Physics, Ph.D.

Program Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

The program aims to prepare students for careers in scientific research or teaching.  Formal course work provides a broad treatment of fundamental physics as well as an introduction to specialized physics topics.  Original research, the central component of the Doctor of Philosophy program, is intended both to establish the student as a scientific researcher and to expand humanity’s knowledge of the physical universe.

Contact Information

Thomas White, Graduate Program Director
Leifson Physics 101
(775) 682-6614
tgwhite@unr.edu

Admission Requirements

Admissions are made through the graduate school.   Please consult the regulations of the Graduate School for general admission requirements.  Admissions may be done online at http://www.unr.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/apply-now.  The deadline for completed applications is March 1st.  The deadline for Spring applications is November 1st; however, the department discourages applications for Spring under ordinary circumstances.

I. Program Requirements

Candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy degree must satisfy all general requirements of the Graduate School.

Before being accepted as a candidate, the student must have completed at least 75 percent of the non-elective, non-dissertation coursework, and have passed a comprehensive examination on graduate level material in physics. The following courses or their equivalents must be satisfactorily completed for the doctoral degree in physics:

• PHYS 701 - Mathematical Physics (3 units)
• PHYS 702 - Classical Mechanics (3 units)
• PHYS 711 - Electromagnetic Theory I (3 units)
• PHYS 712 - Electromag Theory II (3 units)
• PHYS 721 - Quantum Theory I (3 units)
• PHYS 722 - Quantum Theory II (3 units)
• PHYS 732 - Statistical Mechanics (3 units)
• PHYS 790 - Seminar (1 unit) (3 units required)
• Units selected from other 700-level physics and/or mathematics courses (maximum of six units in
  PHYS 792
   ) (14 units)
• Approved electives (9 units)
• PHYS 795 - Comprehensive Examination (1 unit)
• PHYS 799 - Dissertation (1 to 24 units) (24 units required)

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  The completion of a dissertation and a final oral examination are required. These are directed by the student’s graduate advisory committee.

II. Total Credits (72 units)

Notes

Graduate students who hold a 20-hour per week assistantship are not permitted to enroll in more than 10 units per semester.

Undergraduate Prerequisites

1. A bachelor’s degree in physics or related discipline.
2. Completion of undergraduate courses in classical mechanics; electricity and magnetism; thermal and statistical physics; and quantum mechanics.
3.  An average grade of 3.0 or better in all physics courses, and an overall average of 3.0 or better in all undergraduate courses.

Applicants whose records indicate a deficiency in any of the requirements listed above may be required to take undergraduate courses (which do not carry graduate credit) to address their deficiencies.