Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Record 2010-2011 
    
Graduate Record 2010-2011 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Physics


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Degree Requirements


The Master’s Program


Three master’s-level degrees are offered in the Physics Department. Candidates for the M.S. degree must pass thirty credits of approved courses, present a thesis, and defend it in an oral examination. The M.A. degree requres 24 credits of approved courses. The M.A.P.E. (Master of Arts in Physics Education) degree is designed to provide middle school physical science and high school physics teachers with a strong background in physics. Courses numbered in the 6000s are taken to satisfy the requirements for this degree. Typically M.A.P.E. students take two courses in the summer in residence at UVa and one distance learning course in the academic year, totaling ten credits each year to complete the required thirty credits in two and a half years.

The Ph.D. Program


Unless credit for advanced standing is given by the departmental advisor, Ph.D. candidates must pass 11 departmentally required courses (six specified “core courses” and five departmental electives) in addition to seven other courses passed with a letter grade (not S or U) and 18 additional credits that can include non-topical research.

Qualifying Examination


Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must pass a qualifying examination in the subjects of classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics. The material for this examination is covered in the six core courses, which should be completed by the end of the second semester.

Research and Thesis Requirements


Ph.D. candidates must present a dissertation on their research, that is satisfactory to their research advisor. The dissertation must be defended in an oral examination.

The Engineering Physics Program


The Department of Physics also offers an engineering physics degree program jointly administrated with the School of Graduate Engineering and Applied Science. The engineering physics program offers the flexibility of pursuing an advanced degree in interdisciplinary fields defined by the student. Students seeking the Ph.D. degree in this program must satisfy the engineering physics degree course requirements: four each in physics and engineering and two in mathematics. In addition, students must also satisfy any other general requirements listed in the School of Graduate Engineering chapter of this Record. Students must choose a research advisor and declare a concentration in the Engineering School within the fall semester of their first year. The qualifying examination for a Ph.D. consists of an oral examination following a written examination with components from both physics and engineering.

Professional Development Courses for Teachers


Note: Courses numbered in the 6000s are offered for the professional development of K-12 teachers to improve competency in physics and to assist them in obtaining endorsement or recertification. In the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, these courses count for degree credit only for the M.A.P.E. degree.

Advanced Graduate Courses


Courses primarily for students seeking M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in physics.

Physics Colloquium


The faculty and graduate students meet weekly for the presentation by a visiting speaker of recent work in the physical sciences.

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