The following summarizes the coursework/written component of the Qualifying Exam Procedure for Ph.D. for students who entered the program in Fall 2018 or later.
To qualify for candidacy, students must demonstrate competency in 4 of the following 5 courses: Classical Mechanics (601), Electrodynamics (606), Quantum I (614), Quantum II (615) and Statistical Physics (602). Competence in any particular course shall be demonstrated using either of the following methods (both are not required):
- Passing the course with a B or better.
- Passing the qualifying exam for that course with 55% or better.
Four out of five courses must meet the standard above. The fifth course is then considered adequate for qualification if the grade is B- or better or the qualifying exam is scored at 45% or better.
Qualifying exams, when offered, take place shortly before the start of the corresponding core course. Because they are optional, Students must request a qualifying exam by [date TBD].
Qualifying exams are written by the members of the Graduate Curriculum Committee. Students may request a qualifying exam without taking the corresponding course, although this request must be approved by the Graduate Program Director and is not generally recommended. A passing grade on the qualifier (55% or better) will generate an automatic waiver from the Graduate Program Director for the corresponding core course requirement.
Qualifying exams are graded double-blind, meaning that faculty do not know whose paper they are grading, and students do not know by whom their exams were graded. All problems have at least two graders for quality control.
In rare cases, and under exceptional circumstances, the department may opt to offer a student a "Q exam." The goal of the Q exam is to help a student advance to candidacy when their course or final grades are close, but not quite sufficient to merit qualification. In this case, the Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC) will pose a question or questions to aid in focusing the student on their perceived areas of weakness. The student will prepare solutions to these problem and then be questioned on them, and related topics, at the Q exam.
Complete details of the coursework/written component of the quals can be found in the Physics Graduate Program Handbook.
A note about the role of the Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC)
The GCC consists of faculty teaching graduate courses, plus the Graduate Program Director. They have primary responsibility for both graduate curriculum and the qualification procedure. Their responsibilities include the following:
- Providing guidelines for the the core graduate courses. This includes creation of a list of required topics to be covered in each course and ensuring that the guidelines are followed.
- Writing and administering mid-semester and end-of-semester student surveys for the core courses. The surveys will ask questions about coverage of material specific to the course and student understanding. The data are collected and reviewed by the GCC.
- Preparing and grading the final exams of all core courses, except for Math Methods (that exam is written and administered by the instructor). The exams are administered to students during the final exam period and will consist of three problems, to be completed in four hours. Students who are registered with Disability Services and require specific accommodations when taking exams should contact the Graduate Program Director to ensure compliance. Instructors of the respective core courses will review a draft of the final exam for their course and provide feedback to the GCC, although course instructors do not write the questions. The exams are graded in a double-blind manner (anonymously, and by two independent graders who must reconcile any difference in their scores).
- Recommending to the full faculty a pass/fail decision for each individual exam administered by the GCC, with 55% as a guideline for the passing threshold.
- In rare cases, administering the Q exam as described in the Physics Graduate Program Handbook.
Impact on Financial Support
Failure to pass the written component of the Qualifying Procedure prior to the end of the fifth semester in the program will result in removal from the Physics doctoral program, but usually allowing one term to complete an M.S. degree, if necessary. Financial assistance cannot be guaranteed during any additional semester used to complete an M.S. degree.
Department of Physics