Program Overview
The Department of Physics at Queen’s University is one of the leading Canadian research institutes in Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy. Our faculty includes high-profile, world-class physicists who work on cutting edge areas of theoretical, computational, applied and experimental physics.
Our students have the opportunity to engage in international collaborations as well as inter-disciplinary research with other departments at Queen's, and work in state-of-the-art laboratories. Students in Condensed Matter Physics, Optics, and Engineering Physics work on a number of innovative research projects, including nanophotonics, nonlinear and quantum optics, nanophysics, quantum materials, theoretical biophysics, Bose-Einstein condensation, organic light-emitting devices, and semiconductor spintronics.
Students can work with Parteq Innovations to file intellectual property based on their research inventions.
Students in the Astrophysics and Astronomy program can carry out observational research programs at leading astronomical facilities around the world or related theoretical studies of galaxy formation, structure and evolution, dark matter, general relativity, as well as planetary and stellar astrophysics. Numerical investigations also benefit from access to the High Performance Computing Virtual Lab (HPCVL) supercomputer.
Students in experimental particle astrophysics carry out research in SNOLAB, a world-leading research facility located 2km underground near Sudbury, Canada. Experiments at SNOLAB use ultra-low background detectors to search for the dark matter particles produced soon after the Big Bang, and to study the properties of neutrinos to better understand how they shaped the evolution of the universe.
Our students also have the opportunity to work with medical researchers in the Medical Physics Research Group at the nearby Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario and at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.
Many of our students are involved in community outreach efforts such as Science Rendez-vous and the Queen’s Observatory Public Program. Our students enjoy the acclaimed beauty of the Queen's campus and the city of Kingston, an affordable lifestyle, and proximity to pristine nature and heritage sites.
Method of Completion
M.A.Sc.: Course work, research project, thesis & defense
Career paths - employment opportunities
Students in the Astrophysics and Astronomy program have the opportunity to carry out observations at astronomical facilities in New Mexico, Hawaii, India, Australia and the Canary Islands. Students in the experimental particle astrophysics group carry out research at SNOLAB, the underground science laboratory near Sudbury, Ontario.
Expected September 2025
Faculty of Arts and Science
Dunning Hall - First Floor,
94 University Avenue,
KINGSTON,
Ontario (ON),
K7L 3N6, Canada
Students must have a bachelor degree in Engineering or Applied Science.
English language requirements
Applicants must have TOEFL Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT): The minimum overall score is 88, made up of the minimum scores in each component test as follows: Writing test: 24/30; Speaking test: 22/30; Reading test: 22/30; Listening test: 20/30; MELAB: 80 (minimum overall score); IELTS: 7 (minimum score, academic module); PTE Academic: 65 (minimum overall score).