The department’s candidacy committee evaluates each student’s first year academic record at the end of the Spring semester of the first year, to determine whether the student should be officially admitted to Ph.D. candidacy. The candidacy committee (normally) consists of five members of the department, at least two of whom are experimentalists not in the same sub-field and two of whom are theorists not in the same sub-field. Exemptions from the candidacy requirements are only offered in very exceptional circumstances (see Section 3.5.2).
[learn_more caption=”3.2.6.1 Candidacy Requirements”] Admission to Ph.D. candidacy is granted to those candidates that the candidacy committee considers to have a knowledge of basic physics suitable for a professional physicist. Its evaluation is based on the entire first year record. This includes the qualifying examination (see Section 3.2.6.3), grades in all courses taken in the first year, performance in teaching and research, and any other relevant information brought to the attention of the candidacy committee. The exam is called here the “qualifying examination” to emphasize that passing it is only part of the requirements for passing candidacy. It is commonly also called the “candidacy examination”.
Sufficient requirements for admission to Ph.D. candidacy are:
- Successful performance in the Qualifying Examination, of which details are given in Section 3.2.6.3.
- A grade of B or better in all the core courses. Students who have taken equivalent coursework at other universities may be exempted from this requirement for some or all of the core courses as outlined in section 3.5.
Note that performance on the course work is as important as performance on the candidacy exam.[/learn_more]
[learn_more caption=”3.2.6.2 Procedures, and Required Coursework”] When each qualifying exam has been graded, students will be advised of their performance in writing (about two weeks after the examination). They may have passed the exam portion of candidacy or may need to retake the examination. The letter will include a statement of progress made towards candidacy. At the end of the spring semester, after course grades are available, decisions are made on candidacy. Several outcomes are possible:
- Admission to candidacy
- A student needs to retake the examination in the fall, or to address deficiencies in the coursework, or both.
- A student may be advised to consider leaving the program. This would result from sufficiently poor performance over the whole of the first year.
Students will be advised in detail of their situation and are encouraged to discuss their situation with their adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies.
In the case of poor course performance, the committee will decide what the student will need to do to remedy the grade and meet the standard of a B grade. This is based on the course instructor’s assessment of the student’s performance. In some cases, it will be necessary to retake the course and obtain a grade of B or above. In most other cases, the student will need to meet with the relevant course instructor as soon as possible to discuss what is to be done; typically this will involve studying the material over the summer and then taking and passing a test at the beginning of the next fall semester.
In the last case, the instructor will evaluate this work and notify the Director of Graduate Studies in writing before the end of the first week of the fall semester. In the case of students who are given the opportunity to remedy deficiencies, the Candidacy Committee will reevaluate the students after the remediation work has been done. Note that a student who is not awarded Ph.D. candidacy may still have the option of working towards a M.S degree–see Section 3.4–although this is not recommended in all cases.
- It is the responsibility of every graduate student, in consultation with their adviser, to ensure that they satisfy the requirements for admission to Candidacy.
Sample schedule for advanced physics courses:
- Even Year (Fall) Odd Year (Spring) Quantum Gravity (565) Critical Phenomena (518) Particle Phenomenology (541) Standard Model (542) Semiconductors and Devices (524 Adv. Topics General Relativity (511)
- Odd Year (Fall) Even Year (Spring) Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (571) Computational Physics (527) Surfaces, Interfaces, Thin Films (514) Methods of Theoretical Physics (526) Laser physics & Quantum Electronics (572)
Sample 4-semester course sequence for theorists:
- Year 1, Fall: 525, 530, 561, (559), 590 Spring: 517, 557, 562, (559), 590
- Year 2, Fall: 3 of 510, 512, 563, or 518/541 Spring: 2-3 of 511, 513, 542, or 564
- Year 3, Fall: 1-2 of 518/541, 565, or other Spring: 1-2 of 511, 524, 542,564, or other
- Year 4, Fall: 1-2 of 514, 527, 571, or other Spring: 1 of 526, 533, 572, or other
Sample 4-semester course sequence for experimentalists
- Year 1, Fall: 525, 530, 561, (559), 590 Spring: 517, 557, 562, (559), 590
- Year 2, Fall: 2-3 of 510, 512, 518, 541, 563 Spring: 1-3 of 511, 513, 542, 564, or other
- Year 3, Fall: 1 of 514, 527, 571, or other. Spring: 1 of 526, 533, 572, or other.[/learn_more]
[learn_more caption=”3.2.6.3 Qualifying Examination for Candidacy”] The Qualifying Examination is given twice a year near the beginning of the spring and fall semesters.
In each case, the examination takes place in two three- hour sessions (morning and afternoon) and is composed of a total of about eight questions covering the core areas of physics traditionally included in the undergraduate curriculum.
- Mechanics (including Special Relativity)
- Quantum Mechanics
- Statistical Mechanics and Thermal Physics
- Electricity and Magnetism
The exam tests fundamental understanding and mastery of basic physical concepts. The level of knowledge needed is primarily that of undergraduate physics at all levels, but with a level of performance appropriate for a graduate student. A detailed description of the examination including sample questions and a list of representative textbooks is available from the Graduate coordinator; previous exams are also on the department’s website. Note carefully that passing this examination forms only a subset of the requirements for Ph.D. candidacy—see Section 3.2.6.1.
All entering students are required to take the examination when it is given in the fall semester. A student who performs appropriately well on this examination will be considered to have satisfied the examination portion of the procedure for admission to candidacy. All other first- year students will need to take the examination in the spring semester; their performance on the first examination will be ignored in the candidacy decision.
Approximately two weeks after the spring examination, the candidacy committee will report its evaluation of the first-year students, as explained in Section 3.2.6.1. Those students who are asked to retake the examination by the Candidacy Committee will need to do so at the beginning of the next fall semester.[/learn_more]
[learn_more caption=”3.2.6.4 Delay of Candidacy”] In general, students must complete the requirements for candidacy by the end of their first year. However, upon the recommendation of the student’s adviser or the Director of Graduate Studies, a student with inadequate undergraduate preparation can request to delay being considered for candidacy for one year, to allow the completion of remedial course work. The request should be made in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies, who will consult with the Candidacy Committee before granting such a delay.[/learn_more]