dartmouth physics phd acceptance rate

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Getting into physics grad school

• Thread starter Vanadium 50
• Start date Jan 12, 2009
• Tags Grad Grad school Physics School
• Jan 12, 2009

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Vanadium 50 said: The ratio X/Y is known as the yield ratio, and departments keep historical records of this, so they know pretty much how many people to admit. They get Z applications, and typically Z >> Y: perhaps 10 or 20 times larger, although of course it varies.

j93 said: I hate to nitpick but no school has a 5% acceptance rate Harvard 12% Berkeley 16% from GradSchoolShopper

Dr Transport said: The best resource is the American Institute of Physics, they publish a catalog of grad schools, the faculty listing etc...right down to applications received, accepted, number of degrees granted over the past X years... If memory serves me correctly, and I could be wrong, but I remember seeing that Rochester accepted single digit percentages (they basically say, if we accept you you will get a PhD) and I'd rank them with Berkely, Stanford, Cornell and some of the other big name schools.

j93 said: gradschoolshopper is a site that just links to that aip data. Any data that I have seen that claims a single digit rate is suspect. For example, USC claims they accept 13 out 190 but have 78 grad students. Rochester seems to claim they accept 20 out of 400 but have 114 grad students. They are either flat out lying (cooking the books or they honestly believe accepted students means students who accepted their offers) or have a 100% yield which neither Stanford, MIT , nor Harvard do. Dont take numbers at face value.

Also, as someone going through the application process this year, thanks for writing this up Vanadium50!  

• Jan 13, 2009

Part 2: Grades: A physics department invests a lot of effort into educating graduate students. They don't want to admit students that will not complete their degrees, and like it or not, grades are a very strong predictor of how well that person will do. I don't know what the average GPA is of an admitted student, integrated over all universities, but I would imagine it's around 3.7: the typical student got mostly A's and some B's as an undergraduate. The less competitive one's undergraduate institution is, the higher the expectation of good grades. Below 3.5, a student starts to become uncompetitive very quickly. Below a 3.0 many universities simply will not admit you. People ask how severe this 3.0 limit is. This varies by school, but it's often taken very seriously. At one university, near the bottom of the rankings of departments, the dean of the college forbids accepting students for graduate admissions with less than a 3.0. Exceptions are granted only by the provost (the senior academic officer of the university). Part of this is because grades once in graduate school are taken seriously: a C is considered failing. When I was a graduate student, if you had any two quarters with either a quarter or cumulative average below 3.0, you were shown the door. The department had no choice in the matter - this was the policy of the college. So they were strongly disinclined to admit students with a history of low grades. History is an important word here. Committees look at trends and patterns. A history of high grades, backed with strong test scores is the sort of pattern they like. An upward trend in grades is a trend they like. Strong physics grades is a trend they like. Downward trends in grades, they don't like so much. A GPA that offsets low physics grades with higher grades in easy courses is a trend they don't like so much. They look beyond the single number - so all 3.7's are not created equal.  

Part 3: Standardized Tests The graduate equivalent of the ACT or SAT is the Graduate Record Examination or GRE. This comes in two parts, a general test covering verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking and analytical writing skills, and a subject test covering what is taught in the typical undergraduate physics curriculum. The general test is largely irrelevant. Sometimes the college has minimum requirements for the general score, but physics graduates tend not to have any problem with them. Other than that, I have never seen this score make a difference: a student who got in because of a high general GRE or one who was rejected because of a low general GRE. The key part is the subject test. This is the only way that the committee has to compare across schools: how does a student with a 3.5 at University X compare to one with a 3.6 at University Y? While this test is pretty much universally acknowledged not to be perfect, because it is standardized, it is taken very seriously by committees. Since only about half of the people who take the GRE go on to graduate school, one needs to score roughly in the top half to be competitive anywhere, and substantially above that if one wants to be competitive at a more selective university. The other test that's important is the TOEFL, for international applicants. Most departments have had the experience of admitting a bright student from some far-away land, with a great application except for low TOEFL scores. They admitted this student, saying, "look how bright he is - surely he'll pick up English in no time". For whatever reason, this didn't happen, and they ended up with someone with English skills so poor that they couldn't use him as a TA, and whose presentations were very difficult to follow, making his path to a PhD quite rough. Most departments have learned from this experience and are taking increasingly close looks at TOEFL scores. International students should be aware of this.  

Part 4: Letters of Recommendation These are very important. Grades and GREs are just a pile of numbers (correlated ones at that) and don't give as an accurate a view of the candidate as letters do. In many cases, letters are the deciding factor on whether to admit someone or not. To set the scale, about 1 in 4 students ends up going to graduate school. The average college graduates 10 physics majors per year, so about 2 people per class go. Each student will likely (and naturally) pick the professors whose opinion of him is best to write letter, so it's entirely possible that both students' letters say something like "The best student this year". Now of course this oversimplified analysis fails at a place like MIT, which graduated 85 physics majors last year, but the point is that a letter that seems quite strong at first look is merely average among admitted students. The very best letters I have seen describe a student in some depth, including strengths and weaknesses. Including negatives actually helps the student (provided they are not too negative of course), because it shows that the writer isn't just writing fluff - she put time, effort and thought into the process, and it really can help the committee assess whether or not the student is a good match for the program. The more specific, the better. "Got an A in my class" but not much else isn't very helpful - we have the transcripts. "Good in labs but sometimes makes careless mathematical errors" is better. "Works well with ultrahigh vacuum equipment, and in fact has better vacuum hygiene than most postdocs, but still struggles with sign errors when doing lengthy matrix manipulation" is better still. So, who should write your letters? The professors who know you the best. Those are not necessarily the biggest names at your university, or even necessarily the ones who gave you the highest grade. A detailed letter than is mostly, but not universally positive will do your application far more good than one that is completely positive but vague. This is one of the areas where research is important. If you've done undergraduate research, you've worked closely with a professor, who can presumably write a letter with some meat on it. I would even argue that much of the benefit of undergraduate research on graduate admissions stems from the project generating a professor who can write such a letter. If you have not done any undergraduate research, I would strongly recommend having one letter from the professor teaching a laboratory course. Chances are she has interacted with you one-on-one, which is a plus and the admissions committee will also want to know how you did in the closest thing to research in your degree program. If you have done something outside your own school, such as an REU, that is also a good source for letters: apart from the reasons above, now the committee knows what people at two schools think of you. It may make sense to have a professor in another department write you a letter, particularly if she knows you and your work well. Don't go overboard, though - if a physics major intending to get a PhD in physics sends in three letters from historians, the committee will wonder. Two physicists and a chemist though would not be a problem, and may be advantageous.  

Part 5: Other Factors Having experience with research at the undergraduate level is a good thing. There are people who claim that it is required to get into graduate school. I disagree. Beneficial, yes. Required, no. One major benefit was mentioned earlier - it gives a professor an opportunity to work with you and write a letter with some substance to it. But what if you went to a small liberal arts college where research opportunities are limited? I wouldn't worry about it - most colleges that offer degrees in physics fall into that category, so you are hardly in an unusual situation. Many students are admitted with this sort of background, and they usually do quite well. If however, you have an opportunity as an undergraduate to participate in research, you should certainly take it - there are personal benefits to this, and frankly, research isn't for everyone. If you find it's not for you, better to learn that as an undergraduate rather than after beginning a multi-year research degree. Also, it looks quite strange if one graduates from a research university, particularly one with a commitment to undergraduate involvement, with no research experience and then applies for a multi-year research program. Often a candidate is asked to write a personal statement. This is not a contest to see who can write the saddest story or who was interested in physics the earliest. The committee doesn't care what books or television shows first got you interested in physics. They do, however, want to know why you want to invest half a dozen years of your life into this. They want to know what you want to study: experimental? theoretical? AMO? Nuclear? If your background is missing something typical of entering students (e.g. you were not a physics major as an undergrad), they want to know how you intend to make up that shortfall. It's not expected that you have decided on your thesis topic at this point. But it is expected that you are aware of the different branches and have thought about where you might want to do your research. They are looking for something like "theoretical nuclear physics" and not "a better calculation of the half-life of Ni-56". If you are attracted by more than one area, say that. But if all branches of physics interest you equally, you might want to think a little harder. Finally, for heaven's sake run this through a spell checker and look at the grammar. This is an opportunity to look very bad in front of the committee, and sadly, many students avail themselves of this opportunity.  

Vanadium 50 said: Part 2: Grades: I don't know what the average GPA is of an admitted student, integrated over all universities, but I would imagine it's around 3.7: the typical student got mostly A's and some B's as an undergraduate. The less competitive one's undergraduate institution is, the higher the expectation of good grades. Below 3.5, a student starts to become uncompetitive very quickly. Below a 3.0 many universities simply will not admit you.

I was thinking mostly in terms of a 4.0 (which is the most common among undergraduate institutions).  

L62 said: It could be that in the case of for example, USC - saying they accept 13 out of 190 but have 78 grad students - it's because the other 65 grad students were those who had been admitted in previous years who are still there working on their degrees. so the 13 out of 190 refers to new or incoming students whereas the 78 refers to total number of students (incoming as well as existing)

I think it's a matter of being inaccurate rather than dishonest. I think the AIP sends out a form every year to the departments and the department secretaries have to fill it out. At least that was the case at my former school, which never took the form too seriously (but then again the department was totally backwards). I don't think anyone sits there and calculates the exact average of test scores and GPAs... Who has time for that?  

For Avg GPAs and GRE I would agree with you. I think if I was a secretary or anyone in the position to fill out the form and I received a form that asked about acceptances for my college I would assume they meant offers given by my university just like if they asked how many rejections I would think of the group that does not get an offer. I thinks it takes a deliberate effort to go against this interpretation especially since the AIP also asked for the amount of first year grad students.  

• Jan 14, 2009

I don't think that the exact number of rejected applications (which of course varies from school to school and year to year) is really that important. One very good reason is that there's not much an applicant can do about the other applications anyway, so it's best to focus on the one application they have some control over - their own. Another is that if the school accepts, say 20 students, it only matters if you're in that 20 or not. If not, it doesn't matter if you're in that batch with 5 other people or 500. What matters is that even at a school ranked towards the bottom of PhD granting institutions (and these are often still quite good schools - the vast majority do not offer the PhD degree at all) there are many more applicants than places for them. Things are competitive everywhere, and like I said, not everyone who wants to go to graduate school gets to go.  

Just mentioned rejected applications because when you say rejected applications you mean applications that were not offered admission I am assuming and I believe that implies that when you say accepted you mean applications that were offered admission. USC and Rutgers apparently disagree with those definitions from the data they submitted to AIP and I can't believe they honestly do. The whole debate was to point out that physics PhD programs do not have single digit acceptance rate. The acceptance rate bottoms out at approximately 12% and can hover as high as 30% and slightly higher for domestic students. I was looking at UCLA data for domestics which is among top 50 programs. The rate for some lower ranked schools could possibly have acceptance rate in the high 30's/low 40's assuming they are at least slightly less selective than UCLA. That's a range from 1 in 8 to 1 in 3. This is according to AIP data that makes sense because it doesn't display a 100% yield and other university data. I just thought it was an exaggeration to imply a 5% acceptance rate.  

• Jan 15, 2009

j93 said: Just mentioned rejected applications because when you say rejected applications you mean applications that were not offered admission I am assuming and I believe that implies that when you say accepted you mean applications that were offered admission. USC and Rutgers apparently disagree with those definitions from the data they submitted to AIP and I can't believe they honestly do. The whole debate was to point out that physics PhD programs do not have single digit acceptance rate. The acceptance rate bottoms out at approximately 12% and can hover as high as 30% and slightly higher for domestic students. I was looking at UCLA data for domestics which is among top 50 programs. The rate for some lower ranked schools could possibly have acceptance rate in the high 30's/low 40's assuming they are at least slightly less selective than UCLA. That's a range from 1 in 8 to 1 in 3. This is according to AIP data that makes sense because it doesn't display a 100% yield and other university data. I just thought it was an exaggeration to imply a 5% acceptance rate.

JUICYWART said: While some top schools (I'm speaking as a Statistics PhD applicant) have slightly higher acceptance rates (such as Duke), generally, most students that apply to these schools are the best in the country [edit - best in the world] (think top 10%). So it doesn't really matter what the acceptance rate is . It's not a good indicator of how difficult it is to get into a graduate school. If you're an average applicant, your chance of getting into a top program will be MUCH less than 5%.

• Jan 16, 2009

Thanks for taking the time to put this together Vanadium 50.  

• Jan 18, 2009

A PF Molecule

I think this should be stickied, given the glut of "can I get in without a 3.0?" threads lately.  

• Jan 5, 2011

Thank you Vanadium 50, this thread is very helpful for applicants.  

• Jan 6, 2011

How do you convert a percentage mark ie. 70% from a Canadian physics program into an American GPA? Is this 3.7 mark on a 4.0 or 4.33 scale? On the other hand, where did you get your 3.7 gpa value from? It seems ridiculously high. :) The class averages of my physics and math classes at my university are usually around 72%.Thanks for your helpful post Vanadium50.  

If one's average was 70%, and the class average was 72%, I'd assume that person's GPA wouldn't be above 3.0, let alone 3.7.  

I know this is a year old but I have a question: Do grad schools tell their applicants if a TA or RA job is available to them after being accepted? I'm also doubful on the below scenarios. Situation 1: There was also a mention about some classes having more weight then others. What if an applicant had a 3.3 GPA but his college required him to take many humanities and social science courses which he did poorly in, but this student has aced every physics and math class he took. Would this make it very unlikely he would be accepted or does he have the grades that could make him a competitive applicant? Ceteris paribus. Situation 2: How about an applicant with this upward trend of gpa's in his 4 years of undergrad: 2.6, 3.3, 3.7, 4.0. This gpa has an average of 3.4; would it be considered bad or good by a committee? It seems that Vanadium has experience with acceptance committees so I would like people with similar experience to give an insight instead of speculation.  

A PF SuperCluster

Fizex said: I know this is a year old but I have a question: Do grad schools tell their applicants if a TA or RA job is available to them after being accepted?

My experience is the same as JT Bell's. As far as the other questions, the answer is, I am afraid, whatever the committee thinks of it. One school might look at low scores outside of physics and think "well, only his physics grades matter" and another might think "doesn't work so hard on things he's not interested in." That's why people get in in some places and don't in others.  

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Volorado, Most schools will have their own conversion schemes which should be printed in their calanders. For a very general approximation: A+ = 4.0 = 90 - 100% (= 4.3) A = 4.0 = 85 - 89% A- = 3.7 = 80 - 84% B+ = 3.3 = 77 - 79% B = 3.0 = 73 - 76% B- = 2.7 = 69 - 72% etc. In Canada, schools that have honour rolls will generally establish the cutoff around the 80%, A-, 3.7 line and the majority of students who get into graduate school are at or above this line. Fizex, Actually, most schools should be able to explain financial support before you even apply. It should be on their web pages. In some cases though, they won't make any guarantees until you receive a letter of offer. For both of your scenarios, remember that graduate school admissions work on a competative basis. Once you make the minimum requirements, you are lumped into a pool of candidates for a set number of positions. Candidates in the pool are ranked and if there are N positions, the top N candidates are offered admission. So, in light of that, in scenario 1, this candidate would likely come out ahead of another candidate with the same average who didn't do as well in the upper year physics classes. Similarly, in scenario 2, this candidate would likely be ranked higher than one with the same average with consistent numbers or worse, a trend that went the other way.  

I think that the odds of getting into grad school if you are a serious student is a bit larger than those numbers indicate. The GRE is an international test so there are pretty substantial numbers of people taking it that will not end up in a US grad school. There may be a lot of self-selection here, but every US citizen that I know that wanted to go to physics grad school with a decent application has gotten in somewhere, and I don't know anyone that has made a "serious application" that wasn't able to get in somewhere eventually.  

twofish-quant said: I think that the odds of getting into grad school if you are a serious student is a bit larger than those numbers indicate. The GRE is an international test so there are pretty substantial numbers of people taking it that will not end up in a US grad school. There may be a lot of self-selection here, but every US citizen that I know that wanted to go to physics grad school with a decent application has gotten in somewhere, and I don't know anyone that has made a "serious application" that wasn't able to get in somewhere eventually.

• Jan 7, 2011

Choppy said: Volorado, Most schools will have their own conversion schemes which should be printed in their calanders. For a very general approximation: A+ = 4.0 = 90 - 100% (= 4.3) A = 4.0 = 85 - 89% A- = 3.7 = 80 - 84% B+ = 3.3 = 77 - 79% B = 3.0 = 73 - 76% B- = 2.7 = 69 - 72%

Hi Camaron, Here's a conversion chart from McMaster's website. As you can see, it's pretty school-dependent. Also, there's a difference between percentage obtained on exams and final grades. The 3.7 = A- = 80-84% line seems pretty standard from my experience. It's also worth pointing out that this is for undergrad. My experience is that graduate grades, although following a similar scale, will have a significantly higher cutoff for what constitutes a pass. http://careers.mcmaster.ca/students/education-planning/virtual-resources/gpa-conversion-chart  

Caramon said: In Alberta from my experience it generally goes like this: A+ = 4.0 = 97% + A = 3.9 = 93%-96% A- = 3.7 = 90%-92% B+ = 3.3 = 85%-89% B = 3.0 = 80% - 84% B- = 2.7 = 75%-79% C+ = 2.3 = 70%-74% C = 2.0 = Below 70% There is no "set" percentage, it's based on z-scores and a bell-curve normally. Not sure how the hell someone would be worth any of A with a grade in the "80-84" range...

Jokerhelper said: Is it? I thought only US grad schools wanted those.

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Additional Requirements for the PhD Innovation Program

See PhD Innovation Program Requirements for details.

During the first year of the PhD program, you will prepare for formal candidacy by taking courses and participating in faculty-directed research projects . See notes for new PhD students (.pdf) and the Typical Thayer PhD Process (.pdf) . Each student works with a faculty advisor and two additional Thayer faculty members. This group helps each student develop a first-year program of study, which the student submits to the Thayer Registrar during the first week of the term .

A typical first-year program of study includes:

• Graduate-level courses completed with an average grade of B or higher (can be a combination of Dartmouth courses and courses taken at another institution beyond BS or BE degree requirements) (6 courses)
• ENGG 296 , ENGG 297 , or ENGG 298 : Graduate Research completed with an average grade of B or higher (3 terms)
• ENGG 700 : Responsible & Ethical Conduct of Research (1 term)

During the student’s first term, the faculty helps the student develop a full program plan to fulfill the PhD requirements, which the student submits to the Thayer Registrar before the beginning of the second term . The remaining PhD coursework and research program plan includes the rest of the required engineering courses, plus participation in the following seminars and workshops:

• ENGG 195 : Seminar on Science, Technology & Society (attend 28 seminars)
• ENGG 197 : PhD Professional Workshops (complete at least one term)
• ENGG 198 : Research-in-Progress Workshop (annual participation)

Each PhD student has a faculty advisor who aids the student in developing their course of study, which is submitted to and approved by the Senior Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs during the student’s first term of residency. A student’s faculty advisor also supervises the student’s research and typically serves as chair of their thesis committee. Students can be co-advised by multiple faculty members.

Annual Advisor Meetings

At the end of each year, students meet with their faculty advisor to review grades, goals, achievements and future plans in research, formal coursework, and extracurricular activities. This meeting, and a corresponding written report, is required for every year that a student remains registered in the PhD program.

Following the first-year meeting, before the fall of second year, the advisor provides the Thayer Registrar a written report describing a student's annual performance.

Following a positive outcome of this first annual meeting, the student is expected to complete the oral qualifier examination before the end of the Fall term.

The second annual meeting should occur at the end of the student's second year, and a successful outcome of this would allow the student to progress to the PhD thesis proposal presentation before the end of the third year.

Students who are not progressing in a normal manner are transferred to the MS program with the understanding that they may later request to be reconsidered as PhD candidates.

Prior to advancement to candidacy, students must:

• Pass the oral qualifying exam (ENGG 194)
• Maintain an average grade of B or higher in both coursework and research
• Be recommended for candidacy by their advisor, demonstrated by a letter addressed to the Graduate Program Committee

Once advanced to PhD candidacy, students work with a special advisory committee to make sure that all degree requirements are met.

Technical Proficiency

The oral qualifying exam ( ENGG 194 ), a set of questions put forward by an oral examination committee to the candidate, normally takes place before or during the fifth term of the student's program, or in exceptional circumstances early in the sixth term. The exam is open to the faculty, but not to the general public.

The committee tests the candidate's knowledge of principles and methods underlying the field in which advanced work is to be performed. The exam covers material selected by the candidate's advisor in consultation with the examining committee and includes coverage of mathematical techniques appropriate to the research area. The examination committee consists of four members—the Chair plus three Dartmouth faculty examiners, with at least two of the examiners from Thayer. A Thayer faculty member other than the student's advisor chairs the committee. This chair is assigned by the director of the MS and PhD programs.

The structure of the preparation for the exam is flexible. The student prepares a description of the planned exam, obtains approval of their advisor and two additional committee members, and then submits the proposal to the director of the MS and PhD programs. The director of the MS and PhD programs assigns a fourth committee member to serve as the Chair and approves the proposal. The student then submits the completed proposal to the Thayer Registrar (103 MacLean or [email protected] ) at least one month prior to the exam date .

The examination committee gives the student a pass, fail, or conditional pass result. Students who fail may retake the oral examination—one time only—within the following three months. Upon passage of the exam or fulfillment of the conditions of the conditional pass (before the assigned deadline) and with a letter of support from the advisor, the student is admitted to PhD candidacy pending a vote by the Thayer faculty.

• Oral Qualifying Exam Guide (.pdf)
• Oral Qualifying Exam Form (.pdf)

Technical Breadth

The faculty advisor helps the candidate plan a demonstration of technical breadth, which is approved by the Senior Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs. The plan details one of the following options:

• A set of courses, taken for credit, outside or secondary to the candidate's principal area of specialization
• A focused set of courses, taken for credit, which creates a secondary emphasis in specialization and may involve independent study or research
• Presentation of a research proposal or an oral examination in an area outside the main area of specialization: The candidate might present a research seminar on the topic with an examination committee of three faculty members probing the candidate's depth of knowledge of the secondary area. This option may be combined with the ENGG 197 : PhD Professional Workshops. Students who do not pass may be permitted to take the oral examination—one time only—within the following three months.
• A creative design project, completed within a time limit of approximately 30 days, in an area outside the main area of specialization. The project is defined and the candidate's performance is evaluated by a committee of three faculty members appointed by the program director. The committee gives the student a statement of need, and the student proposes a means of satisfying that need in an effective, elegant, and economic manner. The project should display the candidate's ability to conceive and evaluate alternative solutions; carry out analytical evaluations at levels of approximation suited to the problem and the time limit; and recognize situations in which experimental work is needed. If the time limit prohibits experimentation, the candidate should devise the appropriate experiments and demonstrate how the expected results would aid in the design. Within the 30-day time limit, the candidate submits a written report plus an executive summary. Following an oral presentation of the project, the committee examines and evaluates the candidate's performance in the project. Students who do not pass may be permitted to revise and resubmit the report—one time only—within the following three months.

Professional Competence: PhD Professional Workshops

The candidate demonstrates professional competence by completing ENGG 197 : PhD Professional Workshops, which is offered each Winter term by the faculty and outside experts. The workshop emphasizes skills in completing competitive proposals, business funding, patenting, research team organization, teaching, résumé and CV creation, and job search techniques. Each candidate completes a competitive research proposal or a business plan for critique by two expert referees selected from among faculty, outside experts, and/or corporate representatives. Candidates who have submitted a competitive research proposal to a funding agency or a business plan to a venture capitalist or financial institution prior to completing the workshop may petition to have the proposal or business plan fulfill this requirement.

Specialization & Thesis Proposal

The candidate demonstrates mastery of an area of specialization by writing and defending a thesis proposal within the first 18 months of candidacy. A thesis committee, approved by the director of the PhD program, advises the candidate on the proposed thesis research and administers the defense of the thesis proposal defense.

The PhD examination committee consists of a minimum of three full-time Dartmouth faculty members of which a minimum of two must be from Thayer (including the dissertation advisor) and an external member with a faculty equivalent research appointment outside of Dartmouth is optional, but not required. Note that although optional at the proposal stage, an external member is required for the final thesis committee and defense. The external member may participate in meetings in person or via video conference. The candidate's proposal—a presentation of the proposed thesis research—explains the scope and importance of the proposed research and plans for its completion. The defense presentation should be understandable, at least in a general way, to students and faculty not in the subject area.

Two weeks before the defense, candidates must:

• Submit the thesis proposal in writing to their committee
• Submit an electronic copy of the thesis proposal notice to the Thayer registrar for distribution to the faculty and for posting

Students who do not pass may be permitted to present the proposal again—one time only—within the following three months.

• Thesis Proposal Form (.pdf)
• Thesis Guidelines (.pdf)

Original Research

Candidates demonstrate their significant contribution to engineering knowledge and professional expertise in the chosen area of study by performing original research. The PhD examination committee consists of a minimum of three full-time Dartmouth faculty members of which a minimum of two must be from Thayer (including the dissertation advisor) and an external member with a faculty equivalent research appointment outside of Dartmouth. The external member may participate in meetings in person or via video conference. The research is reviewed through all of the following means:

• Presentation: Demonstrated by the elements of the research presented at a professional meeting with the candidate as first author.
• Dissertation: Demonstrated by a written abstract followed by detailed explanation of the research, approved and signed by the PhD thesis committee. A hard copy and a pdf of the final dissertation must be submitted to the Thayer registrar for archiving. Copyright to the dissertation is held by the Trustees of Dartmouth College.
• Oral Defense: Demonstrated by a presentation of the dissertation in a forum open to the public. The candidate is responsible for giving final, signature-ready copies of the thesis to each committee member to review at least two weeks prior to the defense. The candidate must submit an electronic notice of the defense to the Thayer registrar two weeks in advance for distribution to the faculty and for posting.
• Paper: Demonstrated by the elements of the research accepted for publication with the candidate as first author.

Dissertation Archiving

A PDF of the final dissertation, including a cover sheet signed by the thesis committee, must be submitted to the Thayer Registrar for archiving. Copyright to the dissertation is held by the Trustees of Dartmouth College.

PhD students typically enter with full support from either a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) or an external fellowship.

Tuition for the academic year is covered by a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA), which includes instruction, insurance coverage, use of instructional facilities, and healthcare service through the College infirmary.

Students admitted with a GRA receive a monthly stipend. The stipend amount for the 2024-2025 academic year is $3,916.67 per month ($47,000 per year).

Students who obtain an external fellowship that fully funds their PhD—such as from NSF, DOD, NASA, or DOE—will receive an additional yearly stipend from Thayer for the duration of their PhD.

Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA)

PhD students typically enter with full funding support from either a GRA or an external fellowship. GRAs, funded by contract research, are available to well-qualified candidates enrolled in degree programs with thesis requirements. Most PhD funding includes full tuition cost coverage plus a monthly stipend. GRAs also include health care coverage for those who opt for college insurance. As with all graduate students, Thayer's commitment to financial assistance will continue as long as a student remains in good academic standing and is making normal progress in fulfilling degree requirements.

Dartmouth is currently in the process of implementing GRA updates associated with the Dartmouth and Gold-UE Collective Bargaining Agreement . Additional details will be provided as they become available.

Fellowships & Grants

There are a number of scholarships, fellowships, and grants offering financial awards that are available to PhD graduate students.

Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants

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Physical & Life Sciences

Forget your image of a classroom. Whether you're drilling ice cores at Occom Pond, using Shattuck Observatory to explore galaxy formation, or scuba diving off the coast of Little Cayman Island, experiential learning will define your studies. Under the mentorship of faculty on the cutting edge of their fields, you'll participate in innovative research that pushes the boundaries of established knowledge. Soon, you'll see every corner of the campus, and the world, as your laboratory.

Our Faculty of Physical & Life Sciences Say:

Professor Devin Walker

“When I was first studying science, I found it really exciting that you could predict certain events. Think of the universe as speaking a language, or making music. There’s always the question of what kind of song is being played. That song is the motion of galaxies, and physicists try to figure out what that song is.”

Miles Blencowe

"I have always found teaching to be inseparable from the research; discussing concepts in class or one-on-one during office hours often leads to new ideas for research projects. The learning goes both ways."

Carl Renshaw

"I am constantly incorporating new tools and technology we are developing to monitor river processes into my courses. Advances in technology will enable students to gain more direct insight into hydrologic processes, allowing them to make their own discoveries."

Cool Classes

Dartmouth creates a rich academic culture imbued with critical thinking and creativity, one that promotes experimentation, reflection, learning, and leadership. But don't take our word for it. We asked our students to tell us about some of their favorite physical and life sciences courses.

Physical & Life Sciences Alumni

Nobel laureates, government leaders, judges, scientists, writers, scholars, journalists, entertainers-Dartmouth alumni have distinguished themselves in all fields. Here are some notable alumni in the arts and performing arts making a difference in the world.

Kathy Fallon Lambert ’90

Major: Sociology, environmental studies certificate

Studying sociology and environmental studies at Dartmouth launched Kathy Fallon Lambert’s lifelong passion for understanding how people shape the natural world. Her work uniting science and environmental policy has earned her numerous national awards and fellowships. After running the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation and managing sustainability at Dartmouth, Kathy created and now directs the Science Policy Exchange at Harvard.

Sourav Sinha ’12

Major: molecular biology and biochemistry

A degree in molecular biology and biochemistry from Dartmouth led Sourav Sinha ’12 to co-found Oncolinx, a company working on developing targeted cancer treatments that will be more effective – and cause less side effects – than traditional therapies. The startup, which is partnering with a number of academic groups and pharmaceutical companies, is currently preparing to enter treatments into clinical trials. Sourav also leads Strategy and Special Projects at Celularity—which launched with more than $250M in financing develop cutting-edge stem cell therapies and regenerative medicines.

Allison Lange ’01

Major: Biology

Most scientists don’t drive forklifts – but for Allison Lange, it’s just another day at work. With a biology degree from Dartmouth, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Emory, and a postdoc under her belt, Allison decided to leave her lab coat behind and enter the world of brewery science. She’s now head brewer at Old Ox Brewery in Virginia, where she manages everything from recipe development to yeast management.

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At Dartmouth, we have taken the traditional study abroad model, erased its boundaries, and expanded its parameters. Study abroad here is not an isolated semester in another country. Arranged through Dartmouth's Frank J. Guarini Institute for International Education, these powerful learning experiences are enhanced through faculty mentorship. The curriculum and structure of the school year allow students to follow their research around the world.

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Biological sciences, climate science, computer science, earth science, environmental studies, mathematics, physics and astronomy, featured program news, whiskers help nectar-eating bats hover like hummingbirds.

Biology helps us understand the big picture. The study of biology connects us to the world we are living in and reminds us of our interconnectedness with all other life forms.

Students studying Biological Sciences at Dartmouth find diverse disciplines, prestigious faculty with a breadth of experience, and next-generation resources. Undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty collaborate on laboratory research, fieldwork, and publications with real-world applications. Faculty are committed to providing students with a broad exposure to biological processes and systems, as well as a deep understanding of biology at environmental, organismal, cellular, and molecular levels. Majors develop an in-depth understanding within an area of concentration, non-majors explore research methods and approaches in the life sciences, and many students enjoy opportunities to pursue research in faculty laboratories.

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'Smart' Coating Could Make Fabrics Into Protective Gear

Chemistry is the study of energy and matter and the interaction between them. It is sometimes called the "central science" because it connects other sciences—such as biology, physics, geology and environmental science—to each other.

Dartmouth's Chemistry Department combines the personalized instruction and mentoring of a small college with the expertise of a research university. Students majoring in chemistry can choose from five different course options, including biophysical or biological chemistry and the more and less structured plan A and B majors, while modified majors can also be crafted. The chemistry minor can be satisfied with only two courses beyond the standard premed requirements. Many undergraduate research opportunities are available to undergraduate students, and chemistry students are frequent winners of awards and honors for their research and scholarship.

Learning Climate Science in Greenland … Virtually

Dartmouth's new Climate Science minor bridges the gap between four departments of study: Biology, Earth Sciences, Environmental Studies, and Geography. The Climate Science minor seeks to explore questions concerning the future of our world's climate and the impact of climate change on international society. This minor, through rigorous training in climate science, will prepare students for an interdisciplinary career or graduate program that requires substantive knowledge of the climate system.

At Dartmouth, courses within the Climate Science minor will be taught by faculty members from various departments to ensure that students have a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Classes examining the effects of climate change will analyze the future of water resources, floods, climate extremes, and agricultural production. This minor will require students to take introductory, breadth, quantitative, and upper-division culminating courses. By taking a wide array of courses, students will have both breadth and depth of knowledge in climate science upon their graduation from Dartmouth College. 

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Capturing the Eyes of the Beholder

Computer science empowers students to recognize that computational techniques apply to diverse problems and also to determine which techniques apply in a given situation. It teaches students to develop models, abstractions, and representations of information, and to design and implement efficient and elegant solutions to computational problems. It instills the fundamentals of computer architectures, programming languages, and operating systems, thereby enabling students to stay abreast of changes in approaches and technology.

The undergraduate curriculum in Computer Science at Dartmouth is designed to equip students with the tools necessary not only to fully comprehend modern computational technologies (software and hardware), but also—and more importantly—to innovate in this exciting space, enabling students to develop new technologies that improve the world around them.

Moving Forward, With Urgency, in Climate Science Education

Earth Science involves the study of physical, chemical, and biological processes of the earth over time. Students who study Earth Science find opportunities in the environmental, engineering, mining, teaching, exploration and geophysics fields, and in hydrology, space science and oceanography.

The Department of Earth Sciences (EARS) at Dartmouth is devoted to the study of the natural world in which we live. Working with a tightknit faculty, students take courses and pursue research under the broad category of 'environmental geosciences'. Research in EARS combines field studies with laboratory-based and theoretical studies of fundamental processes affecting the Earth's surface through geologic time. Undergraduate students play a visible and important role in the department, both in departmental research and life.

Students Dive Into New England Resource Management

The field of Environmental Studies views the earth, and humanity's place in it, as a set of complex, interacting socio-ecological systems. Gaining an understanding of this complexity involves drawing on concepts and methods from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities as complementary lenses through which to view these systems. Environmental Studies also seeks to overcome the limitations of any one of these perspectives by applying innovative approaches that integrate traditional disciplines in new and productive ways.

The faculty and curriculum of the Department of Environmental Studies (ENVS) at Dartmouth motivate and prepare students to rise to the challenges and opportunities associated with human-environment interactions. Environmental degradation is an escalating problem from local to global scales. Training students to understand and address these environmental problems is the core mission of ENVS, and it is the basis of the belief that environmental studies is an essential component of a modern liberal arts education.

New Faculty to Apply Mathematical Thinking to Major Issues

Mathematics is an amazing and beautiful intellectual creation, one of the human race's deepest endeavors. The world around us and the future world we are creating is woven through with mathematics—from the symmetry groups of Navajo weavings to the airflow around a flapping bird's wing and to the security of global computer networks. Mathematics is everywhere.

The Mathematics Department at Dartmouth is a place to learn about and investigate unsolved problems and mind-bending concepts. The major in mathematics is intended both for students who plan careers in mathematics and related fields and also for those who simply find mathematics interesting. The content of the major is flexible, and courses may be selected to reflect student interests. Students who major in mathematics have the opportunity to work in close collaboration with faculty through small seminars and independent research projects.

Images Capture 850-Year-Old Aftermath of Stellar Collision

The study of physics gives students the chance to probe the workings of the universe, from the smallest elementary particles to the largest cosmological scales. Astronomy is not a mere subfield of physics, but a truly interdisciplinary quest to understand the universe.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth is a community of over 100 undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and faculty conducting world-leading research in a wide range of fields. The physics major quickly takes students from the basic laws of mechanics to advanced and special topics in physics during sophomore or junior year. Problems in modern astronomy require a diversified background in the sciences, thus astronomy courses include high energy astrophysics, general relativity and gravitation, and more. Graduate level courses are likewise open to qualified undergraduates.

Dartmouth Undergraduate Class of 2028 Sustains Diversity

The percentage of Pell Grant recipients also increased dramatically.

Class of 2028 Draws Record Number of Applicants

Dartmouth’s efforts to make college more accessible for low- and middle-income families is making a difference.

Of the 1,184 students in the undergraduate Class of 2028, drawn from 1,003 high schools around the world, a record-setting 17% of them are in the first generation in their families to go to college. And the number of Pell Grant recipients increased by 5 percentage points to 19.4%, an all-time high for Dartmouth.

The Class of 2028 also sustains the degree of racial and ethnic diversity that characterized recent entering classes at Dartmouth.

Dartmouth’s 254th incoming undergraduate class was drawn from a record-setting applicant pool of 31,656, up 10% from the previous record set a year ago. The 5.4% acceptance rate also established a new Dartmouth record for selectivity.

The Class of 2028 is the most socioeconomically diverse class in Dartmouth’s history.

The new class hails from 49 U.S. states; Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; and 64 countries. Fifteen percent are from rural communities in the United States—a result of a new recruiting initiative launched by the undergraduate admissions office this past year—and 14.5% are non-U.S. citizens.

The Class of 2028 is the first to enroll at Dartmouth since the income threshold for a “zero parent contribution” increased from $65,000 to $125,000 , the highest such threshold in the nation. More than one in five students in the new class, or 22%, qualified for this new policy.

Overall, U.S. citizens and permanent residents from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds increased from 26.5% to 28.2% of the entering class, as the percentage who identify as Hispanic or Latinx rose to 12.7% from 9.7% a year ago, and the percentage who identify as Black or African American is 10.2%, compared to 10.9% a year ago. Those who identify as Native American or Indigenous represent 5.3% of the class. 

“That is an exciting illustration of socioeconomic inclusion at the College,” says Lee Coffin , vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid. 

The percentage of students identifying as Asian American experienced a slight decline, from 23.3% to 21.8%.

More than half of the first-year class—50.8%—has received scholarship aid. 

The average award is $71,582, an increase of $3,700 over last year.

“The Class of 2028 is the most socioeconomically diverse class in Dartmouth’s history,” Coffin says.

A record 19.4% of the class—nearly one in five—qualify for a Pell Grant, federal grants awarded to students from low-income backgrounds, up from 14% a year ago.

The Class of 2028 is the first to be admitted since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in June 2023 to significantly limit how colleges and universities may consider race in their admissions policies. At the same time, writing for the court’s majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said, “...nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise,” including in their application essays.

“In our selection of the Class of 2028, we were careful to comply with the limitations the Supreme Court imposed,” Coffin says. Indeed, the admissions office “masked” applicants’ responses to questions about their racial identity on the Common App—the universal admissions form used by Dartmouth and more than 1,000 other institutions—and did not “unmask” or reveal that information until after the membership of the Class of 2028 was finalized in mid-June.

“We took to heart the court’s acknowledgement of holistic admissions review, which Dartmouth has practiced for over a century,” Coffin says. “We continued to consider applicants’ academic achievements as well as their academic passions and curiosity. And we continued to value applicants’ accomplishments and the ‘lived experiences’—inside as well as outside the classroom—that shaped their narrative and identity.”

In remarks welcoming the class to Dartmouth on Sept. 4, Coffin brought those narratives to vivid life.

“Your multidimensional backgrounds and perspectives will animate your undergraduate experience in mysterious ways,” he told the new class, before adding: “That’s the magic of college. That’s the magic of this college and this class.”

The Office of Communications can be reached at [email protected] .

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American Institute of Physics

American physical society, american astronomical society, physics central, careers in physics and astronomy, beyond the undergraduate degree.

Hello, Physics and Astronomy Majors.

Hopefully, you have begun to think about what comes beyond graduation. A major in physics or astronomy is excellent preparation for a career in science and technology, and for investigation, critical thinking, and problem solving --- important qualities for a wide range of activities beyond the scientific domain. The goal of this web page is to collect information and dispense wisdom aimed at preparing you for life beyond Wilder Laboratory.

To begin, here are some extremely useful online resources for up-and-coming physicists and astronomers:

American Institute of Physics . The AIP is an umbrella organization for US physicists and astronomers, and maintains most of the pages listed below.

American Physical Society . A member society of the AIP dedicated specifically to physics with an undergraduate and careers -specific page.

American Astronomical Society . A member society of the AIP dedicated specifically to astronomy, also with its own pages on higher education and careers .

Society of Physics Students . A society sponsored by the AIP, invested entirely in guiding students of the physical sciences through higher education and into professional work, and which maintains a top-notch  Career Resources page. You are strongly encouraged to visit this site --- I'm sure that you will be surprised by the diversity of fields and activities which draw upon physics.

Finally, the AIP publishes Physics Today, a monthly magazine which keeps all of us physicists up-to-date with the physics world, and maintains the fantastic site Physics Central , probably the best place to start if you want to find out what's new in the physical sciences.  

For a different kind of post-graduate experience, you might consider the Peace Corps or Teach for America , a national corps of individuals who commit for at least two years to teach in under-resourced urban and rural public schools (like a domestic Peace Corps).

If you are interested in pursuing physics or astronomy beyond graduation, most likely this will involve graduate school. The rest of the web page will be devoted to grad school (the path chosen by this author).

Graduate School in Physics & Astronomy

Where to start? Ask yourself "What do I really like about physics? And what kinds of physics do I really like?" Look down the road several years, and consider "Where do I want to go after graduate school -- Academe? Industry? Business?'' The answers will help to guide you. For a more pragmatic starting point, consult the publication  Careers in Science and Engineering: A Student Planning Guide to Grad School and Beyond . There is another resource nearby, in the form of graduate students and faculty, all of whom have dealt with these questions, some more recently than others. You should take advantage of this resource, and ask a friendly TA or advisor for suggestions.

In a nutshell, grad school in physics is an odyssey that will push you far beyond your undergraduate education, to the edge of human knowledge. Seriously, it takes between 4 and 7 years to complete a PhD, of which the first two years are usually occupied by coursework and the final 2-5 years are an apprenticeship in research. The culmination is a PhD thesis, in which you formally present your original research work to the scientific community.  Physics grad school is different from many other graduate programs because you are paid for your training. In exchange for teaching or grading duties, your tuition is covered, and you are given a stipend (roughly $16-22K, depending on the school and the local cost of living). In some ways it is a job, with duties and responsibilities. But it can be very agreeable, in that you set your own hours and work on something you (ideally) enjoy --- physics. You may find more useful tips at  Physics.org . And for the lighter side of all this, see the comic-strip  PhD .

Selecting Grad Schools

Where to go to graduate school? US News & World Report publishes an annual ranking of  the  top schools in physics .  The National Research Council has also compiled a ranking of physics and astronomy PhD programs . These lists can be used as a guide, to let you know which are the better grad schools, in the eyes of other physicists. However, it is much more important that you identify a set of graduate schools that concentrate in your area of interest, or are broad enough to allow you to find a specialty. This site has an interactive program that allows you to select schools based on your interests, as well as a lot of other useful information. Ultimately, one's success is not simply determined by where you went to school, but what you do and who you work with. (A recent article " On the Importance of PhD Institution in Establishing a Long-Term Career in Astronomy " backs up this statement.)

Three of the best resources for finding a graduate school are:

1)  Graduate Programs in Physics, Astronomy, and Related Fields , published annually by the AIP and available in the Physics & Astronomy Department office;

2)  GradSchoolShopper.Com , a web site operated by the AIP;

3)  Peterson's Guide to Grad Schools .

Each of these will allow you to identify schools or programs by specialty or strength, give web links to the schools, and list important application information (deadlines, requirements, etc).  Pick out a couple dozen schools that interest you and research them thoroughly.

Next comes the process of applying to schools. It is reasonable to apply to somewhere between 6-10 schools. It is good to set your goals high, but it is also wise to set achievable goals (hence the safety school). While the details vary, most schools require: official college transcripts, a list of all physics courses with textbooks used, three letters of recommendation from professors, a statement of interests, and official copies of your scores on the general and physics subject GRE tests. The application deadlines for schools range from the beginning of December to the end of January.

The GRE Tests

Practically all graduate schools require that you take the GRE general test (three parts: verbal, analytical, and quantitative) as well as the physics subject test. Check the  Education Testing Service  or  Graduate Record Exam  web pages for testing dates and locations. What's important here? From experience, you won't need to spend a substantial amount of time preparing for the general test. These are very much like the SATs, and after three years of college you're that much smarter. Still, it helps to look over some practice tests, and to get a good night's sleep beforehand. A good score --- or more specifically, a high percentile --- improves your chances. How do grad schools use the scores on the general test? No school has a minimum score requirement, but this is not to say that they aren't important. The score is typically used as a further check of the student's aptitude, beyond grades.

Which brings us to the GRE physics subject test. To quote the GRE site, "the test consists of approximately 100 questions, most of which relate to the first three years of undergraduate physics. Topics include classical mechanics (20%), fundamentals of electromagnetism  (18%), atomic physics (10%), physical optics and wave phenomena (9%), quantum mechanics (12%), thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (10%), special relativity (6%), and laboratory methods (6%). The remaining 9% of the test covers advanced topics such as nuclear and particle physics, condensed matter physics, and astrophysics." There is no astronomy GRE test --- many astronomy or astrophysics programs do not require a subject test. This has everything to do with the historical evolution of astronomy programs as a separate entity from physics departments, and nothing to do with the importance of physics in astronomy.

It is in your best interest to study for the physics GRE. While the subject test will not make or break your career, it can have a strong impact on where you get in to school.  See  PhysicsGRE  for useful tips. Essentially, one can benefit by studying first- and second-year physics in the months preceding the exam (including the summer between junior and senior year) . Since there are very few practice tests available (see GRE: Practicing to Take the GRE Physics Test, available from the ETS and  Amazon ), it is wise to ration them throughout your preparation.

A good score on the physics GRE will certainly improve your chances at the school of your choice. Again, no school has a minimum score requirement. A score above the 60th percentile is generally regarded as good, but you may need to score above the 80th percentile to compete with other students applying to the top rated grad schools.

Finally, one really shouldn't hear this before taking the exam, but here goes. As important as the physics GRE is, there is no correlation between a high score and grad school success. Its weakness lies in that it can only really test quick calculation, as opposed to deep reflection or creative, physical insight. These problems with the subject GRE are described in an article in  Science, Nov. 1 1996 issue, vol. 274, pp.710-712 . You can take some comfort in knowing that graduate committees realize the limitations of the test scores, and look for other evidence of scholarly aptitude and research potential in the rest of your application material.

Rounding Out the Application

Your application is supported by three letters of reference. For physics grad school, it's best to have physics professors write on your behalf. You should choose your references wisely, have at least one professor write for you who knows you outside the classroom (this includes in the lab or after class in office hours). The letter will assess your physics aptitude, based on classroom or lab experience, and may compare you to your fellow students. Make sure to ask them if they would feel comfortable in writing you a strong letter.

Finally, an important piece of supporting material is your statement of interest. This is a 1-2 page essay in which you may describe your physics interests. This is your chance to explain why you are applying to the physics program at the University of  ___ (fill in the blank).  If you have a specific interest, this is the place to state it. The grad committee is on the lookout not only for smart students, but smart students to fill slots in their research programs, so they want to know if you are interested in experiment or theory, biophysics or cosmology, and why. If you have research experience, this is the place to mention it (and if the research has lead to a publication, be sure to say so!). And avoid the over-dramatic essay ("Ever since I was a child of 5, when I discovered the law of light refraction of while playing with bubbles in my bath, I have longed to pursue a career in physics at Dartmouth...'').

Overall, your chances for getting into the graduate school of your choice are best if all your application materials indicate that you are a student with a strong aptitude for physics and who shows excellent promise for future study and research. If you don't get into the school of your choice --- well, the system is not perfect. If you do get into any grad school, even if it's somewhere further down your list, then congratulations. Remember, it's what you make of your chances that counts.

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The Frank J. Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced studies at Dartmouth offers masters and doctoral degrees across a broad range of programs, including several interdisciplinary programs and doctoral programs connected to the professional schools at Dartmouth.  Postdoctoral scholars  with appointments across Dartmouth College, the professional schools, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock are also affiliated with the Guarini School. 

In ENGM 188 : Technology, Law, and Entrepreneurship, Professor Oliver Goodenough guides Thayer School graduate students through the intricacies of the legal system that surrounds entrepreneurial enterprises. (Photo by Douglas Fraser)

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