PhD in Physics
program description
The Department of Physics offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Physics that consists of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor's level or at least 54 hours beyond the master's level. The program puts emphasis on Quantum Science but also offers education and research opportunities in other traditional areas consistent with faculty strength. The program is designed to provide excellent education and training in computational and experimental Physics and to prepare students for academic, industrial, and government jobs.
admission requirements
The following admission requirements will be pursued:
- Bachelor's degree in Physics or a related discipline from an accredited university in the United States. Proof of a similar degree will be required for international students.
- Minimum GPA of 3.3. Students with one or more years of career-related physics expertise may petition to have the minimum GPA requirement reconsidered.
- Official transcripts of previous academic degrees
- Official TOEFL scores as per UTEP Graduate School policy.
- Two letters of recommendation from individuals who are qualified to comment on the potential of the applicant.
- Curriculum vitae
- Statement of purpose from the applicant detailing research interests, reason for application, and future career plans.
degree requirements
The PhD degree will require 72 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor's level. A student entering with a master's degree in physics may transfer up to 18 semester credit hours with the approval of the Graduate advisor and graduate committee. Students that do not meet the prerequisites for the courses may need to take leveling courses. Each case will be individually determined by the Graduate advisor.
Students entering with a bachelor's degree are required to take 42 semester credit hours of course work. This includes four core and three required courses, one prescribed elective and six free elective courses. The students will need to pass the qualifying examinations by the fourth semester.
Students entering with an MS degree can transfer up to 18 semester credit hours of credit for the lecture courses. If credit for any core course is transferred, the student will have to pass the qualifying exam for the transferred course(s) by the end of the first academic year.
In the third year, students will have to write and defend a proposal for their doctoral research. All students will have to write a dissertation based on their original research and defend it to their dissertation committee to earn the degree.
doctoral research
Doctoral students must complete at least 24 hours of original doctoral research in addition to the 42 hours of graduate courses. The student must work under the supervision of one of the graduate faculty members of the program. The student can take one or more of the graduate research courses as advised by the graduate advisor and the research advisor.
doctoral dissertation
All graduate students must complete a dissertation based on their original research. The dissertation will be supervised by the dissertation advisor, in consultation with a dissertation committee consisting of at least three members, at least one of whom must be a graduate faculty member from outside the Department of Physics. The candidate will present a dissertation proposal for approval by the dissertation committee in the third year. Upon completion of the dissertation, the student must successfully defend their work; part of the defense will be public. The dissertation committee will be responsible for administering the final oral defense and will have the responsibility of determining whether the written dissertation and its oral presentation and defense are acceptable. The student will need to take PHYS 6398 (Dissertation I) and PHYS 6399 (Dissertation II) to complete the supervised dissertation. Dissertation II will be taken until the dissertation is submitted.
Degree Plan PhD Physics
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| Required: | ||
| PHYS 6321 | Mechanics | 3 |
| PHYS 6341 | Electrodynamics I | 3 |
| PHYS 6361 | Quantum Mechanics I | 3 |
| PHYS 6365 | Advanced Statistical Mechanic | 3 |
| Additional Required Courses: | ||
| PHYS 6195 | Seminar (3 semesters required) | 3 |
| PHYS 6342 | Electrodynamics II | 3 |
| PHYS 6362 | Quantum Mechanics II | 3 |
| Prescribed Electives (Select one course) | 3 | |
| Mathematical Physics | ||
| Experimental Methods | ||
| Electives (Select 6 courses) | 18 | |
| Nuclear and Particle Physics | ||
| Atomic and Molecular Physics | ||
| Density Functional Theory A-Z | ||
| Spin Physics | ||
| Quantum Computing | ||
| Solid State Physics | ||
| Computational Biophysics | ||
| Astrophysics | ||
| Experimental Methods (May be taken only if not taken as a prescribed elective) | ||
| Mathematical Physics (May only be taken if not taken as a prescribed elective) | ||
| Doctoral Research | ||
| Complete 24 hours: | 24 | |
| Doctoral Research | ||
| Doctoral research | ||
| Doctoral Research | ||
| Doctoral Dissertation | ||
| PHYS 6398 | Dissertation I | 3 |
| PHYS 6399 | Dissertation II | 3 |
| Total Hours | 72 | |