The Physics MSc degree is generally intended to provide preparatory background prior to the commencement of PhD-level research. The expected time to completion is 12 months (i.e., three terms). MSc requirements can be met via two pathways:

• Option I. Six half-courses (3.0FCE) and a MSc Report (Option I) that is 6,000 words or less. Students enroll in six graduate lecture courses, the 60x1Y-series research course appropriate to their field of specialization, and the ‘Report’ course PHY3400Y (‘Selected Topics in Physics’). The supervisor provides the grade for the 60x1Y-series research course. The grade for PHY3400Y is provided by an independent faculty assessor assigned by the department on the basis of the written Option I MSc Report. These courses are described further here. Option I students need to identify a supervisor by January 7.
• Option II. Four half-courses and an MSc Research Report (Option II). that is 12,000 words or less. Students enroll in four half-courses (2.0FCE), the Report course PHY3400Y (‘Selected Topics in Physics’), the 60x1Y-series research course appropriate to their field of specialization, and the appropriate 700xY-series seminar course. The supervisor provides the grade for the 60x1Y-series research course. Grades for PHY3400Y and the PHY700xY seminar course are provided by two independent faculty assessors assigned by the department, after conducting a MSc Oral Examination on the Research project. These courses are described further here. Option II students need to identify a supervisor by the first week of October and will be expected to prepare a 1-page progress report (signed by supervisor and student) by the end of January, unless they take three graduate lecture courses in their Fall term. In the latter case, the supervisor needs to be identified by the end of the Fall term and the 1-page progress report is due by April 15.

These two options involve equivalent amounts of work by the end of the year, since the PHY700xY course taken in Option II is 1.0 FCE, just like the additional two classes for the Option I. All requirements, including examination and grading, must be completed within three terms (12 months) of initial registration, in order that the full assessment of the MSc work be complete in time for PhD registration and enrolment. In order to continue into the PhD program, students must obtain at least a B+ average in their MSc year (GPA calculations are described here) and have a willing faculty supervisor.

Starting in 2023, we offer an International Master's program in Quantum Science and Technology as part of a four-university consortium!

The University of Toronto participates in the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) program of the QUAntum Research Master Education Network (QUARMEN). This three-degree program provides a pathway for students to complete MSc degrees at UofT as well as at the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" (Italy), and either Universidade do Porto (Portugal) or the Université Paris-Saclay (France). At the UofT, students complete the "MSc Option 2", which includes an MSc project and report.

Each QUARMEN cohort is a group of roughly 20 students. In the Fall session of Year 1, students begin together in the Laurea Magistrale in Fisica at Sapienza Università di Roma. In the Winter and Summer sessions of Year 1, students register in the Master de Physique at Université Paris-Saclay or in the Physics MSc program at Universidade do Porto. In Year 2, students attend all three sessions (Fall, Winter, Summer) at UofT. Upon successful completion of the degree program, students will receive three parchments, from each of the universities attended in the two-year program.

For more information, please program description on the Physics Academic Calendar of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS).

To apply, please visit the QUARMEN homepage (the annual deadline is around February 25 - please check the QUARMEN homepage for the precise date).

Candidates for the PhD degree are normally admitted by the Admissions Committee after satisfactory completion of the MSc degree or its equivalent elsewhere. Candidates who do not complete the MSc within three terms will normally not be admitted to the PhD program.

Outstanding candidates may be offered direct entry into the PhD program from their undergraduate studies. In their first year of graduate studies, direct-entry PhD students are required to pass a minimum of two full graduate lecture courses, enroll in the 6000-series research course appropriate to their field of specialization (with the grade given by their supervisor at the end of the summer), and submit a brief progress report at the end of the summer (which will not be graded) to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. The time by which students must choose a supervisor depends on their lecture course load, consistently with the requirements for MSc students. In order to continue in the PhD program beyond the first year, direct-entry students must obtain at least a B+ average (GPA calculations are described here) and have a willing faculty supervisor.

The key requirement of the PhD degree is the presentation and acceptance of a PhD thesis describing an original and significant research contribution made to a field of physics by the candidate. A subsidiary requirement is the satisfactory completion of three full approved graduate lecture courses approved by the supervisor and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. Credit will be given for all graduate lecture courses completed in the MSc in this Department. Candidates with a relevant M.Sc. from elsewhere will receive credit for a maximum of two (full) lecture courses.

At the time of initial enrolment in the PhD program, the candidate must be associated with a qualified supervisor who will provide academic and financial support. In addition, two other Faculty members must be named to constitute, with the supervisor, the candidate's supervisory committee. In the case of direct-entry PhD, the timing of supervisor identification is as discussed above, and the supervisory committee must be identified at the beginning of the second year of graduate studies.

Graduate students are able to participate in collaborative specializations offered by affiliation with other units. Currently, there are two programs listed in the SGS Calendar:

• Environmental Studies. Offered through the School of the Environment, The Collaborative Specialization in Environmental Studies (CSES) provides interested students an opportunity to examine environmental-related issues from different disciplinary perspectives and gain insights about the importance of understanding and applying interdisciplinary approaches and methodological concepts and tools in environmental decision making. For the MSc, this entails (1) including ENV 1001H in your lecture courses; (2) choosing a PHY6000-series research course with an environment-related content; and (3) writing a research paper via PHY3400Y on an appropriate topic. Upon successful completion of the degree requirements of the participating home graduate unit and the CSES, the notation “Completed Collaborative Specialization in Environmental Studies” will appear on your transcript. For more information, see the Physics-specific description on this page.
• Biomedical Engineering. Students must pursue research under a supervisor or co-supervisor with an appointment to BME. For more details, see the program description and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME).

The Department of Physics is also a participant in the Master of Science in Applied Computing (MScAC) concentration in Quantum Computing. Of the 2.0FCE course requirement for the MScAC in QC, 1.0FCE must be from the offerings of the Department of Physics.

All PhD candidates must pass the PhD Oral Qualifying Examination at the end of Year 1 (or Year 2 for direct-entry PhD). This is described in more detail here.

During subsequent years, the supervisory committee must meet with the student at least once a year to assess the student's progress in the program, and to provide advice on future work. This should normally occur sometime in the Fall term. The committee submits a report detailing its observations of the student's progress and its recommendations; the student may append a response if desired. Copies of the report are given to the student and filed with the Department. At least one week prior to the meeting, the student should give an outline of their thesis problem and progress made to date to the supervisor and the two other committee members; the outline is often brief, sometimes as short as one page, but should be more detailed if desired by either the committee or the student. If progress is deemed to be unsatisfactory then the committee will request another meeting within a specified time period, typically within a few months.

At the completion of the PhD degree the candidate will normally present a thesis with the consent of their supervisor and supervisory committee. This PhD thesis will be examined first by a Departmental PhD Oral Examination and, if successful, by a PhD Final Oral Examination of the School of Graduate Studies.

It is expected that the PhD degree will be completed within four years (twelve terms) of full-time postgraduate study (five years, or fifteen terms, for direct-entry PhD). Financial support is not guaranteed beyond this time, although continuing financial support is available to students in good standing.

Typically the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies will meet near the start of each academic year with students who have not completed their PhD program within the funded cohort years, to discuss the student's plan for finishing the program as well as a schedule for future meetings of the supervisory committee. The Department's main concern at this point is to ensure that any problem which has occurred can be resolved quickly and that the student be treated in as fair and reasonable a manner as possible.