Physics and Astronomy : Department of Physics and Astronomy: Ph. D. Program Requirements

Doctor of Philosophy

For the Doctor of Philosophy Degree, a student must complete a total of 90 hours of graduate credit including the following:

• Required courses
• PHYS 6/7220 (Classical Mechanics)
• PHYS 6/7250 and 6/7260 (Classical Electrodynamics I and II)
• PHYS 6/7320 and 6/7330 (Quantum Mechanics I and II)
• PHYS 6/7450 (Statistical Mechanics)
• MATH 6730 (Methods of Mathematical Physics II). Students who have not taken the eqivalent of Methods of Mathematical Physics I will need to take that course first.
• At least 18 additional hours of credit in Physics in courses numbered higher than 6200 approved by the student's committee
• 30-48 hours of PHYS 8960 (Ph.D. Thesis Research).
• Credit in PHYS 6/8010, 6/8020, 6/7030, or 7910 will not count toward degree requirements.

The doctoral degree requirements include a Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, a Comprehensive Examination and a Final Oral Examination. Passing the Qualifying Examination is a prerequisite for status as a Ph.D. candidate in physics. It is normally taken at the end of the summer, one year after entry and may normally be repeated once, the following January. The complete policy on the exam is available here (PDF, 32 KB).

After passing the Qualifying Examination, the doctoral student must select a field of specialization. A faculty committee is formed, chaired by the research adviser, to evaluate the student's progress in these matters and to establish an appropriate program of coursework. This committee then administers the Comprehensive Examination.

• Assess the student's grasp of physics at the 6000 level, especially (but not exclusively) the physics needed for dissertation research in the chosen area.
• Assess the student's preparedness to do dissertation research. The time spent in the exam should be divided approximately equally between these goals.

The exam shall be taken no later than the end of the summer after the student's third full academic year in the Ph.D. program. As with all policies, extensions can be petitioned for in unusual circumstances.

After the student completes the Comprehensive Examination, only the thesis research requirement remains. The graduate program ends with the presentation of the dissertation and its satisfactory defense in an oral examination.