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2016-2017 University Catalog
Physics, PhD
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Banner Code: SC-PHD-PHYS
College: College of Science
Department: Physics and Astronomy
All doctoral students accepted into the Physics, PhD take a common core of four courses (see below). By working with the dissertation committee, a student may choose to specialize in an emphasis area such as astrophysics, biophysics, nonlinear physics, planetary sciences, material physics, space weather physics, or others according to his or her particular interests. By the end of their first year, all students should pair with a faculty advisor who will guide them toward doctoral candidacy.
Admission Requirements
Those holding a baccalaureate degree in physics or astronomy from a regionally accredited institution, who earned a GPA of 3.00 (out of 4.00) or higher in their last 60 credits, and received acceptable scores on the GRE-GEN are invited to apply for admission. Three letters of recommendation must be submitted, preferably from former professors. The GRE subject test in physics is highly recommended for all interested applicants who received their baccalaureate degrees within the past five years. A degree-seeking graduate applicant with a baccalaureate degree who has not met all admission requirements may be offered provisional admission if sufficient evidence is presented to suggest that the applicant has the ability to pursue graduate work. For more details concerning admission requirements to George Mason University please refer to the Admissions section of this catalog.
Reduction of Credit
For students entering the doctoral program with a master’s degree in a related field from a regionally accredited institution, the number of required credits may be reduced up to 30 credits, subject to approval of the program faculty and the college’s associate dean. See the Graduate Policies section of this catalog for more information.
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Degree Requirements
Students must satisfy all requirements for doctoral degrees expressed in the Graduate Policies section of this catalog.
Doctoral Coursework (48 credits)
Physics Core (12 credits)
Note: The doctoral candidacy (qualifying) examination is based on the topics covered in these four core courses:
Qualifying Examination
All students must successfully pass the four individual sections (quantum mechanics, electromagnetic theory, classical mechanics, and statistical mechanics) of a qualifying examination. The four topics in the qualifying exam are covered in the four core courses (PHYS 684 , PHYS 685 , PHYS 705 , and PHYS 711 ). All four sections of the qualifying exam will be offered twice a year, typically in the week before the start of the fall and spring semesters. A student can choose to take a particular section or a combination of sections at one sitting. Grades of “pass” or “unsatisfactory” will be given individually for each of the four sections of the exam. If a student receives a grade of “unsatisfactory” in a given section of the exam, he/she is allowed to retake that section in the next cycle but a student must satisfactorily pass all sections of the exam by the end of the third year from the date of enrollment in the PhD program. Students entering the program with equivalent courses taken at another institution can satisfy the core requirement by taking the qualifying exam without taking the course.
At the beginning of each academic year, the program director will appoint members to the qualifying examination committee. This committee is responsible for creating, administering, and grading the qualifying exams offered that year. Additional information and previous qualifying exams can be found here.
Dissertation Committee and Program of Study
Upon successful completion of the qualifying examinations, a dissertation committee should be formed by the student as soon as possible. This chair of this committee must be a graduate faculty member from the Department of Physics and Astronomy . The committee must include at least two additional members from the graduate faculty, one of whom must be from outside the Department of Physics and Astronomy . The composition of the committee must be approved by the program director. The dissertation committee is responsible for directing the student in their chosen field of research. The student should work closely with their committee to select specialty courses and electives that form a cohesive program of study. The student’s program of study must be approved by the dean before advancement to candidacy.
Specialty Science Courses (6 credits)
Students must complete two out of the following four physics and astronomy electives:
General Science Electives (27 credits)
27 credits of approved general electives and preliminary research credits:
Advancement to Candidacy
Before a student may be advanced to doctoral candidacy, he/she needs to complete all required coursework, pass the qualifying examination, have the program of study and dissertation proposal approved by the dean, and be recommended by the dissertation committee. Advancement to doctoral candidacy implies that the student has demonstrated adequate breadth and depth of knowledge in the field of study and is capable of conducting research on the boundaries of knowledge.
Doctoral Dissertation
After advancing to doctoral candidacy, the student works with their dissertation committee to develop their preliminary research into a doctoral dissertation. The dissertation research should represent a significant contribution to its scientific field and should be deemed publishable in a refereed scientific journal. The dissertation must be defended in a public forum before the dissertation committee and other interested faculty.
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