Nearly all students admitted to the graduate program are given full financial support in the form of assistantships or fellowships, with competitive stipends. Teaching assistants generally supervise undergraduate laboratory courses, lead discussion sections in elementary courses, or assist in grading. Teaching loads are adjusted so as to require only 10-15 hours/week, including preparation. As students progress toward their degree, they are usually expected to move to research assistantships provided by their supervisor. Summer support (either through teaching or research) is generally available to those students who request it and are making good progress towards their degree. Our expectation and goal is that graduate students who are making good progress towards their degrees will be able to be supported 12 months out of the year for the duration of their time in our program.
In addition to standard assistantships, a number of fellowships are available for exceptional students. Support under all of these programs is dependent upon satisfactory progress toward a degree. Current policy provides all full-time teaching and research assistants with full tuition waivers and full health care benefits. The generous financial package coupled with the low cost of living in Oklahoma (especially for housing) allows students to live quite well on the stipends provided.
The Nielsen Prize, given during the Spring semester, is named in honor of Professor Jens Rud Nielsen, for whom the Physics and Astronomy building is named and who was a prominent University of Oklahoma faculty member and research physicist from 1924 to 1965. The prize is given to students who are exceptional among those who have been awarded doctoral degrees from the Department of Physics and Astronomy over the years. The award is intended for students who have completed the thesis and defense within the academic year in which the award is given.
The George Randolph Kalbfleisch Scholarship is awarded to a deserving graduate student of strong character showing potential in the field of physics, with preference to students studying High Energy Physics. The student does not have to graduate in the semester they receive the award.
