Physics Graduate Student Handbook




 

 

 

 

Department of Physics
University of Utah







Spring 2008

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                 

Revised  Aug 04, 2008

Department of Physics
University of Utah

 

1.  General Program
A student undertakes graduate study in physics to accomplish three goals: first, to develop a broad and sophisticated knowledge of the field as a whole; second, to acquire a deep and thorough understanding of some specialized field, and to contribute to the body of knowledge of that field through his or her own research; and third, to prepare the foundation for a rewarding career.  It is important to note that obtaining a Ph.D. in physics does not limit one to a career in physics per se; physicists over the past decades and centuries have contributed to the creation of entirely new sciences ranging from chemistry to electronics, from geology to computer science. By virtue of their trained ability to isolate the critical aspects of complex phenomena, construct models, and thereby solve problems (whether theoretical or experimental), Ph.D. physicists find themselves sought after by a wide variety of industries.  (These even include financial investment firms!)

The general requirements for the Ph.D. degree are given in the Graduate School Bulletin, which each student should obtain (http://www.sa.utah.edu/admiss/graduate.htm). In addition to the requirement of at least 14 credit hours of thesis research (PHYCS 7970), a student must have mastered the subject matter of the core courses described below to the satisfaction of the student's supervisory committee. Two examinations precede the writing of the Ph.D. thesis: first, the Common Examination, as described in Section 6, taken at the beginning of graduate work to verify general competency in the basic areas of physics; second, the Qualifying Examination, described in Section 7, is taken after a student has chosen the topic for his or her thesis.  After a penultimate version of the dissertation has been submitted to the Supervisory Committee, a final "thesis defense" is conducted in the format of a public seminar followed by a private discussion with the candidate's Supervisory Committee.

2.  Courses to be Taken
The student's first responsibility as a new graduate student is to remedy any deficiencies at the advanced undergraduate level. In consultation with his/her assigned Graduate Student Counselor (a member of the faculty), the student also should choose mathematics courses that will provide an adequate background for his/her graduate physics courses.

 

It is necessary that a graduate student in physics be computer literate.  For those who are deficient in this regard, we recommend that you enroll in PHYCS 6720 (Introduction to Computing in Physics).  This course will provide you with some of the basic tools needed for your Ph.D. research.  This course may count as an elective course.

The required core courses for the Ph.D. program, and the recommended sequence for taking them, are given in the table below. A standard sequence and an alternative sequence are shown.  Depending upon a student’s Common Exam performance and in consultation with the student’s advisor, the alternate sequence may be elected.  This sequence provides a two-semester remedial sequence (5010-5020) designed to further prepare the student to pass the Common Exam and for the more advanced courses.

 

Standard Curriculum

 

 

Fall semester

Spring semester

Year 1

PHYS 7110 – Class Mech/E&M I

PHYS 7120 – E&M II

PHYS 7740 – Math Methods I

PHYS 6719 – Graduate Lab

Year 2

PHYS 7220 – Quantum Theory I

PHYS 7230 – Quantum Theory II

PHYS 7310 – Stat Mech

Elective

 

Alternate Curriculum

 

Fall semester

Spring semester

Year 1

PHYS 5010 – Theor Mech & QM

PHYS 5020 – Theor E&M/Stat Mech

PHYS 7740 – Math Methods I

PHYS 6719 – Graduate Lab

Year 2

PHYS 7110 – Class Mech/E&M I

PHYS 7120 – E&M II

PHYS 7220 – Quantum Theory I

PHYS 7230 – Quantum Theory II

Year 3

PHYS 7310 – Stat Mech

Elective

 

All Ph.D. students in the first three years are required to enroll each semester in PHYS 7800, the Colloquium, which requires weekly attendance at department colloquia.  Beginning with the third year, students may enroll in more specialized Graduate Seminars (such as PHYCS 7810) courses in lieu of PHYS 7800. In planning your program, please note that some courses are taught only once per two years.

 

The remainder of a student's elective courses can be chosen from the Course Catalog, and will most likely be in the area of a student's specialization.  One elective course must satisfy a “breadth requirement”, meaning that it is clearly outside the area of a student’s specialization.  These courses are determined by consulting with the student’s supervisory committee.

Even before passing the Common Exam, a motivated student may consult with potential thesis advisors and in some cases, work in a research group. Having passed the Common Exam, all students should select a thesis advisor and complete the "Departmental Request for Supervisory Committee" form in consultation with student's assigned Graduate Counselor.  The chair of the supervisory committee then becomes the student's principal advisor.  The Supervisory Committee will assist the student in formulating the remainder of his or her program of study. The Supervisory Committee has the final say on which courses are required.

 

The Ph.D supervisory committee nominally consists of 4 Faculty members from within the Physics department, and one external faculty member (from another Department on Campus). The external committee member is a requirement of the University Graduate School.  The chair of the Ph.D supervisory committee is normally the supervisor of the student’s research, and must be a faculty member in the Department of Physics. In certain circumstances the research supervisor is not a member of the Physics department faculty, and in this case the research supervisor is a member of the Ph.D supervisory committee, but he/she is not the chair of the committee.  In certain cases it may be acceptable to have six committee members on the supervisory committee, by petition to the University Graduate School.

 

The composition of the Ph.D supervisory committee is to be made in consultation with the supervisory committee chairman (and the research supervisor, if they are not the chairman).  According to Departmental policy, the supervisory committee should include faculty members with a concentration of expertise in the subject matter of the Ph.D, as well as a component of expertise substantially outside of the main Ph.D subject area.  The diversity requirement also requires representation by faculty members in both theoretical research and experimental research.

 

For example, a standard  Ph.D supervisory committee in experimental condensed matter physics would consist of three faculty members in condensed matter physics, an external faculty member from outside the Department (with an interest in the subject), and a faculty member in astronomy or particle physics. Within this committee, four of the members would be primarily experimentalists, and one faculty member would be primarily a theorist. A standard Ph.D supervisory committee in theoretical astrophysics would consist of three faculty members in astronomy/astrophysics, and external faculty member from outside the Department, and a faculty member is atomic, molecular, optical, or condensed matter physics. Within this committee four of the members would be primarily theoreticians, and one would be primarily an experimentalist. The overall composition of  a committee must be approved by the Physics Department Director of Graduate Studies (DOGS). In general, the  DOGS will  approve Ph.D supervisory committees only if they are composed in accordance with the above Departmental guidelines.

 

 A well prepared student may, with the consent of the instructor, elect to satisfy the core course requirement in any sequence (with the exception of PHYS 6719) by passing the final examination in each semester of the sequence with a grade of B or better, rather than registering for the course. An exceptionally well-prepared student from another institution may petition his or her Ph.D. Supervisory Committee to waive the requirement of completing any or all core courses. The Committee must be convinced that the student has had equivalent course work elsewhere and performed at an adequate level.  A simple statement from the committee chairman, explaining the reasoning for the waiver of required course work, must accompany the Program of Study Form when sent to the Director of Graduate Studies.

A student pursuing a Ph.D. in a field of specialization with a strong overlap in another department may, with the consent of his or her Supervisory Committee, substitute one or two core courses from another department at the University of Utah for the core courses listed above.

 

Within one semester of the formation of the Supervisory Committee, the student should obtain its approval of a "Program of Study” for the Ph.D., which lists the remaining courses to be completed. At the same time the Committee should set a date for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, described in Section 7 below. Having passed this examination, the student will normally devote the balance of his/her non-teaching time to research, specialized courses, and the writing of the dissertation.  It is recommended that the committee meet to discuss the Program of Study and topical areas to be covered in the Qualifying Exam.

 

Every graduate student receiving a tuition waiver is required to take 9-12 hours per semester!   Once a student has 84 graduate credit hours, a tuition waiver will only cover additional research hours (not academic course work).  Only 11 hours of coursework per semester can be covered by a Research Assistantship (RA).  A Teaching Assistantship (TA) can cover up to 12 hours of course work per semester.  In the summer semester, tuition waivers will be granted only to those with RAs, and will only cover up to 3 hours of research credits (no academic course work). 

The time limit for the Ph.D. is six years from matriculation unless the student has completed a Master's degree in physics prior to matriculation at the University of Utah, in which case, it is four years. In exceptional cases the time limit may be extended for a period of up to one year at a time. According to graduate school policy, requests for an extension of the time limit must be recommended by the student's supervisory committee and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate School. The request will be acted upon favorably only if there is a realistic expectation that the student will finish within the period of the extension.

3.  Residency Requirement 

At least one year (i.e., two consecutive semesters) of the doctoral program must be spent in full-time academic work at the University of Utah. When a student proceeds directly from a master’s degree to a Ph.D. degree with no break in the program of study (except for authorized leaves of absence), the residency requirement may be fulfilled at any time during the course of study. A full load is nine credit hours. Three hours of Thesis Research: Ph.D. (course number 7970) also is considered a full load after the residency requirement is fulfilled.

 

4. Language Requirements
All students are expected to be proficient in English. International students should have a minimum TOEFL score of 575 on the paper-based test, or 232 on the computer-based test; students with TOEFL scores below 600 (paper-based test) or 250 (computer-based test) may be required to enroll in English classes. Students will find it useful to live in a residence or dormitory in which only English is spoken.  All students for whom English is not the first language should pass the Versant test within first year of matriculation.

5. Grading
The department has adopted the following grading schedule - note that a grade of B- is below the acceptable grade level for Ph.D. students

A          excellent work, Ph.D. caliber

A-         good work, acceptable at Ph.D. level

B+        good work at a level that would indicate probable passing level for the common or qualifying examination

B          mediocre work--marginal for Ph.D.--no prediction possible

B-         Lowest grade acceptable for Master’s degree.  Below acceptable level for Ph.D. degree

C          unacceptable

Of course, these grades do not guarantee any results in the common or qualifying examinations, but are an indication of how similar performance on the examinations would be regarded. A student intending to obtain a Ph.D. who receives a grade below B in any of the required core courses, or in any course deemed vital by his or her committee, is required to repeat that course, or to pass satisfactorily an equivalent final examination. (The exam can be oral or written as determined by the student's supervisory committee.) Once the committee identifies courses as being required, it cannot waive this minimum grade point requirement.

 

6. The Common Examination

(a) The Purpose of the Exam

The Common Examination is used to determine whether a student is officially allowed to become a candidate for a Ph.D degree, and is an important indication that the student is progressing.  Before passing this exam, a student cannot form a Ph.D supervisory committee. Candidates for the M.S. Degree are not required to take the Common Examination, although the exam is very useful as a diagnostic in determining which courses should be taken upon entering the program.  The result of the test is also taken into account in the renewal of teaching assistantships and in nominations for fellowships.

 

(b) The Structure of the Exam

The examination consists of a written examination to be taken in two three hour periods on a single day shortly before the start of fall semester classes.  The outcome of the common exam is based solely on the student’s score on the written examination. If a student’s score is above a “full pass threshold”, the student will have satisfied the common exam requirement. If a student’s score lies below the “full pass threshold” but above the “conditional pass threshold” the student will be directed to complete either PHYS 5010 and/or PHYS 5020 with a minimum grade of A-. A student with a conditional pass who satisfies the prescribed course requirements will have satisfied the common exam requirement. If a student’s score lies below the “conditional pass threshold”, the student will have failed that attempt at the common examination.

 

The written examination will be confined to undergraduate course work, and will include the following subjects (levels are indicated by reference to Physics course numbers at the University of Utah):

1. General physics (at the level of 2210, 2220, 2230)

2. Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (at the level of 3760)

3. Classical mechanics and special relativity (at the level of 4410, 4420)

4. Quantum theory and modern physics (at the level of 3740, 5450, 5460)

5. Electricity and Magnetism (at the level of 4410, 4420)

 

Copies of earlier exams may be obtained from the Physics Department website at www.utah.edu/academics.html.

 

(c) When the Exam Must Be Taken

The exam must be passed by the start of the second year of graduate work. A student is expected to take the exam just prior to the Fall semester in which the student starts graduate work. If the student fails that first attempt, a second attempt is permitted in the Fall of the following year. Students admitted to graduate work in the Spring semester are treated, for this purpose, as having started graduate work in the Fall semester of the following academic year. Students who register for Fall semester, but who arrive too late to take the written examination, will have forfeited their first attempt at the common examination. Students may petition the Common Exam Committee for a third attempt at the exam, but such a petition will be granted only for special circumstances.

 

7.  The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

At the time the Supervisory Committee approves the program of study, a tentative date will be set for the Qualifying Examination. At the same time the Committee should determine the format and topical subjects of the examination following these guidelines: this is an examination designed to test the student's mastery of physics typified by the core Ph.D. courses, as well as his or her awareness of current physics as exemplified by current scientific literature and departmental colloquia. The examination may also focus on a student's particular area of specialization. There may be a written portion. However in recent tradition an oral exam has been more typical.

According to Graduate School policy, an examination or parts of an examination may be repeated only once and only at the discretion of the student's Supervisory Committee. When the student passes the Qualifying Examination, he/she should obtain the forms "Report of the Qualifying Examination for the Ph.D." and "Recommendation for Admission to Candidacy" from the Graduate Records Secretary. These forms should be completed with appropriate signatures then returned to the secretary who will make copies and forward the originals to the office of the Graduate School.

8.  Master's Degree for Ph.D. Candidates
While the MS or MA degree is not a prerequisite to obtaining a Ph.D., students in the Ph.D. program are strongly encouraged to complete formalities for a non-thesis (Milestone) Master’s degree after they have completed the course requirements.

 

The M.S supervisory committee nominally consists of 3 Faculty members from within the Physics department. The chair of the M.S. supervisory committee is normally the supervisor of the student’s research, and must be a faculty member in the Department of Physics. In certain circumstances the research supervisor is not a member of the Physics department faculty, and in this case the research supervisor is a member of the M.S. supervisory committee, but he/she is not the chair of the committee. In certain cases it may be acceptable to have additional committee members on the supervisory committee, by petition to the University Graduate School.

 

The composition of the M.S. supervisory committee is to be made in consultation with the supervisory committee chairman (and the research supervisor, if they are not the chairman).  According to Departmental policy, the supervisory committee usually includes 2 faculty members with a concentration of expertise in the subject matter of the M.S, and a faculty member with expertise substantially outside of the main M.S. subject area.  If possible, the diversity requirement also requires representation by faculty members in both theoretical research and experimental research (although this may be difficult with only three committee members). The overall composition of a committee must be approved by the Physics Department Director of Graduate Studies (DOGS). In general, the  DOGS will  approve M.S. supervisory committees only if they are composed in accordance with the above Departmental guidelines.

9.  Thesis

A variety of thesis research topics are available in the Physics Department. Interdisciplinary research (and degrees) involving physics and other disciplines may be arranged.  Thesis research is expected to involve an original and publishable contribution to knowledge. By the time of the final oral thesis defense, a paper embodying the results of the thesis research should have been submitted to a reputable scientific journal. (Under special circumstances, and with the concurrence of the thesis advisor, submission may be delayed for a limited time beyond the date of the final oral thesis defense.)

When the student has pursued his or her research to the point of knowing its general scope and conclusions and has begun to write the thesis he/she should meet with his/her Supervisory Committee and obtain their approval of the thesis content and results to be described before completing the writing of the thesis. When the rough draft of the thesis has been written, he should give copies to the committee members so that suggestions they may make can be incorporated into the final version. (This should be done at least two weeks prior to the final oral thesis defense.) Two weeks prior to the final oral thesis defense, he/she must make arrangements for a public seminar in which his/her research is described. The time is arranged with the Graduate Records Secretary, and must be acceptable to the committee members. The student is responsible for notifying the Graduate Records Secretary of the final oral thesis defense two weeks in advance so that the public seminar can be adequately publicized. The final oral thesis defense will then consist of the public seminar, followed by a private meeting between the student and his/her committee.


Master's Degree Program


1.  General Requirements

The general requirements for the Master's degree may be found in the current Bulletin of the Graduate School which each graduate student should obtain (http://www.sa.utah.edu/admiss/graduate.htm).

Master's degree candidates are matriculated if their undergraduate records and Graduate Record Examination score indicate an ability to do graduate work in physics.

A thesis and a thesis defense as described in the last paragraph of Section 8 above are encouraged, and ordinarily required for the Master's degree. However, a student may arrange to substitute supplementary course work and a satisfactory performance on a specialized examination for this requirement. The M.A. degree requires a foreign language. The M.S. does not. Briefly, candidates for M.S. or M.A. must devote 30 credit hours to courses and thesis.  A non-thesis Master's student must pass a specialized exam, associated with his or her particular program, administered by the Master's Supervisory Committee.

 

2.  Physics Department Programs
In the Physics Department, there are a number of approaches to the Master's Degree, including the Instrumentation Physics Program and Master’s in Computational Physics discussed later. Students who plan ultimately to obtain a Ph.D. may wish to take courses required for the Ph.D. program in developing a program of study for the Master's degree. For students who wish to move from physics into related fields of medicine, geology, engineering, education, or business, individual M.S. or M.A. programs can be designed with emphasis on the new field.

3.  Courses to be Taken
In planning the initial program of study the student should confer with the assigned Graduate Student Counselor. Normally no later than the second year, the Master's student should talk with potential advisors in his or her area of interest. When a Masters advisor has been selected, a form entitled "Request for Supervisory Committee" is to be completed. Within one semester of the formation of a Master's Supervisory Committee, a student should file an "Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master's Degree" with the approval of the Committee. This application includes a list of courses to be completed. The Graduate School sets a four year time limit for the Master's degree. In meritorious cases the time may be extended with the approval of the student's Supervisory Committee and the Dean of the Graduate School.

A student must maintain minimum registration as specified in the Bulletin of the Graduate School.

Master's Degree in Instrumentation Physics


1.  General Program

This program is designed to qualify those with training in various scientific and engineering fields to understand, work with and develop modern numerical methods, electronics, measurement system characterization, computer data acquisition/control, and the physical principles of the operation of various measurement transducers and sensors.  The degree candidate is required to take part in an instrumentation project which can be in a wide variety of research and industrial test areas.  In many cases the project will occur in disciplines other than physics and can be performed in an industrial setting with appropriate departmental supervision.  The physics is to be fully documented and a detailed written report of the project is to be presented in lieu of a thesis to the student's Master's Supervisory Committee prior to obtaining its approval for the granting of the Master's Degree (non-thesis).

 

2.  Background

A well-qualified applicant should have a B.S. or B.A. degree with an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher and should have completed a calculus-based physics sequence.  Remedial work as well as advanced standing will be considered in individual cases by the Instrumentation Physics Counselor.

 

3.  Courses to be Taken

A total of 30 semester hours of credit are required to complete the program.  Six to ten will be related to the instrumentation project.  The Instrumentation Master's Program core courses are shown below.

 

Required Core Courses:                                                                                    Credit Hours:

PHYS 6610       Electronics I                                                                 4

PHYS 6620       Electronics II                                                                4

PHYS 6750       Applied Modern Optics I & II                                          4

PHYS 6770       Optical Measurement Techniques & Instrumentation      4

PHYS 6730       Computational Physics*                                                            4

PHYS 6859       Instrumentation Project                                                 6-10

 

Optional Preparatory Courses:

PHYS 5010       Theoretical Mechanics & Quantum Mechanics**                        3

PHYS 5020       Theoretical E&M and Statistical Mechanics**                 3

PHYS 6720       Intro. to Computation in Physics*                                   4

 

Elective Courses:

PHYS 6771       Ionizing Radiation***                                                     2

                        Machine Shop****                                                         20 real-time hours

PHYS 5719       Lab Techniques                                                                        3

PHYS 5739       Microscopy                                                                   2

 

Select courses above the 5000 level in physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and engineering may be substituted for the instrumentation courses above with prior approval from a student's Supervisory Committee.  These courses should be in fields relevant to the Instrumentation Project.

 

*The introductory computational course (6720) is not required.  It is suggested for those who require an introduction to Unix workstatio