Students are not admitted to work toward a terminal M.S. degree. Requirements for the Ph.D. include passing a written and oral candidacy exam, writing a thesis that describes the results of independent research, and passing a final oral exam based on this thesis and research. Some students admitted into the physics department find their research interests are best matched to Caltech faculty members outside the department. Students whose interests are primarily in applied physics may condider applying directly to that department. Students whose interests are primarily in pure astronomy may consider applying to the astronomy department.
Equipment is also available for precision investigations of nuclear gamma and beta rays.
Equipment for experiments in high-energy physics is designed and constructed, and the resulting data analyzed, in Caltech laboratories. The Mount Palomar observatory is an outstanding facility, as is the 10-meter Keck telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Graduate teaching assistants are assigned duties requiring a total of 15 hours per week during the academic year. Additional financial support is also available for graduate teaching assistants to continue their research during the summer. Graduate research assistants work on various research projects for 15 hours per week during the academic year and 30 hours per week during the summer.