APS Bridge Program
Only a fraction of students from underrepresented groups with physics bachelors degrees go on to graduate programs.
The APS Bridge Program aims to address this diversity gap by providing a pathway to graduate program acceptance for underrepresented students. Through our partnerships and member institutions, we work to place students in supportive, inclusive physics masters and PhD programs.
Students joining the Bridge Program
You are welcome and encouraged to apply to graduate school through the APS Bridge Program if you:
- Have a physics or similar degree
- Are part of an underrepresented racial and/or ethnic group in physics
- Are seeking a graduate degree in physics but have not yet been accepted to a program
To get started, review the student eligibility requirements and application process.
Successes of students in the Bridge Program
Students in the Bridge Program have gone on to vital and meaningful careers in academia and industry.
A nuclear physicist at Los Alamos earned his doctorate in experimental nuclear physics as an APS Bridge Program graduate.
Michelle Lollie, APS Bridge Program graduate, started over from banking to physics.
Fernand Torres-Davila's interest in physics led him to enroll in an APS Bridge Program and eventually landing a job as a Honeywell engineer.
Fascinated by physics from a young age, Laura D. Vega's participation in the APS Bridge Program has accelerated her astrophysics career.
Promote diversity through your physics graduate program
You can support underrepresented students in physics by becoming a Bridge Program member and advancing best practices for inclusion and diversity and then by becoming a Bridge Program partner, demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and potentially accepting Bridge students to your graduate program.
Member institutions
Bridge Program member institutions make up a network that shares innovative practices, learns from leaders, and promotes diversity in physics.
Bridge Program membership is your first step to becoming a partner institution and accepting Bridge Program students.
Join the Bridge Program member network
Partner institutions
Bridge Program partners are members institutions that have demonstrated a strong commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment, and are ready to take the next step and potentially accept Bridge Program students.
Learn more about Bridge Program partnership
Hire Bridge Program participants and graduates
Employers seeking skilled students and recent graduates with the science knowledge and critical thinking skills that a physics education provides can recruit interns and employees through the APS Bridge Program.
Email the APS Bridge Program team to learn more about employer opportunities.
Thank you to our alliance supporters
The APS Bridge Program is proud to be part of the Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN). IGEN is an alliance of STEM organizations, backed by the National Science Foundation, dedicated to increasing the number of doctoral degrees earned by Black, Latino, and Indigenous students in the physical sciences.
Contact the APS Bridge Program
If you have questions or would like more information, we encourage you to email the APS Bridge Program team.