Physics Courses Considerations
8 hours of credit is the minimum allowed for those students holding a 50% assistantship. The maximum load permitted by the University for registration is 20 hours for fall and spring terms and 12 hours over the summer.
Students holding fellowships must register for at least 12 hours during fall and spring semester and at least 4 hours over the summer.
Graduate orientation course for new students (required):
PHYS 596 (credit = 1 hour)
Meets on Fridays from 10:30 to 11:50 during first half of term.
Undergraduate courses helpful in preparation for the Qualifying Exam.
| Graduate credit is earned for these courses. | |
|---|---|
| PHYS 326 | Mechanics and Relativity II |
| PHYS 436 | Electromagnetic Fields and Sources II |
| PHYS 427 | Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics |
| PHYS 486 & PHYS 487 | Quantum Physics I & II |
| Breadth courses (everyone must pass two of these before taking prelim exam) | |
|---|---|
| PHYS 560 or PHYS 569 | Condensed Matter Physics I or Emergent States of Matter (only one of these counts toward breadth requirement) |
| PHYS 550 | Biomolecular Physics |
| PHYS 570 | Subatomic Physics |
| PHYS 540 | Theoretical Astrophysics |
| PHYS 513 or PHYS 514 | Quantum Optics & Information or Modern Atomic Physics (only one of these counts toward breadth requirement) |
| Special topics courses offered for the Fall 2009 term | |
|---|---|
| PHYS 598 MN | Major Topics in Mesoscopics and Nanophysics |
| PHYS 598 PTD | Physics in Two Dimensions |
PHYS 597 (Individual Study) and PHYS 599 (Thesis Research) are arranged with specific faculty members. (1 - 16 hours)
Frequently PHYS 597 marks the beginning of a research relationship with a faculty member.
PHYS 599 (thesis research) cannot be taken until after the prelim is passed.