The faculty in the Department of Physics and Astronomy offer graduate programs leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics. In the M.S. program, options are available in physics, physics with an emphasis in astronomy, interdisciplinary physics, technical physics, or physics teaching. In the Ph.D. program, options are available in physics, physics with an emphasis in astronomy, or applied physics.
Students enrolled in the Ph.D. degree program may be awarded an M.S. degree in passing .
The faculty in the Department of Physics and Astronomy also participate in the program leading to the Master of Natural Science degree (see “Master of Natural Science” for information on the M.N.S. degree) when one of the concentrations is physics, and in the interdisciplinary program leading to the Ph.D. degree in the Science and Engineering of Materials.
Students admitted to the Master of Education degree program with a major in Secondary Education may elect physics or science education as the subject matter field. A Doctor of Education degree program option is also available. The M.Ed. and Ed.D. are offered and administered through the College of Education. See “Master of Education” for information on the M.Ed. degree. See “Doctor of Education” for information on the Ed.D. degree.
The master’s and doctoral programs are designed to prepare students for professional research careers in government, industrial, or academic institutions and for teaching at the university, college, or secondary school levels.
An evaluation of the progress of all graduate students is made during the spring semester by the Graduate Program Committee. Students whose progress is considered to be unsatisfactory are placed on probation. Failure to maintain a GPA of 3.00 in courses taken while enrolled as a graduate student, exclusive of research, thesis, and dissertation, is an indication of unsatisfactory progress and may result in dismissal from the program.
Courses can include up to six hours of 400-level courses (see “Graduate Credit Courses”). Timely attempts at examination are also required.
Teaching experience in undergraduate physics and astronomy laboratories and recitations is valuable training for graduate students and is considered part of the graduate program.
Departmental colloquia are an integral part of the graduate program. Regular attendance at colloquia is expected of all graduate students intending to earn graduate degrees.
MASTER OF SCIENCE
See “Master’s Degrees” for information on the M.S. degree.
Admission. To be admitted without deficiencies, entering graduate students should have adequate undergraduate preparation equivalent to an undergraduate major of 30 semester hours in physics and 20 semester hours in mathematics. Courses in analytic mechanics, electromagnetism, and modern physics, including quantum mechanics, are particularly important. Students applying for admission must submit scores for the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
Applicants for financial support must submit a score on the physics advanced examination of the GRE. Subsequent financial support in the form of teaching or research assistantships is contingent upon satisfactory performance in course work, timely completion of the final examination for the M.S. degree as described below, and need and availability of such support. Students on probation are offered financial support only under exceptional circumstances.
Program of Study. The faculty in the Department of Physics and Astronomy offer the M.S. degree under two options: Track I—emphasizing physics, and Track II—emphasizing one of the following related fields:
A supervisory committee is formed for each student, usually during the first year of study. In each case an appropriate program of study is selected with the approval of the supervisory committee. A research project resulting in a thesis is required of all students enrolled in the M.S. program.
TRACK I
Physics. An individual program of study, including courses in physics, astronomy, mathematics, or related subjects, is selected with the approval of the supervisory committee to make up a coherent program of graduate study. The courses and research project are to be conducted primarily within the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
TRACK II
Astronomy and Astrophysics. The AST graduate courses are taken plus the required graduate physics courses for the Track II M.S. program. The research project must be in the area of astronomy and astrophysics, conducted under the supervision of one or more faculty members of the Department of Physics and Astronomy who specialize in this subject.
Interdisciplinary Physics. The courses taken are approximately half in physics and half in some other subject area. The research project must be in an interdisciplinary area and conducted under the joint supervision of one faculty member from the Department of Physics and Astronomy and one faculty member from another department.
Technical Physics. The research project involves active collaboration with some industrial or government laboratory under the supervision of a faculty member from the Department of Physics and Astronomy and may be conducted either in the Department of Physics and Astronomy or in the outside laboratory. At least half the courses taken must be in physics.
Physics Teaching. The course of study and research are designed to prepare for a career in physics teaching, with appropriate modifications for teaching at the high school or community college level. At least half the courses taken must be in physics. Students participate in directed, evaluated teaching experiences.
Foreign Language Requirements. None.
Thesis Requirements. A thesis is required of all students obtaining the M.S. degree. Every student must obtain at least six semester hours in PHY 592 or PHY 599. However, no more than nine semester hours in these courses can be counted toward the 30 semester hours required for the M.S. degree.
Final Examinations. The final examination for the M.S. degree is an oral examination on the subject of the student’s thesis and on graduate course work taken.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
See “Doctor of Philosophy” for general requirements.
Admission. This program is designed for students of high ability who show promise for independent research. An applicant holding a baccalaureate degree should have the same undergraduate preparation as for admission to the master’s program. An applicant presenting acceptable graduate credit, earned at this or another institution must demonstrate mastery of this material on the comprehensive examinations (see “Written Comprehensive Examination” and “Oral Comprehensive Examination”).
Students applying for admission must submit scores for the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections of the GRE.
Applicants for financial support must submit a score on the physics advanced examination of the GRE. Subsequent financial support in the form of teaching or research assistantships is contingent upon satisfactory performance in course work, timely completion of examinations, including the written and oral Ph.D. comprehensive examinations as described below, and need and availability of such support. Students on probation are offered support only under exceptional circumstances. The period for which a Ph.D. candidate may receive financial support through the Department of Physics and Astronomy will not normally exceed six years.
Program of Study. In order to accommodate the needs for training in preparation for the wide variety of occupations of professional physicists and astrophysicists, in areas ranging from academic faculty to industrial research to administrative positions, doctoral degree programs are offered under two tracks: physics (Track I) and astrophysics, applied physics, or interdisciplinary physics (Track II). The goal is to provide, through course work and independent study, competence at advanced levels in fundamental, applied and interdisciplinary branches of physics and astronomy, and demonstrated ability in independent research.
Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program may obtain an “M.S. degree in passing” by satisfactorily filing and completing an M.S. Program of Study, obtaining a GPA of at least 3.00 in a set of core courses which total 24 semester hours, and passing a written comprehensive examination. The core courses shall be those designated for one of the tracks in the Ph.D. program. Graduate core courses satisfactorily completed at other institutions may be waived upon petition by the Graduate Program Committee. Up to nine semester hours of classroom-based courses may be substituted for core courses that are waived by the Graduate Program Committee.
Each student’s progress is overseen by a supervisory committee appointed for the student usually during the first year of study. This committee also approves the student’s program of study.
Track I
Physics. The student’s individual program includes courses selected, with the approval of the supervisory committee, to make up a coherent program for the achievement of these goals. The program may be directed toward either theoretical or experimental aspects, and frequently includes courses in cognate fields, particularly mathematics, depending on the student’s selected field.
Track II
Applied Physics. Under advisement by the supervisory committee, a program of study is selected with a major portion in physics and a minor portion (nine semester hours or more to be passed with at least a “B” average) in another area. The supervisory committee should include appropriate representation from the minor area.
Astronomy and Astrophysics. The following six AST 598 graduate courses are required for all students enrolled in the astronomy and astrophysics graduate program:
| AST I | Interstellar Medium and Gaseous Astrophysics |
| AST II | Galactic Structure |
| AST III | Stellar Interiors and Stellar Evolution |
| AST IV | Extragalactic Astronomy |
| AST V | Astronomical Data Taking and Data Reduction |
| AST VI | Cosmology and High Energy Astrophysics |
Course Requirements. The following basic core of courses, or their equivalents, is required of both Track I and Track II students:
| PHY 501 | Methods of Theoretical Physics (3) |
| PHY 521 | Classical Mechanics (3) |
| PHY 531 | Advanced Electricity and Magnetism (3) |
| PHY 541 | Statistical Physics (3) |
| Total: 12 |
In addition, the following courses are required of all Track I students:
| PHY 502 | Methods of Theoretical Physics (3) |
| PHY 532 | Electrodynamics (3) |
| PHY 576 | Quantum Theory (3) |
| PHY 577 | Quantum Theory (3) |
| Total: 12 |
Additional course work in both tracks is selected with the advisement and approval of the supervisory committee.
Foreign Language Requirements. None.
Comprehensive Examinations. The following examinations are required of all students intending to earn the Ph.D. degree.
Master of Science Degree in Passing. Students enrolled in the Ph.D. degree may be awarded an M.S. degree in passing.
Written Comprehensive Examination
Track I. The subject matter of this examination is classical and quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and electricity and magnetism, as represented by the courses PHY 521, 531, 532, 541, 576, and 577. The examination is given in two four-hour sessions on separate days, but there is no division of subject matter for the separate sessions.
Track II. This examination consists of parts A and B.
Part A emphasizes quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, and electricity and magnetism, as represented by the courses PHY 471, 472, 521, and 531, and is written in a four-hour examination period.
For all Track II students except astronomy and astrophysics students, Part B is a written examination prepared by the student’s supervisory committee and approved by the graduate examination committee. The Part B Track II examination for astronomy and astrophysics students is prepared by the astrophysics subcommittee of the graduate examination committee, and is based mostly on the course material presented in the AST courses. Part B of the Track II exam is given within three days after the Part A exam. The Part B exam for astronomy and astrophysics students is graded by the astrophysics faculty; Part B for all other Track II students is graded by their supervisory committee, under the supervision of the graduate examination committee.
The written comprehensive examination is normally given twice yearly, approximately during registration weeks of the fall and spring semesters. Ph.D. candidates must attempt the examination before the beginning of their fifth semester as full-time students in the physics graduate program and must pass the examination before the beginning of the sixth semester.
Oral Comprehensive Examination
Ph.D. candidates are required to pass the oral comprehensive examination by the end of their sixth semester as full-time students in the physics graduate program. The examination is administered and graded by the student’s supervisory committee. It tests the student’s general knowledge of one of the following four broad areas of current activity in physics:
The area tested is to be chosen by the student at the time of scheduling of the examination. The student may request to be examined on specific subjects in addition to one of the above areas. In all cases, a student’s specific dissertation topic, should it exist at the time of the examination, is to be excluded from the material covered by the examination.
Dissertation Requirements. A dissertation representing an original contribution to the field, as a result of independent work suitable for publication in a refereed physics or astronomy journal, is required.
Final Examinations. A final oral examination that covers, but is not necessarily limited to, the subject of the dissertation is required.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
The Department of Physics and Astronomy is engaged in a large number and a broad spectrum of research activities. The following is a list of current and recent research interests of the faculty.
Applied Physics. Mechanisms of inelastic effects of particle-solid interactions; surface characterization and depth-profiling by secondary ion mass spectrometry and sputter-induced photon spectroscopy; surface structure determination by low-energy ion-scattering spectrometry; and scanning tunneling microscopy.
Astronomy and Astrophysics. Comets, hydrodynamic studies of compact stellar objects and of novae outbursts; ultraviolet observations of novae in eruption; stellar atmosphere studies of supernovae, novae, and cool stars; pulsating white dwarfs and hot, evolved stars; studies of the interstellar medium, ionized regions and dust in our galaxy; normal galaxies; 21 cm HI studies of galaxies; stellar populations; dynamics and kinematics of galaxies; classification of spiral galaxies; clusters of galaxies; galaxy formation and evolution; distribution of matter in space; quasars and active galaxies.
Experimental Condensed Matter Physics. Lattice dynamics of crystals near the covalent-ionic boundary; superionic conductors; optical studies at very high pressures; NMR and related magnetic measurements in small particles and metal ammonia compounds; resonance Raman spectroscopic studies of electron-phonon interactions and Raman and Brillouin scattering studies of phonon-phonon interactions; picosecond and frequency domain Raman studies of semiconductors; dielectric measurements of various polymer systems; scattering by transverse waves in polymers; tandom interferometer studies of polymer dynamics; EXAFS studies of local environments in solids; magnetic and structural properties of compositionally layered materials; magnetic properties of metallic thin films; organic low-dimensional conductors; and spin glasses.
Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics. Resonance Raman scattering; development of techniques for photoacoustic measurement of the photophysical properties of biological molecules; electronic structure of solids; band gap levels in semiconductors due to defects and surfaces; dynamics and transport properties of perfect and imperfect crystals; electron-phonon interaction, phonons in superfluid He; and ab initio calculations of the structural and electronic properties of semiconductor surfaces.
Diffraction Physics. Development of techniques and the theoretical basis for electron microscopy and electron diffraction; the design and construction of electron optical instruments and attachments; determination of the structures of crystals and of their defects and disorder by the scattering of electrons and the generation of secondary radiation using ultra high-resolution microscopy; scanning transmission electron microscopy; microdiffraction, and microanalysis; the structure and reactions of solid surfaces studied by high resolution imaging, diffraction, and spectroscopies; channeling phenomena and their application in the analysis of crystals; the electronic states of surfaces and defects in solids; scanning Auger spectroscopy; growth of overlayers on surfaces.
Theoretical High Energy and Particle Physics. Dispersion relation phenomenology; pion-nucleon scattering and associated reactions; current algebra; models of chiral symmetry breaking; electromagnetic interactions of hadrons; gauge field theories; and unified gauge field theories.
Experimental Nuclear Physics. Meson physics, including pion-induced reactions (such as pion-nucleon and pion-nucleus scattering, charge exchange, and absorption), pion decay and meson photoproduction; proton-nucleus scattering and reactions at medium energies; polarization measurements, including observables for polarized targets; electron scattering and electro-nuclear reactions in few-body systems; studies of nucleon resonances with real and virtual photons; studies of subnuclear degrees of freedom.
Theoretical Nuclear Physics. Charge exchange reactions of pions with light nuclei; three-body problems; kaonic and antiprotonic atoms; electron-nucleus interactions; and nuclear form factors.
Science Education. Theoretical and experimental work related to the development of advanced logical and analogical reasoning, and problem solving heuristics and concepts through science instruction; attitudes towards science; role of peer interaction; evaluation of preservice and in-service teacher education programs; role of cultural influences.
Omnibus Graduate Courses: See omnibus graduate courses that may be offered.
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