Physics (PHD)
Description
The Ph.D. degree is the terminal degree in physics and is designed primarily to meet the needs of students who intend to pursue professional careers in physics, either as teachers or as research physicists.
Minimum Total Credit Hours: 54
Course Requirements
In addition to the general Graduate School requirements, candidates for the Ph.D. must complete a minimum of 54 credit hours of graduate coursework, including 18 hours of dissertation research (PHYS 7998A Dissertation) and 36 hours of graduate courses. Of the 36 required classroom hours, up to 6 may be in a related field, such as mathematics, chemistry, or engineering; 12 must consist of courses in physics numbered 7000 or higher, and another 18 must be in physics courses numbered 6000 or higher.
Ph.D. students must pass the four core courses, two technical proficiency courses, and three courses chosen from the breadth pool:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| Advanced Mechanics I | ||
| Quantum Mechanics I | ||
| Adv Thermodynamics/Statistical Mech I | ||
| Advanced Electromagnetic Theory I | ||
| Proficiency Courses | ||
| Introduction to Scientific Computing | ||
| Advanced Electromagnetic Theory II | ||
| Breadth Courses | ||
| Select at least three of the following: | 9 | |
| Atomic and Nuclear Physics | ||
| Quantum Mechanics II | ||
| Advanced Acoustics | ||
| Fluid Dynamics | ||
| Solid State Physics I | ||
| Gravitational Physics | ||
| Quantum Field Theory I | ||
| Elementary Particle Physics | ||
Other Academic Requirements
Each entering student must take a preliminary examination (based on undergraduate physics) to aid the student and the graduate adviser in selecting a course of study. All students must teach laboratory or lecture sections for at least two semesters as part of their graduate training. Students who are present on campus during a regular semester are required to enroll in PHYS 5604 Physics and Astronomy Colloquium.
Students in the Ph.D. program are required to pass a Comprehensive Examination covering standard physics material at the introductory graduate level. The examination has both written and oral components. The written part consists of four three-hour examinations as follows:
- quantum mechanics;
- classical mechanics;
- thermodynamics and statistical mechanics;
- electromagnetic theory.
The oral part can be taken only after the written part has been passed. To remain in the Ph.D. program, students must attempt the exam no later than at the first opportunity after completing three semesters as graduate students in physics at UM and must pass it no later than at the first opportunity after completing five semesters.