What is graduate school?

And should I go there?

How is it different from undergraduate? Less courses (typically 3 for MSc, 5

more for PhD, varies by program) Primary focus is on research You get paid Small classes Self-directed Year-round

How will I pay for more school? $6000 per year tuition $22 000 per year stipend,

from 3 sources: $9500 per year teaching

assistantship (280 hours)$2500 Special University

Scholarship

$10000 Research Assistantship

Scholarships available:

NSERC Ontario Graduate Scholarship OGS Science & Technology Others in specific fields, for example

Materials and Manufacturing Ontario

How long will this take?

2 years or less for Masters 4 years or less for PhD from Masters 5 years for PhD without Masters

Should I stay at Western?

Excellent facilities & faculty You already know who’s who Excellent reputation

(= high value degree)

however Travel broadens the mind (but do

your homework first)

Are my marks high enough?

You need a minimum 70 average in your last 2 years of study to be admitted.

What do I gain by this?

Better job prospects through more specialized training

Personal satisfaction You can ‘test the waters’ by getting a

Masters degree with minimum risk Specialize in an area of science that

you especially like

What kind of research can I do?

Condensed matter/materials science/nanotechnology, experimental or theoretical

Astronomy/astrophysics Atmospheric and space physics Atomic and molecular physics Medical physics

Condensed Matter (Experimental)

ion beam modification of materials

photonic materials soft and disordered

condensed matter biomaterials semiconductor thin

films novel optoelectronic

materials defects in materials

Condensed Matter Theory

M.G. Cottam M.R. Singh M. Mueser (AM) C. Denniston (AM)

Theoretical studies and numerical simulations are being made of the quantum properties of solids, both as bulk materials and as constituents of artificially-structured (or engineered) materials.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

S. Basu D.F. Gray M. Houde J.D. Landstreet J.M. Marlborough J.M. Moorhead T.A.A. Sigut P. Wiegert

Understanding our Origins

Atmospheric and Space Physics

experimental and theoretical investigations from the surface to the edge of space

Brown, Campbell-Brown, Hocking, Jones, Moorcroft, Sica

                                             

Atomic & Molecular Physics,Laboratory Astrophysics

The study of transitions between discrete atomic and molecular states

R.A. Holt S.D. Rosner

Medical Physics, Biomaterials

B.A. Chronik S.P. Goldman T. Poepping

• Cottam, Hutter, Simpson, Zinke-Allmang

• Adjunct faculty from LRCC, St. Joseph’s, Robarts, LHSC

• Medical imaging, radiation therapies, medical implant materials

Some fine things about graduate school Can be interdisciplinary Specialize in theory or experiment Travel to conferences Publish your work Gain access to exciting areas of

employment via unique qualifications(we are not training professors)

Work independently The supervisor-student relationship