Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Physics
All PhD programs must incorporate a standard set of Requirements for the Doctoral Degree.
The PhD degree in physics requires:
- Successful completion of a set of core physics courses;
- Successfully passing a Comprehensive Exam (consisting of a written Thesis Proposal and an oral Proposal Exam);
- Successful completion of a minimum of 2 lecture type physics graduate courses (numbered 6000-level or higher; not including the core courses);
- Successful completion of set of courses in a `minor’ subject;
- a written PhD thesis
Students are admitted to candidacy when they have completed the first two steps above.
The core physics courses required by the School are as follows:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Physics Courses | ||
| PHYS 6103 | Electromagnetism I | 3 |
| PHYS 6105 | Quantum Mechanics I | 3 |
| PHYS 6107 | Statistical Mechanics I | 3 |
| PHYS 6106 | Quantum Mechanics II | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
In some cases, courses taken to complete the Physics elective requirement (#3 above) may be used to satisfy the Institute requirement that every doctoral student earn 6 credit hours in a minor course of study in a scientific subfield different from the subfield of their PhD thesis research. Alternatively, these credit hours are earned in a school other than physics. Finally, each student must prepare a written dissertation that summarizes the PhD research and present a public, oral defense of the dissertation to a Thesis Exam Committee.