Typical Course of Graduate Study

The department offers a variety of courses as well as the opportunity for independent study and research. For a complete list of graduate courses, together with their descriptions, please consult the Arts & Sciences Graduate Catalog.

A faculty adviser helps each student select courses which are most suited to his or her interest and preparation. The program typically followed for the first two years of the graduate program is

Physics Graduate Catalog

Fall

Spring

YEAR 1

PHYS 601 - Classical Mechanics

PHYS 603 - Mathematical Physics

PHYS 621 - Quantum Mechanics I

PHYS 651 - Teaching Physics

PHYS 685 - Colloquium

YEAR 1

PHYS 610 -Classical Electricity and Magnetism I

PHYS 622 - Quantum Mechanics II

PHYS 623 - Statistical Physics and Thermodynamics

PHYS 651 - Teaching Physics

PHYS 685 - Colloquium

YEAR 2

PHYS 611 - Classical Electricity and Magnetism II

PHYS 721 - Quantum Field Theory I

PHYS 651 - Teaching Physics / PHYS 695 - Research

PHYS 685 - Colloquium

Electives

YEAR 2 and beyond

PHYS 800 - Dissertation

Electives

Electives: At least one inside and at least one outside field of study. Suitable elective courses may numbered at the 500, 600 or 700 course-level.

Regularly taught elective courses include:

Quantum Optics and Atomics: PHYS 631
Quantum Materials and Quantum Devices: PHYS 632
Introduction to Plasma Physics: PHYS 634
Nuclear and Particle Physics: PHYS 638
General Relativity and Cosmology: PHYS 639
Advanced Topics in Physics: PHYS 690
Quantum Field Theory II: PHYS 722
The Standard Model of Particle Physics: PHYS 772

Also Computer Science, Data Science, Applied Science or Mathematics courses.

On the basis of their previous experience or individual reading, some students omit one or more of these courses and go directly into advanced work. A few students with incomplete preparation, but otherwise promising records, begin their program with some advanced undergraduate courses.

There is a weekly general colloquium noted in our Events calendar. The speakers are visitors from other institutions and include distinguished physicists in a variety of fields. Numerous specialized seminars are also organized by the research groups of the department. Through listening to research presentations, reading journals, and talking to members of the department, students should choose a research area as rapidly as possible. It is very useful to start immediately to spend a few hours per week with one of the research groups, if only to develop one's interests. By the summer following the first academic year, each student should make at least a tentative choice of specialization and begin conducting research.