Master of Science in Physics (MSc)

A Research-Focused MSc in Physics at Bishop’s University

The Master of Science in Physics is designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of physics while gaining comprehensive exposure to research methodology. Through thesis-based graduate study, students build the skills needed to become independent researchers.

Research is being carried out in areas such as astrophysics, gravitation and cosmology, and theoretical physics:

• Astrophysics (Stellar and Binary Evolution, Exoplanets, Multi-Messenger Astrophysics)
• Gravitation & Cosmology (Modified Gravity, Gravitational and Cosmological Theory, Black Holes)
• Theoretical Physics (Quantum Field Theory, Solitons/Instantons, Gravity, Particle Physics)

MSc in Physics at a Glance

• Degree: Master of Science in Physics (MSc)
• Format: Thesis-based graduate program
• Minimum credits: 45 credits
• Research areas: Astrophysics, gravitation and cosmology, and theoretical physics
• Key components: Thesis research, graduate seminars, and 500-level lecture courses
• Application timing: Students are encouraged to apply before May 1 for fullest consideration for September registration

Admission Requirements for the MSc in Physics

The program is open to graduates of any university of recognized standing who have obtained at least a Bachelor’s degree with honours with a Class II standing (GPA of 3/4 or its equivalent). An applicant who has followed a combined program (e.g., majors in math and physics), must have obtained at least a Class II standing in their physics courses. Applicants who do not satisfy these requirements may, with the permission of the University, be admitted to a qualifying year to bring their standing up to that of an honours degree. Alternatively, the department may require students to do additional courses to those that are considered mandatory to meet the minimum requirements. Even if MSc applicants meet the minimum requirements, the department is not obligated to accept applicants based on the availability of supervisors, financial considerations, ability to offer the necessary courses, or the ranking of more qualified candidates.

Program Requirements for the MSc in Physics

Degree Regulations

1. Apart from any qualifying year, the minimum period of residence for the degree shall be one academic year of full-time study including research, or its equivalent in part-time study. This requirement must be met regardless of the amount of graduate work previously completed in any other program or at any other university.
2. The maximum time allowed for the fulfilment of the MSc requirements shall be four consecutive years, excluding any qualifying years, in the case of full-time students. The thesis of a full time MSc student must be submitted through the supervisor and the department for transmission to the internal and external examiners by the end of the third year.
3. The candidate will be assigned, by the chairperson, to a supervisor who shall be a faculty member of the physics department and who will be responsible for advising the candidate and directing his/her thesis research.
4. The thesis shall be read by two examiners other than the supervisor, one of whom shall be an external examiner who is a specialist in the candidate’s field of interest. The examiners shall be selected by the supervisor in conjunction with the physics department. A thesis will be accepted only following its approval by both examiners. A thesis may be returned to the candidate for revision on the advice of one or both examiners, and subsequently re-examined.
5. Candidates will be required to defend their thesis through an oral examination by examiners selected by the department. Students must pass the oral examination in order to fulfill the requirements of the degree.

MSc Physics Courses

The MSc degree requires the successful defense of a thesis (Physics 600; 15 credits), participation in the seminar series (Physics 580 & 581; 18 credits), and the completion of a minimum of 12 credits (4 courses) from lecture courses offered at the 500-level. Additional courses may be required of the student depending on his/her background. Course selection is determined in consultation with the thesis supervisor and departmental chair. Students must register in the thesis course (Physics 600) for each year that they are enrolled in the program. The minimum number of credits required to complete the MSc degree is 45. The following is a list of courses that can be offered:

• Quantum Mechanics I (PHY561)
• Quantum Mechanics II (PHY562)
• Electromagnetic Theory (PHY565)
• Theoretical Topics (PHY566)
• Statistical Mechanics (PHY567)
• Advanced Quantum Theory (PHY571)
• Particle Physics (PHY572)
• Advanced General Relativity (PHY573)
• Cosmology (PHY574)
• Stellar Astrophysics I (PHY576)
• Selected Topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics (PHY578)
• Selected Theoretical Topics (PHY579)
• Statistics and Machine Learning for Physics (PHY588)
• Graduate Seminar I (PHY580)
• Graduate Seminar II (PHY581)
• Stellar Astrophysics II (PHY586)
• Thesis Research Dissertation (PHY600)

Minimum Total: 45 course credits: PHY600 (15 credits); PHY580 & 581 (18 credits); 4 lecture courses (12 credits) = 45 course credits. A detailed listing of course content can be found here.

Financial Support for MSc Physics Students

Full-time students are eligible for financial support in the form of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and/or a full tuition scholarship. These are awarded on a competitive basis in conjunction with advice from the chair of physics. In addition, graduate students may be supported by international exchange scholarships and research grants awarded to individual supervisors. The department strives to ensure that the minimum support paid to graduate students will be approximately $20,000 per year. Amounts smaller than this are possible and are decided on a case-by-case basis. If students hold NSERC PGS A awards or other major scholarships, the total remuneration could be in excess of $30,000 per year.

Cost of Living for Graduate Students:

The cost of living for students enrolled full-time in Bishop’s is quite modest by Canadian standards. For example, the cost of housing is less than $10,000 per year (and can be as low as $5000 for shared accommodation). The cost of tuition for Quebec residents is about $104 per credit (an average of $2700 per year). Students from outside Quebec and International Students must pay more (See the Fees section of the Academic Calendar). Student fees (approximately $1800 per year) must also be paid. The basic cost of food, clothing, and transportation are moderate (about $6000 per year).

Financial support in the form of governmental loans and bursaries is also available, as well as Graduate Research Scholarships.

How to Apply to the MSc in Physics

Potential students can initiate a pre-admissions process by completing this form and following the instructions at the bottom of the form. The formal part of the application process (a fee is required) can be initiated once the applicant has been contacted by the Chair of the physics department. The formal online registration process is available here. Please note that there is no formal deadline for applications, but to receive the fullest consideration for registration in September, we encourage students to apply before May 1st.

Recent Master’s Theses

Michael Matesic, Bayesian Assessment of Kepler’s Candidate Exoplanets with Gaussian Processes and Nested Sampling.

Patrick Horlaville, Predicting the Host Galaxies of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries from their Stellar Kinematic Signatures.

Élodie Lescure, From Cosmic Collisions to Ancient Stars: A Comparative Analysis of r-Process Abundances in GW170817 and Metal-Poor Halo Stars.

Nicolas Fleury, On spin-1/2 particles in curved spacetime.

Samuel Gagnon-Hartman, Debiasing Standard Siren Inference of the Hubble Constant.

Daniel Dijamco, A Study of Black Hole Thermodynamics.

Yann Audin, Modification of Landau levels with a parallel linear electric field.

Adriana M. Cardini, An analysis of spherical solutions of the field equations of Einstein and of Brans-Dicke gravity.

Abdelbassit Senhadji, A new channel for the formation and evolution of sub- dwarf stars.

Alexandre Simoneau, Hyperspectral modelling of the night sky brightness in urban and rural environments.

Marianne Lapierre-Léonard, Cosmological applications of the Hawking- Hayward quasi-local mass.