Bridge Program

The Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Kansas (KU) is honored to be an APS Bridge Program Partnership site. We are a medium sized department, approximately 29 faculty and approximately 60 graduate students, and offer a diverse range of research areas including: Astrobiophysics, Astronomy/Astrophysics, Astroparticle Physics, Biophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, Cosmology, Nanofabrication, Nanotechnology, Nonlinear and Chaotic Dynamics, Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics, Particle Theory, Physics Education Research, Plasma Astrophysics, Quantum Computing, and Space Physics.

Bridge applicants that are admitted into the program become members of our normal graduate program.  They will be funded either by a research stipend or by a graduate teaching assistantship (GTA) with tuition waived for both. Students will go through a comprehensive pedagogy training session to help prepare for their teaching assignment and we offer students the chance to take a class on proposal writing to enhance their chances of obtaining external funding. Along with this, students will be able to take undergraduate coursework when necessary as determined by the student and the department graduate advisor. The department also offers a problem solving course to support students with their coursework.

Students are encouraged to partake early in research activities. We also have multiple professional development activities that prepare students for careers both inside and outside of academia. Students will have access to peer mentors, a variety of department led student development activities, organizations, and more. Multiple faculty are deeply involved with our graduate students, giving them many contacts with professors right off the bat and improving their integration into the program.

Our department is deeply committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and we have many activities in these areas.

The University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence is a very livable and affordable city with multiple cultural activities, a lively town center, and a welcoming and inclusive populace. We are 45 minutes away from metropolitan Kansas City and all it has to offer. It is a great place to live.