News 2014: UMass Dartmouth named top producer in United States of master's degrees in Physics

UMass Dartmouth recognized by American Physical Society for number of master physics degrees granted

UMass Dartmouth's Physics Department was recognized for the number of master's degrees granted in the United States by the American Physical Society (APS). UMass Dartmouth was ranked 14th nationwide, out of 62 similarly-ranked physics programs nationwide.

"This is absolutely fantastic news -- for the SouthCoast, for the University, and for our department. This achievement is particularly remarkable because UMass Dartmouth maintains a small and intimate learning and research environment compared to the other universities on the list," said Associate Professor Robert Fisher, who serves as the Physics Department's Graduate Program Director.

UMass Dartmouth recently launched UMassDTransform2020, the University's new strategic plan with a vision to be a globally recognized premier research university committed to inclusion, access, advancement of knowledge, student success, and community enrichment. UMassDTransform2020 charts the course of UMass Dartmouth's future with a goal toward vigorously contributing to the advancement of knowledge through the development of innovative and high-impact research and academic programs that are integrative, interdisciplinary, and promote critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.

"Strong MS programs are critical for the success of campus doctoral programs that are a priority for the University," said Graduate Program Director of UMass Dartmouth's Engineering & Applied Sciences Ph.D. program Professor Gaurav Khanna. "Currently, several of the successful students in the Engineering & Applied Sciences Ph.D. program happen to be students that were recruited from the university's own BS and MS programs."

UMass Dartmouth's Physics Department was one of the first on the campus to award graduate degrees. Traditionally a local research institution for nuclear and particle physics, the department has in recent years broadened to include cutting-edge big data computational physics research, as well as atomic, molecular, and optical physics, and even the physics of traffic flows. It awards several teaching and research assistantships each year, including a tuition waiver, on a competitive basis for qualified applicants.

The American Physical Society is a non-profit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy and international activities. APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories and industry in the United States and throughout the world.

UMass Dartmouth distinguishes itself as a vibrant, public research university dedicated to engaged learning and innovative research resulting in personal and lifelong student success. The University serves as an intellectual catalyst for economic, social, and cultural transformation on a global, national, and regional scale.