About

Founded in 1868 Wayne State University (WSU), has been a part of city of Detroit for 150 years.

A premiere public urban research university known for its diverse body of students, faculty and staff. WSU is one of only seven public urban universities in the United States to have received the highest Carnegie Foundation rating for both research intensiveness and community engagement.

The city of Detroit, also known as the "Motor City" is a vast collection of different cultures, activities and events. The campus is located in Detroit's cultural Center and is surrounded by galleries, theaters, museums and other attractions. Detroit also plays host to a variety of festivals throughout the spring/summer months showcasing the various diverse cultures from around the world. Having recently installed the Q-line, a new monorail system, it is easy to get from our main campus in the mid-town area to the heart of downtown Detroit to enjoy the various music, food and cultural festivals presented every year.

The Wayne State campus has its own Public Safety Department which keeps an eye on the campus, as well as the surrounding Detroit area, quietly and discreetly making WSU one of the safest campuses nationwide. Come visit us and explore everything the University and the city has to offer.

Video Gallery

Program Requirements

Bachelor's degree requirements:
Bachelor's degree in Physics or related fields is required.

Minimum undergraduate GPA: 3.0
GRE Requirements: Required
Physics GRE Requirements: Required
TOEFL Requirements: Required

Description of your department culture

Located in Mid-town Detroit, MI, USA, the Wayne State University Department of Physics and Astronomy is home to a very diverse group of faculty, students, and staff. Our department Faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students come from various parts of the United States and countries from around the world. Students become involved in department activities, such as Public Science Lectures, Planetarium shows, SPS, APS, and astronomer's planetarium shows. The University recently acquired the Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory, a state of the art 20-inch robotically controlled remote observatory in the high desert of Rodeo, NM, (a donation by the 419 Foundation of Russ and Stephanie Carroll).

Our graduates pick up teaching experience by teaching labs, as well as tutoring in the Physics Resource Center. We have a 2 week long astronomy and physics day camp called "Camp Cosmos"(for grades 7-10). Our graduate students are active in activities throughout the year such as, our Annual Department Graduate Research Day, traveling, presenting, and giving talks at various conferences in their perspective research fields. Graduates may also receive various University and Department Scholarships/Awards.

We have an annual Department Fall Get Together; various department seminars, lectures and colloquia, hosting visiting faculty speakers, Nobel Prize Laureates and notable researchers, in the past even an Astronaut. We have our own chapter of SPS and a Nuclear and Particle Theory Journal Club. Our faculty and graduate students participate in large scale research projects funded by various federal agencies and in collaboration with national and international labs, and pursue vigorous research programs in several subfields of physics and astronomy.