The Doctoral Program in Physics

Introduction

Graduate programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy are offered in a number of concentration areas: astrophysics; atomic, molecular, optical, and low temperature physics; biophysics; chemical physics; condensed matter and surface physics; elementary particle physics; mathematical and computational physics; nanomaterials; nuclear and relativistic heavy ion physics; and theoretical physics.

Admission Requirements

A student who enrolls in graduate study with the intention of attaining an advanced degree in physics will have completed an undergraduate major in physics or its equivalent. Physics 311-312, 321, 361, 431-432, 421, 461, and 411-412 constitute the minimum courses prerequisite to graduate study.

A student who intends to present physics as a graduate minor will have completed an undergraduate minor in physics or its equivalent. Physics 311 and 431-432 constitute the minimum coursework prerequisite to a minor in physics.

In addition to meeting the graduate schools minimum requirements, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (general and subject).

All first-year graduate students are required, for advising purposes only, to take a diagnostic examination in undergraduate physics during the fall semester registration period.

The Ph.D. Curriculum

All students are expected to take the graduate core curriculum in physics consisting of the following courses: Physics 521-22, 531, 541, 551, and 571. Students specializing in chemical physics may substitute Chemistry 572 for Physics 551, and should complete at least 6 semester hours from Chemistry 570, 571, 670. Students must take a minimum of 15 hours of 600-level courses, with 6 of these hours in their area of specialization. Physics 601-02 are normally required of students specializing in atomic physics; Physics 621-22 of students in nuclear physics; Physics 626-27 of students in elementary particle physics (and/or Physics 611-12 for students specializing in theoretical high-energy physics); and Physics 671-72 of students in condensed matter and surface physics.

To be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy students must: a) fulfill all general requirements by the Graduate School, b) pass the qualifying examination, c) have at least a 3.0 GPA on the graduate core curriculum in physics, d) form a doctoral committee and e) pass the comprehensive examination.

The Qualifying Exam

The qualifying examination is designed to test the student’s general knowledge of the fundamentals of physics. The performance needed to pass this examination corresponds to a mature command of the material typically included in the undergraduate physics major curriculum. The qualifying examination will be offered twice a year (August and January). Students in the Ph.D. program are allowed up to two chances to take the exam and must pass within one and a half years of arrival. Based on the student’s performance on a) the qualifying examinations, b) the course work, c) the GRE scores and d) optional research participation, the faculty will decide if the student will be allowed to continue in the Ph.D. program. Students who do not pass within one and a half years (17 or 19 months, depending on whether the student enrolls in August or January, respectively) will not be admitted to candidacy but may pursue a terminal master's.

For the first part of the qualifying exam, only a calculator will be allowed. For the second part, the exam committee will announce a list of specific reference books that are allowed or release a prepared collection of reference information.

Information on the August 2007 Qualifying Exam

Students are required to find a research advisor and form a doctoral committee before the end of the second year of study. This committee is responsible for advising the student and monitoring his/her progress towards the doctoral degree.

The Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive examination is designed to test the students on: a) specific knowledge and skills in the areas essential to the student’s research program; b) capability to successfully complete the doctoral dissertation, and; c) general knowledge of the graduate core curriculum. The Graduate School REQUIRES that the student pass a written exam and encourages an additional oral exam. The written exam in the physics department is the original research proposal. This should be a 10-to-15 page document describing the proposed research topic (What?), the motivation for the proposed research (Why?) and the proposed methods (How?). The document must include relevant factual material and a literature review. The document must be given to each member of the student's committee AT LEAST ONE WEEK before the oral part of the examination.

The dissertation topic will be chosen with reference to one of the fields in which research facilities can be made available either at The University of Tennessee laboratories in Knoxville; The University of Tennessee Space Institute at Tullahoma, Tennessee; the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee; or at other research facilities used by the University faculty.

The oral part of the examination consists of two parts. Part 1 is an oral presentation and defense of the research proposal. Part 2 consists of questions by committee members about any aspect of the student's preparation for the proposed research and may include fundamental questions about the foundations of the physics. The oral part is public and must be announced AT LEAST ONE WEEK in advance.

The student must pass both the written and the oral part of the comprehensive exam. If the student passes, the written part (i.e., the research proposal) will be submitted to the physics department archive and will become a public document. The comprehensive examination must be passed prior to admission to candidacy and must be passed before the end of the third year of study.

Other Sites of Interest

The University of Tennessee Graduate School
(Information for current and prospective students)

Forms for Graduate Students
(Admission to Candidacy, etc.)

The University of Tennessee Graduate Catalog
(Includes admission requirements, course descriptions, etc.)