Requirements
To advance to PhD candidacy, students in the PhD program must demonstrate competency in the following four topical areas of physics: classical mechanics (a grade of A- in PHYS 610 , OR a P* grade in the classical mechanics section of the Comprehensive Exam); electrodynamics (grades of A/B+ or A-/A- in PHYS 670 /PHYS 671 , OR a P* grade in the electrodynamics section of the Comprehensive Exam); quantum mechanics (grades of A/B+ or A-/A- in PHYS 650 /PHYS 651 , OR a P* grade in the quantum mechanics section of the Comprehensive Exam), and statistical mechanics (a grade of A- in an approved undergraduate statistical mechanics course, OR a grade of A- in PHYS 430 or PHYS 730 or PHYS 731 , OR a P* grade in the statistical mechanics section of the Comprehensive Exam). Competency in all four topical areas must be demonstrated by the end of the sixth regular semester in the program.
Within 9 months after demonstrating competency, students must pass an oral Dissertation Proposal examination, administered by the student’s PhD committee, in which they propose a dissertation topic and demonstrate sufficient understanding of their field of research to carry out the proposed dissertation research.
A scholarly dissertation and an oral defense of the dissertation complete the requirements for the PhD degree.
Students should refer to the Graduate Division section for any additional requirements.
