The department offers two Masters degree programs, which typically take 4-6 quarters to complete. Plan I requires 32 quarter hours of graduate coursework and a Masters thesis. Plan II requires 36 quarter hours of graduate coursework and passing an oral comprehensive exam. There is no foreign language requirement.
The bulk of the coursework for both plans consists of the core classes required of Ph.D. students: classical physics (200ABC), quantum physics (215AB), and statistical mechanics (219A). Plan I requires 8 additional units, and Plan II requires 12. Substitutions may be approved on an individual basis and may include a limited number of units of upper division undergraduate courses.
There are two options for the comprehensive exam. One is the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam. Alternatively, students can take a two-hour oral exam covering the material from the core graduate classes. The test is administered by three faculty members who are current or recent instructors of the core classes.
The department usually does not guarantee funding for Masters students. In most cases, students who wish to continue for a Ph.D. at UC Davis should apply directly to the Ph.D. Program.
Filing for a Masters Degree
You're eligible to file for a Masters Degree if: you've completed the first-year grad classes or had them waived; you've completed at least 36 units of 200-level classes; you don't have a Masters degree in physics from another university; and you have written a Masters thesis, passed the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam, or passed the Masters oral exam. You might be eligible even if you don't meet all those requirements, but you should ask the Vice Chair-Graduate Affairs individually.
If you're continuing in the Ph.D. program, a Masters is not a necessity. In principle it might be useful if something came up and you needed to leave the Ph.D. program so abruptly that you didn't have time to file for the degree.
To get the Masters degree, you need to file two forms available in Gradsphere: Advancement to Candidacy (fill it out for the Masters, even if you have already advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D.), and Filing Process. If you are doing a Masters Plan II, by passing the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam or the Masters oral exam, also fill out the MFA or Masters Plan II Report in Gradsphere. If you are doing a Masters Plan I, with a written thesis, upload the thesis to ProQuest ETD and then follow the instructions you will receive on uploading the thesis title page and abstract to Gradsphere.
When you fill out the list of classes on the Advancement to Candidacy form, include the core courses and any additional advanced classes needed to reach 36 units. You can include units from any 200-level classes, including colloquium or research units, but do not list any 300-level classes. Most students will not have any trouble meeting the units requirement.