The Prelim
The oral preliminary examination is given to determine formal candidacy for the PhD degree. Basically it tests the student's readiness to begin research work in his or her chosen specialty. It is given after the student has passed the qualifying examination and has begun thesis research. The department requires that the preliminary examination be taken no later than the fourth semester of enrollment in Physics 597 with the same research advisor, except under unusual circumstances. A complete set of instructions for the prelim is available in PDF format. A brief summary follows below:
Administrative Details
Once a student has begun working with a research advisor (Physics 597) and they agree to collaborate on a thesis project, the student should make an appointment with the Associate Head for Graduate Programs in order to identify appropriate committee members for the preliminary exam. An examination committee is appointed for each candidate by the Dean of the Graduate College on recommendation of the Associate Head for Grad. Programs. The examination committee must consist of at least four members, all of whom must be members of the graduate faculty, with a majority of members from the Physics Department, and at least two tenured faculty members. In the Department of Physics, the committee is usually composed of the thesis adviser, a theorist, and an experimentalist, with one from the general area of the student's specialty, and a fourth member from outside that specialty. The chairman of the committee must not be the research advisor but is usually the member from the same general area of the student's specialty.
The preliminary examination is basically a review of a student's proposal for thesis research, in the form of a paper of no more than 15 pages, including figures and bibliography. The paper should explain the rationale for the project, the problem to be studied, the methods to be employed, and the expected results. While the paper forms the basis for the prelim, the committee will not focus exclusively on this topic, but will include more general questions on the physics fundamental to the proposed thesis. The examination will also test familiarity with basic literature in the field.
It is the candidate's responsibility to contact each member of his or her prelim committee and to schedule a date and two-hour time slot for the exam that all the committee members can attend. The Physics Graduate Office must be notified of the agreed-upon time at least three weeks in advance. Committee members must receive a final copy of the paper at least two weeks before the exam. At this time, the student must also provide the Physics Graduate Program Office with a final copy of the paper. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that any needed A/V equipment is reserved and working properly in advance of the prelim examination.
Most conference rooms do have overhead projectors kept in them, but if you need to reserve a portable projector, staff members in Room 213/233 Loomis and Room 38 Loomis can assist with reserving A/V equipment.
After successfully completing the preliminary exam, students may register for Physics 599, "Thesis Research," for subsequent terms
If you have further questions about the prelim or scheduling your prelim, contact the Associate Head for Graduate Programs (227 Loomis, 217-333-3645).