a strong commitment to teaching as well as research. There is a deep concern for preparing students for existing jobs in physics and related disciplines.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers many opportunities for scientific research in internationally recognized programs, some of which are unique at a university and at a level expected only in much larger departments. The main focus of research is in the areas of theoretical and experimental condensed matter physics, biological physics, astrophysics, and alternative energy. These research efforts are fostered by the existence of the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), a 10 MW light-water moderated reactor that is the highest-power university research reactor in the country. Furthermore, many research activities involve facilities at National Laboratories such as Argonne, Oak Ridge, or NIST.
Recently, the department received a 5-year grant from the NSF IGERT program which offers a new paradigm for interdisciplinary training of PhD students in the application of neutron scattering techniques to condensed matter science and engineering. Annual stipends are $30,000 plus tuition and fees, over a period of 2 years. For further information and application procedure, please see igert.missouri.edu.