Degree Requirements
Teaching experience is a valuable ingredient of graduate study. Some teaching is required of all resident students; the minimum is one semester for completion of the M.S. and an additional semester for completion of the Ph.D.
Degree requirements are under continual review by the Departmental Graduate Committee, which consists of faculty members and at least one elected graduate student representative. It concerns itself with all aspects of graduate student life, including the general regulations and exceptions, arrangements for financial aid, and the academic progress of all students.
The detailed and formal statements of requirements are given in the Arts & Sciences Graduate Catalog (pdf).
Requirements for the M.S.
The candidate must complete a program of courses required by the Department. This program depends on the candidate’s preparation and special interests, but will include PHYS 601, 603, 610, 621, 622, and 630.
The candidate must take the Ph.D. qualifying exam. This exam deals with the undergraduate material, the content of the first-year graduate courses and colloquia. There are two possible outcomes of the qualifying exam: pass or not pass at the Ph.D. level. Passing at the Ph.D. level satisfies the exam requirement for an M.S. degree. Otherwise, the Physics faculty will consider the qualifying exam score, along with academic performance in course work and research performance (if any), in order to determine whether the standards for a Master of Science degree are met.
The candidate is required to register for Colloquium, (PHYS 650) for a minimum of two semesters of residence. In addition, the candidate must accumulate 32 credit hours, including registering for PHYS 651 or 652 to obtain a minimum of two semesters teaching experience.
Requirements for the Ph.D.
The candidate must complete a program of courses required by the Department. This program depends on the candidate’s preparation and special interests, but, in addition to the master’s level courses, will include: PHYS 611, 721, an additional semester of Colloquium, and either Teaching or Research.
The candidate must pass examinations that test familiarity with the principal fields of physics. Details of procedure will vary. It is required that the candidate pass the qualifying examination and demonstrate competence in several advanced topics courses. The candidate must perform research, which is an original and substantial contribution. The dissertation must be approved by a faculty committee and successfully defended in a public oral examination.
For the Ph.D. degree, there are no explicit credit requirements. However, the candidate must, in addition to passing the qualifying exam, demonstrate a mastery of the material in the first- and second-year courses, either by doing well in these courses or through individual examinations.
The heart of the Ph.D. program is the dissertation. Students typically begin apprenticeships in their chosen specialization during their second year and then start seriously into their research. The research must be a significant original contribution. A dissertation must be approved by the candidate's Ph.D. committee, and then must be defended successfully in a public oral examination.
It is impossible to give a rigorous time-table for completion of the Ph.D. Our experience has been that starting from the completion of the bachelor's degree, students usually require five and a half years to obtain a Ph.D.
For information about the Ph.D. degree in physics with a specialization in computational science, visit the Computer Science Department's website.
