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PH.D. QUALIFYING EXAMINATION

General description 听

The purpose of the qualifying exam is to determine whether students have the grasp of basic physics that is needed for successful completion of the Ph.D. requirements.听听It is not intended to be a comprehensive exam.听 It is an oral exam at the level of advanced undergraduate (4000/5000) courses.听 Written approval of a student graduate adviser is required for all exam takers; the standard forms will be provided a few days before each exam.

Exam timing

The oral qualifying exam is offered in the first half of each fall and spring semeste.听With their adviser鈥檚 approval, students are allowed two attempts to pass each part, timed as follows.

• For students who enter the program in January, this policy鈥檚 timetable starts the following fall. In that case, therefore, the zeroth attempt takes place the fall semester after entry.
• The zeroth and first attempts may not be made in January, except by students who entered the program with previous post-bachelors level academic experience in physics. With their adviser鈥檚 approval, they may accelerate the standard timetable above.
• In order to be eligible to take the qualifier at any of the three attempts, students must sign the form that will be provided, obtain the signature of their advisers, and submit the form to the chair of the Exam Committee by the appropriate deadline.
• Students whose highest goal is the M. S. are not required to take the qualifier. If, after receiving the M. S., a student is admitted into the Ph. D. program, he or she will be treated in the same way as a student who enters with an M. S. obtained elsewhere. The first required attempt is a year after entry into the Ph.D. program.

Exam studying tips

Topics in the oral qualifying exam include those in introductory physics classes (classical/theoretical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics) and questions related to the student鈥檚 previous research experiences. View the rubric used to assess students in these exams.