Apr 19, 2024

2022-2023 Graduate Catalog

2022-2023 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Physics (PhD)

Please see the Program Policy Document for more information.

Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

Students may enter the Ph.D. program after successfully completing an M.S. degree program, at the University of Delaware or elsewhere, or may be admitted directly to the Ph.D. program directly after a Bachelor’s degree. To obtain a Ph.D., students will normally follow the course intensive regular track. Students entering the program with at least a Master’s degree that is equivalent to a U.S. Master of Science degree in Physics or a closely related field may be eligible to follow the less coursework intensive fast track. Eligibility for the fast track will be determined by the Graduate Admissions Committee.

Regular Track (Ph.D. in Physics) Course Requirements:

Taking and passing, with an average grade of 3.0 or better, 30 credits of graded classroom course work within the first five semesters after entering graduate school. Graded courses are those receiving a letter grade (A through F). As part of the 30 required credits,

Core Requirements:

Students must take 4 core courses (12 credits total) and pass each of them with a grade of B- or higher. If a student fails to obtain a B- or higher grade for a core course, the particular course in question must be repeated once again and the student must acquire a passing grade of B- or higher.

PHYS 809 - Electrodynamics I Credit(s): 3
PHYS 811 - Quantum Mechanics I Credit(s): 3
PHYS 813 - Quantum Statistical Mechanics Credit(s): 3
PHYS 820 - Advanced Classical Mechanics Credit(s): 3

“Practical Skill” Requirement

In addition, as part of the 30 required credits, students should select one “practical skills” course (3 credits total) from:

PHYS 646 - Experimental Methods of Physics Credit(s): 3
PHYS 660 - Computational Methods of Physics Credit(s): 3

Field of Research Course Electives:

Finally, as part of the 30 required credits, students should take one 600-level and one 800-level specialized course of relevance to their intended field of research (6 credits total) selected from the following two sets of courses.

Astronomy & Astrophysics, Particle Physics, or Space Physics Options:

PHYS 633 - Introduction to Stellar Astrophysics Credit(s): 3
PHYS 635 - Space Physics Credit(s): 3
PHYS 644 - Elementary Particles and Big Bang Cosmology Credit(s): 3
PHYS 815 - Theory of Relativity Credit(s): 3
PHYS 822 - Quantum Field Theory Credit(s): 3
PHYS 834 - High energy and particle astrophysics Credit(s): 3
PHYS 835 - Laboratory, Space and Astrophysical Plasmas Credit(s): 3

Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Condensed Matter & Materials Physics Options:

PHYS 624 - Introduction to Condensed Matter Physics Credit(s): 3
PHYS 626 - Introduction to Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Credit(s): 3
PHYS 655 - Statistical Biophysics Credit(s): 3
PHYS 806 - Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Credit(s): 3
PHYS 814 - Advanced Quantum Mechanics Credit(s): 3
PHYS 824 - Nanophysics and Nanotechnology Credit(s): 3

Fast Track (Ph.D. in Physics) Course Requirements:

Students following the fast track must meet the following minimum requirements:

In consultation with and with approval from the Director of the Graduate Program, the student will identify four 3-credit 800-level classroom courses (12 credits total) to be taken in their first year in the graduate program. Each of these courses must be passed with a grade of B or better (not B-). Students may take additional courses.

Other course requirements

All Ph. D. students (regular track or fast track) must satisfy the following course requirements:

Note that PHYS 600 , PHYS 601 , PHYS 699 , PHYS 861 , and PHYS 862 are evaluated as Pass/Fail, and therefore are not considered as graded courses and do not count for the 30 credits of graded course work.

PHYS 600 - Research and Presentation Skills Credit(s): 1 **
PHYS 601 - Introduction to Teaching Physics and Astronomy Credit(s): 1 **
PHYS 699 - Physics and Astronomy Colloquium Credit(s): 1 ***
PHYS 861 - Introduction to Graduate Research Credit(s): 1 **
PHYS 862 - Graduate Research Credit(s): 2 ^

Notes:

**All first year Ph.D. students are required to take the one-credit courses PHYS 600 , PHYS 601 , and PHYS 861 .

***All second year Ph.D. students are required to take the one credit course PHYS 699 - Physics and Astronomy Colloquium (in both the Fall and the Spring semesters).

^All Ph.D. students must take the two-credit course PHYS 862 - Graduate Research , and pass the Research Readiness Exam associated with this course to continue in Ph.D. study. Students on regular track must take it no later than their fifth semester. Students on fast track must take it no later than their third semester.

Research Readiness Exam

Students will prepare a written report and oral presentation on their research before the end of their fifth semester for regular track students or their third semester for fast track students. The research must contain a clearly identified original component. The written and oral components will be evaluated by a committee with 4 faculty members, 2 from Quantum Science and 2 from Physics of the Universe. The research advisor is not allowed to speak during the oral presentation or vote on the decision but may participate in the closed-door question-and-answer. The committee will vote on whether the candidate proceeds on the Ph.D. track, or conditionally proceeds on the Ph.D. track, or can transfer to the M.S. program. The conditions need to be fulfilled by the student in writing without retaking the exam. Students will register for a 2-credit course, PHYS 862 , which they pass based on the committee’s evaluation. This exam is a rigorous test of research readiness. If the exam and PHYS 862 has to be postponed to a later semester because of factors beyond the student’s control, a written request from the student and a support letter from the advisor has to be submitted to the graduate review committee for approval no later than two weeks prior to the start of the fifth (regular track) or the third (fast track) semester.

Dissertation Proposal

By the end of the third year for regular-track students, or the second year for fast track-students, each student must present an oral proposal for their planned Ph. D. research to their Ph. D. committee. The committee will vote on whether to fully advance the student to candidacy (pass), conditionally advance the student and require remediation (conditional pass), or fail the student. A student who fails the Dissertation Proposal must leave the Ph. D. program. If an extension is given for the Research Readiness Exam, the student must complete the Dissertation Proposal by the end of the semester following the Research Readiness Exam. The purposes of the Dissertation Proposal and the Research Readiness Exam are different. While the Research Readiness Exam assesses past research to judge the research ability of a student, the Dissertation Proposal is about the future research plan. This may be in the same research area as the Research Readiness Exam, but can also be on a new topic, and occasionally even with a different adviser. Presentation of preliminary results is not required for this exam.

Regulations for students who change adviser

If a student plans to change dissertation advisor, we recommend that such transition be made after the Research Readiness Exam and before the Dissertation Proposal.

Ph.D. Dissertation

Upon successful completion of a research program, the Ph.D. candidate will write a dissertation showing originality of thought and scholarship, properly expressed in English. The dissertation is defended in an oral examination administered by the student’s dissertation committee. All students in the Ph.D. program are required to complete 9 credits of doctoral dissertation.

PHYS 969 - Doctoral Dissertation Credit(s): 1-12