What are the best universities for a theoretical particle physics MSc?

[deuteron]

I am currently an undergrad at TUM and am planning to stay in the academia in the future. My goal is to become a theorist, however I cannot choose a grad school to apply to. I understand that "best" is subjective; my most important criterium is that the degree would allow time to actually learn stuff instead of speedrunning through everything just to get the deadlines. I was initially thinking about the Mathematical and Theoretical Physics MSc at Oxford, however I met someone who has studied there and is now doing a second masters at TUM since he felt like the first one was too rushed. So far the theorists I've met from Russia have been very impressive, which's why I also considered Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, but I am not sure how the current Russian politics is affecting that. So does anyone have any opinions on which universities offer an appropriate grad program aligning with my goals?

 

[Vanadium 50]

If you don't like the pacing, by far the easiest thing to do is self-pay, in which case you can take as long as you like. However, if you want the university to pick up the tab, they have an incentive to get their students out the door as quickly as possible.

 

[fresh_42]

I ... am planning to stay in the academia in the future ...

contradicts

... my most important criterium is that the degree would allow time to actually learn stuff ...

You don't seem to know the criteria for a career in academics. I will gather some criteria as far as I had the chance to observe the process behind the scenes:

• age - the younger the better
• publications - the more the better
• luck - vacancies are rare and the competition is international
• networking - the co-authors of your papers

I wouldn't even put the institute where you made your Phd on the list. However, I do put

• your doctor father

on the list, but I take this as part of networking which is already on the list.

 

[gwnorth]

Creating a list of target programs to apply to for graduate studies can be very simple or very labour intensive depending on your limiting criteria. If you have none then the world is your oyster and narrowing the field will require more work, but even there there are 2 things you may want take into consideration: time to completion, and cost. If you do have constraints then that narrows your starting point.

With regards to time to completion I agree that the 10-12 month format of most English master's is very brief meaning that it's going to be very intense and leave you limited time to conduct research and write a thesis. The timeline also means that you're practically applying to PhD programs as soon as you start your master's and doesn't give any time for you to build up your profile to make you a more competitive applicant. In my opinion, regardless of the "prestige" of some (like Cambridge Math Part III), I think your better choice would either be a 2 year master's (of which there are some available in the UK) + a 4 year PhD, or an integrated master's/PhD (which you can find in UK e.g. UKRI funded CDTs) which will probably take 5-6 years.

As to cost, in general a standalone master's + PhD frequently is more expensive because while PhDs come with funding, master's don't always. There are some however that do (and one place to look for funded master's is Canada). The integrated pathway should be fully funded and opens more doorways including the US and possibly Australia. There are also a few available in Europe as well.

There are pros and cons of either pathway beyond time and cost. For the integrated pathway an advantage is that you only have 1 application cycle to go through vs 2. For the standalone master's if you aren't 100% certain of the subdiscipline of research you want to target for your PhD this may give you more time to explore. It also gives you the option of adding an additional university in the mix and the possibility to expand your professional network. Additionally if your profile is not that strong, if you do really well in a standalone master's that may open additional doors for a more competitive program for your PhD. Finally in the worst case scenario where your master's turns out not to be a good fit for whatever reason, your commitment is only 2 years and you can make a change for your PhD.

Once you have all of that nailed down, which specific programs you should target will depend on the field of research you're interested in pursuing. Your first step is to identify researchers who are currently active in the fields you're interested in and finding out which universities in which countries they are are associated with. You can then eliminate any programs that don't fit your criteria for location, cost, and degree structure. After that you can assess how competitive an applicant you would potentially be based on your individual profile. From there you can narrow your list if need be based on any other criteria you may have.

 

[PeroK]

So far the theorists I've met from Russia have been very impressive, which's why I also considered Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, but I am not sure how the current Russian politics is affecting that.

I understand you may be a student with little interest in anything but physics and mathematics, but I suggest you contact the department for foreign affairs in your country for advice on travel to Russia.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I suggest you contact the department for foreign affairs in your country for advice on travel to Russia.

This is a very good idea. In the best of times, this had risks, and these are not the best of times.

Also, if he wants a slower place of instruction, Russia is maybe not a good fit Goldstein has m,ore than 3x as many (big) pages as Landau has (little pages).

 

[fresh_42]

This is a very good idea. In the best of times, this had risks, and these are not the best of times.

Also, if he wants a slower place of instruction, Russia is maybe not a good fit Goldstein has m,ore than 3x as many (big) pages as Landau has (little pages).

If I would visit a Russian city today, I would book a flight to Berlin. It's full of Russians, you can buy Russian, you can eat Russian, and you can speak Russian, but most of all: you can say whatever you want without getting arrested for a "wrong" opinion.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I would book a flight to Berlin

Not so easy - you need to fly via a third country. Turkey is popular.

you want without getting arrested

In Berlin, you can always find a party! In Russia, the Party always finds you!

 

[fresh_42]

Not so easy - you need to fly via a third country. Turkey is popular.

???

Turkey is as risky if you are used to free speech. I cannot recommend walking on Turkish ground these days either.

Berlin has also the advantage, that it is only a 2-hour something flight to Moscow, in case you have the "right" opinion in which case I recommend an immediate flight and wish you good riddance.

 

[Vanadium 50]

You can't buy a plane ticket from Russia to Germany. Sanctions. Geography. You can buy two tickets - Russia to Istanbul and Istanbul to Germany. I am not suggesting moving to Turkey.

 

[fresh_42]

You can't buy a plane ticket from Russia to Germany. Sanctions. Geography. You can buy two tickets - Russia to Istanbul and Istanbul to Germany. I am not suggesting moving to Turkey.

TUM and profile say Munich.

 

[Dr.AbeNikIanEdL]

I am not saying you necessarily should, but have you considered staying in Munich? They have reasonably strong research on (some aspects of) theoretical particle physics. Maybe if you spell out what you don't like about that it's easier to come up with alternatives.

 

[jtbell]

According to an earlier post, you're in your first year (second semester) of undergraduate. Therefore, applications for grad school are at least two years away, right?

 

[WWGD]

???

Turkey is as risky if you are used to free speech. I cannot recommend walking on Turkish ground these days either.

Berlin has also the advantage, that it is only a 2-hour something flight to Moscow, in case you have the "right" opinion in which case I recommend an immediate flight and wish you good riddance.

Turkey changed its name to avoid being confused with the food/bird. It now goes by " Pastrami on Rye"

 

[gwnorth]

Turkey changed its name to avoid being confused with the food/bird. It now goes by " Pastrami on Rye"

Or you know Türkiye.

 

[WWGD]

Or you know Türkiye.

Ok, toasted wheat it is.

 

[fresh_42]

I think we can finish the discussion here. It has driven far from its topic and the OP is not really participating.

The summary of advice is:

• TUM is a good university.
• Taking more time to study than average comes to a price: It will make an academic career more unlikely.
• It is a good idea to plan an academic career in time, but making decisions at the beginning of a study is not necessary.
• A general recommendation for academic careers is to speed them up, not to slow them down.
• It is impossible to predict whether another university will provide more time to study, probably not.

This thread is closed.