Introduction
The first year is very important in getting you started on the right track in Graduate School. It is discussed in more detail in Chapter 2. Some aspects of subsequent years are covered in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 outlines the specific requirements for a Master of Science degree (M.S.) in physics. The requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in physics are discussed in Chapter 5. The policies of the Physics Graduate Program concerning graduate students, including those concerning the written qualifying and oral preliminary examinations and financial aid, are contained in Chapter 6.
The expectations indicated here are not cast in stone, and will be modified to your individual circumstances with the help of your advisor and/or the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) if necessary.
We have made every effort to make this handbook consistent with the more authoritative Graduate School Catalog, which is available on-line at http://www.grad.umn.edu/catalog/index.html. In the event of any conflict, you should always refer to the Graduate School Catalog. If you find any errors or misleading statements in this Handbook, please bring them to the attention of the DGS.
Also, this Handbook is not a substitute for detailed discussions with your faculty advisor. When you first arrive, you are assigned a preacademic adviser to guide you in course selection and other related academic matters. Communicate with him/her as often as you feel necessary to make sure you are on the right track, but you should see him/her at least once every semester near the beginning. If your preacademic adviser is not available, contact the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). This should continue until you find a research adviser.
As soon as feasible (typically during the second year), you will choose a research advisor, who will have more effect on your graduate career than any person other than yourself. If you have questions that your advisor cannot answer, either you or your advisor should direct them to the DGS.
Goals of Physics Graduate Education:
The main goal of the graduate education in our department is to train students so that they can lead a productive life doing independent research. To accomplish this goal, we provide students with research opportunities, which are typically done over the last three years of students’ life in the department.
Most students will need to take additional coursework beyond that they had in their undergraduate education. This takes about two years in the beginning of their career.
Milestones
Since the aptitudes to carry out a productive research depend on various factors, we have a few different means to measure them, and advise students about their path based on the outcome. We may advise some students to leave our program so that those without appropriate aptitude for physics research will not waste excessive amount of life staying in our department. For example,
- 1. We have a minimum standard for the GPA of the core classes (classical, quantum and statistical mechanics) to make sure students have minimum knowledge of basic physics.
- 2. You must pass the written qualifying exam (GWE for Graduate Written Examination) to make sure you have working knowledge of undergraduate physics.
- 3. During the Preliminary Oral examination (we usually call it “Oral”) we examine if a student was able to get ready to start research by collecting and studying background knowledge for the proposed research, and understanding its significance, understanding its rough methodology and how it is different from the previous research in the area.
Those students who fall short of the standard in these measures will be asked to work towards the MS degrees instead of a PhD.
In addition, we survey your progress once a year (in spring) to help you as well as the department assess if you are making satisfactory progress towards your degree. If the progress is not satisfactory, we need to figure out the causes, and hopefully possible remedy for the problem. Since communication between the student and his/her adviser is important, but not always attended to, the annual progress report gives them an opportunity to come to a common understanding on the scope of the work expected of the student and how s/he can get to the end.
The First year
The goal for your first year is to carefully examine your talents and interests and preparation for research in your chosen area of interest. The Department provides several tools to help you launch your career. These include courses to provide a sound grounding in Physics, a Colloquium and seminars to introduce you to current research directions, and a teaching experience to begin developing leadership and communication skills. The first year gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your abilities in all of these areas. You will have your first opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of physics by getting good grades in course work (GPA of 3.5 is desirable, a 3.0 may be acceptable under certain circumstances), and passing the graduate written examination (see Chapter 2).
A good way to reach your goals for the first year is to take every opportunity to learn about the research activities here by talking to faculty members, post docs, and graduate students who are involved in the research. Much of the practice of physics is passed on within the research community by an oral tradition. Graduate school is the first step in becoming a member of that community. You should try to learn as much as possible from the other people around you. There are many different types of physics being done at the University of Minnesota by both faculty and graduate students. Your graduate career is the opportunity to learn one aspect of physics deeply while being aware of how that aspect fits into the broader spectrum of science.
The weekly Colloquium brings in the "hot" physicists from all over the world to talk about their current work at a general level. Periodic seminars in specialized research areas (announced in a Weekly Calendar) might be more difficult for you to follow but will give you the flavor of current research problems in more depth. Some of the groups offer informal "Sack Lunch" seminars which are a good way to learn about the basics of a research area and are often given by senior graduate students. Everyone here loves to talk about their work so you should take every opportunity to ask faculty members, research staff, and students about the research they're doing.
By Spring Semester of your first year, you should begin discussions with faculty members about possibilities of doing research with them. An important goal is to have a summer research appointment. The Department offers a special Introduction to Research Seminar in order to help you identify those specialties in which you have an interest; you should register for these seminars, (one credit of Physics 5980). When you find you are interested in a particular specialty, you should seek out people in that area to talk to about your research opportunities with them. Suggestions for possible areas of research will also come from your discussions with other graduate students and faculty members. Get into the habit of browsing through some of the more important journals (for example, Physical Review Letters and Physics Letters) in Walter Library (Walter Library is the building directly across the Mall) or on the Web so that you will become familiar with what kind of work is being done in various sub-fields of physics. See Chapter 2 for more suggestions about starting research.
If everything goes well, by the end of the first year, you should be well-acquainted with many faculty members and graduate students, you will be working in a research group during the summer, you will have finished at least 24 credits of coursework with mostly A's and you have passed the graduate written examination. You will then be ready for the second year of graduate school.
During the second year, your goal should be to complete substantially all of the requirements for your final degree (either the M.S. or the Ph.D.) with the exception of the Ph.D. thesis research. You will likely be taking advanced courses (Phys 8xxx) in your chosen research area, and learning enough about your research area in order to devote full time to research by your third year. If your goal is an M.S., you will graduate at the end of the year.
If you are an M.S. student, you should choose a research advisor early in this year if you have not done so already and elect either a Plan A or a Plan B Master's Degree (see Chapter 4 for more details). Before the beginning of Spring Semester you should be deeply involved in your M.S. thesis or project/paper with the goal of finishing well before the end of Spring Semester. A three-member faculty committee will review your thesis or project/paper and give you a final oral examination for the M.S. degree.
If you are a Ph.D. student, this is the year you must pass the written examination in the Fall (if you have not already done so), choose a research advisor, file a Degree Program Form (all forms that you have to file over your years at the Graduate School are listed in the tables at the end of this Chapter) and prepare for the preliminary oral examination. You should attempt to finish all basic coursework by the end of this year; however, some of the specialized advanced graduate courses are only offered every other year so you might have to wait until the third year to complete them. By the second semester you should be spending at least half of your time working in a research group to hone your skills.
By the end of this year, your research skills should be well advanced. You will have demonstrated your abilities on an initial project assigned by your research advisor. During the summer you will have support doing research that you expect will lead to your Ph.D. thesis. By now you and your research advisor will have discussed the question of a thesis topic in some detail and you both have an understanding of how your thesis work will progress. Make sure you read some theses of other students in your field to get a good idea of what will be expected.
During your third year you should pass your preliminary oral examination and filed a Thesis Proposal form with the Graduate School. You should expect to complete your Ph.D. from four to six years after entering graduate school. The precise time depends on your own preparation, perseverance, and the fortunes of research. The average time in our Department is about 5.5 years. Your third and subsequent years are dominated by your research, by writing your thesis, and the very practical consideration of searching for a job. This period, of course, is subject to the most variability because your thesis work is, by its nature, original work that has never been done before. Because there are always factors you cannot control, you must make timely progress on those parts of the research work that you can. Both students and advisors have a definite responsibility to insure completion of the degree requirements in a reasonable time. Make sure to attend every thesis defense in fields even remotely related to your own. At least once per semester you should have a formal discussion with your research advisor about the progress you have made and the schedule for completion of your degree. These discussions should also include the knowledge and skills that you need in order to be qualified for the job that you desire after graduate school. Take every opportunity to discuss these important topics with seminar and colloquium speakers, post docs, more advanced graduate students, and members of the faculty to get a realistic picture. It is important that you give talks at national meetings in your field to extend your contacts. Such contacts quite often lead to job offers after you have graduated.
When you estimate that you are a year from completion of your degree, there are some additional items to consider. By now you should have a realistic idea of what type of job you desire after Graduate School. Remember, your next job must be arranged before you finish your thesis. Don't forget to prepare a resume with the help of your research advisor. If you are looking for a job with industry, make sure you register with the Institute of Technology Placement Service (see below). By now you should have submitted at least one research paper to an appropriate journal, and have given some talks or posters at national or international scientific meetings. Meeting attendance is an excellent way to meet prospective future employers. Most research groups support the travel of graduate students to give presentations at meetings. The Department also has some funds to supplement graduate student travel for that purpose. Contact the DGS about this.
You may be eligible for a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, awarded by the Graduate School in a University-wide competition. These Fellowships support your last year of research before graduation and are generally awarded to students with both a good academic background (e.g., a graduate GPA of 3.5 or higher) and significant research accomplishments (e.g., publication of papers). This Fellowship is not only an honor which will help your resume, it also takes some financial pressure off your research group which should allow you more funds for giving presentations at meetings or research equipment for your thesis work. Finally, make sure you obtain the latest information about the Graduate School thesis format requirements. By this time you should be familiar with departmental word processing facilities (LaTex, MS Word). Review the theses of other students, in order to obtain ideas on how to organize your thesis.
Your final task in Graduate School is the thesis defense. Make sure you have a Thesis Proposal form on file with the Graduate School. The thesis defense consists of a public seminar followed by a private opportunity for committee members to ask questions in a closed session. Make sure that you practice both the seminar and answering questions. Your fellow graduate students can be a great deal of help in getting ready. A well-prepared thesis defense will be a celebration of your achievements and congratulations for a job well done.
The most important aspect of tuition is that if you make normal progress towards your degree, you should not have to pay it. Almost all graduate students in our Department have an assistantship or a fellowship. Tuition is paid by the Department for all Teaching Assistants (TA's), by the research grant for all Research Assistants (RA's), and by the University or other organization for Fellowships. The fraction of your tuition that will be paid is equal to twice the percentage time of your appointment. Thus, if you have a half-time TA or RA (or a combination of the two), 100 percent of your tuition will be paid. Quarter-time TA's receive a 50 percent tuition waiver. A 100% tuition waiver entitles you to register for 14 credits (up to the time of you have completed 24 thesis credits, as is discussed more completely below). You get no extra benefit if you have more than a 50% appointment. Some students will be supported by fellowships, available through the graduate school or other agencies. Usually, a tuition grant will be part of such a fellowship package. More details about tuition and registration policy is given in Chapter 6.
Once you have completed your Preliminary Oral Exam, you are eligible to take Ph.D. thesis credits. It is important to complete these (24 credits for the Ph.D.) as soon as possible after passing the Oral Exam. After these credits are earned, you are eligible for "All But Dissertation" (ABD) status and your tuition costs will be greatly reduced as are student service fees. Because research budgets are limited, students with ABD status will usually find it easier to obtain Research Assistantships so that they can completely focus on their thesis research. As a practical matter you should take as many credits as possible as early as possible to shorten the time to ABD status. Once you have achieved ABD status, you need only register for 1 credit per semester to maintain your graduate status. It is recommended that you register for Physics 8444, full time student status, to facilitate student loan deferment and for international students visa requirements. In some cases, students start working before they finish their theses. If they have US citizenships, they can maintain their "active" status with the Graduate School by registering "GRAD 999" for no credit paying no tuition. Note that this option does not allow graduate assistant employment or provide health insurance coverage. It is not advisable for non-US citizens because they are required to be “full time” status for their visa purposes.
The M.S. Plan A also requires 10 thesis credits. If you think there is any chance that you may want to do a Plan A, you should register for these to the extent that you can do it without cost. Half of these can be transferred to the Ph.D. program later, if necessary. For the M.S. Plan B, no thesis credits are required. You must register for Physics 8500 (Plan B project) and receive 4 credits for it.
In addition to the formal activities of classwork, teaching, and research, the department has a number of social events and activities. While the formal activities can be quite time-consuming, it us important to keep in touch with physics outside of your immediate responsibilities. Because they are not required, it might be tempting not to actively participate in these informal departmental activities but they are crucial to your full development as a physicist.
The most important departmental activity is the Departmental Colloquium, at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays. In this colloquium, an invited speaker from outside the department (or occasionally, from within the department) will give a talk about state-of-the-art research in their field. It is very important for you to attend the colloquium whenever possible, both to learn about the hot topics in your own field of interest and to become knowledgeable about the connections between fields of physics. In graduate school, you will increasingly become more and more specialized (as they say, you will learn more and more about less and less), but it is important to keep abreast of what is happening in other fields as well.
The Colloquium is preceded by a half-hour of coffee, tea and cookies in the Physics Reading Room, Room 216. This informal setting is a good time to talk to your fellow students and faculty members. Try to introduce yourself to at least one new faculty member each week during this time.
Once or twice a year the department holds the Van Vleck Lecture series. In this series, a physicist who has made a significant contribution to the progress of physics gives both a public lecture and a physics colloquium. The speakers in this series are of the highest quality, with many of the speakers being Nobel Laureates. You will also have an opportunity to meet with the speaker in an informal setting.
The graduate students have an organization known as ∇&Phi (Grad Phi) that organizes social events and disseminates information useful for graduate students. The success of this organization depends on the efforts of the grad students themselves, so get involved and help create a good environment in the department. The ∇&Phi nominates graduate students to serve on most of the committees which recommend policies to govern the Department. This is your opportunity to learn and practice the negotiation and compromise skills necessary for a responsible professional in any organization.
The Student Physics Society (SPS) is composed of both undergraduates and graduate students. In addition to participating in their activities which are outlined on their web page, you can function as a mentor and advisor to undergraduates who are just beginning their physics career.
An important part of your graduate education is developing your ability to communicate your research and knowledge at many different levels. You should take advantage of every opportunity to present your research to hone your communication skills. Seminars offer you the opportunity to present your research ideas to fellow physicists. Another opportunity to communicate your research and physics interests is our open house for prospective graduate students, usually held in March. During this open house you can give a poster presentation of your research and discuss graduate school experiences with the prospective graduate students in an informal setting. The student physics society also organizes a program of outreach presentations to elementary and secondary schools in the area.
Physics graduate students often form teams to compete in intramural sports. Popular sports include softball, soccer, and broomball. This is a chance to release some of the intellectual frustration inherent in graduate studies while forming stronger bonds with your community of physicists.
A final departmental activity is the picnic, which used to be held in May. This tradition ceased when the University converted from the quarter system to semester. We have just revived this tradition in fall of 2005 and would like to see it continue. This picnic is usually organized by the first-year graduate students, usually with guidance from more advanced students. This is one more time for the department to get together for a picnic lunch and various games and activities outdoors.
Whether you receive an M.S. or a Ph.D. degree, you will need to find gainful employment after you graduate. A physics degree opens many doors in academia, industry, or in government laboratories. One year before you expect to finish your degree, you should discuss possible job options with your advisor. IIn a survey of 106 recent graduates, we found 35% went into research at an academic institution (postdoc), 27% worked in industry, 6% worked in government laboratories, 24% went into teaching positions at colleges and universities, while 6% went into the financial industry. The type of job you seek depends on your own goals and aspirations as well as the experience you have gained as a graduate student.
Publications such as Physics Today contain extensive advertisements for available positions. These ads generally draw a great number of applicants. In order to make yourself stand out from the crowd, it is generally preferable to make personal contact with prospective employers. Your advisor may know of colleagues who have job openings available, and such contacts are frequently the best way to find jobs. Publishing papers and giving talks or poster presentations at scientific meetings are also excellent ways of making important contacts. It is important to have good contacts with a number of members of the faculty in addition to your advisor so that you can have a good set of letters of recommendation.
The Institute of Technology maintains a Career Services Office at 50 Lind Hall (624-4090). If you are interested in an industrial position at either the M.S. or the Ph.D. level, you should register with the Placement Office. They are continually visited by recruiters from high technology companies (and others) both locally and nationally. We have found that computer software companies are very interested in having physics Ph.D.'s work in their program. Condensed matter experimentalists can be very attractive to computer hardware manufacturers such as those making high-capacity disk drives. Many industrial companies also appreciate the skills that high energy and space physics experimentalists have in working together as a team on big projects. Recently the job market has been strong for physics graduates, and all of our recent Ph.D. graduates have gone on to productive careers.
Although the Physics Graduate Program is like a very small college with around 120 graduate students and about 50 faculty, there is a large university outside the physics building with many opportunities for you to enrich your life outside of physics. The following is just a short list of the possibilities. Ask other students, your advisor or the Director of Graduate Study for help if you need it.
There are courses both in day school and night school on almost every subject that can be imagined. (See various college and Extension bulletins). You can take up to 56 credits during your first two years if you take 14 credits, the maximum you are allowed to take without paying extra. You need 40 physics credits to graduate. This leaves up to 16 credits for courses other than physics if you are so inclined.
The University automatically gives a free Internet accounts for all students. Your University Internet account will allow you to connect from any remote site with a modem. Your office workstation, the workstations in Room 216, the physics lounge, and those in other locations within the building all have high speed links to the internet. In addition to your University account, you will also receive an account on the physics computer system. Be sure to check your e-mail daily since announcements of department events, research and fellowship opportunities, and other important information are distributed through the e-mail list. If you use another account more regularly than the department account, you should forward the mail from the latter to the former.
The University has extensive athletic facilities and intramural sports clubs for recreational sports. (Check with the Intramural Office in Cooke Hall).
There are many cultural events on campus that are either free or offer student discounts for admission. (Read the Minnesota Daily or check with the Ticket Office in Northrup Auditorium).
You can join any of a diverse group of student organizations devoted to cultural, political, religious and hobby interests. (Check at the Information Desk in Coffman Union).
There is cooperative student housing for married students and their families and child care facilities in a variety of settings. (Check in the University telephone directory).
Students with University appointments are eligible to join the State Capital Credit Union, which has an office in Stadium Village or the Federal Credit Union, located in Coffman Union.
Table 1.1: Outline of Physics Program Requirements
| Requirements | M.S. (Plan A) | M.S. (Plan B) | Ph.D. |
| Total Credits Required (not including thesis credits) | 20 | 30 | 40 |
| Thesis Credits Required | 10 | 0 | 24 |
| Major Courses Required | 14 credits, including either 5001/2 or 5011/2 | 14 credits, including either 5001/2 or 5011/2 | Both 5001/2 and 5011/2, plus 2 seminar credits |
| Minor or Supporting Program Credits* | 6 credits | 6 credits | 12 credits |
Minimum GPA | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| Graduate Written Exam | Take once | Take once | Pass by Fall 2nd year |
| Preliminary Oral Exam | N/A | N/A | Pass by end of 3rd year |
| File Degree Program | After 10 credits | After 10 credits | After passing Graduate Written Exam |
| File Thesis Title/Proposal | Register thesis title when distributed to reviewers | N/A | File thesis proposal after passing Preliminary Oral Exam |
| Time Limits | Not more than 7 years | Not more than 7 years | Not more than 5 years after completing Preliminary Oral Exam |
| Transfer credits | Not more than 40% of program | Not more than 40% of program | No limit, must be approved by DGS |
| Preliminary and Final Oral Committee | 3 members: 3 from physics or 2 from major field, 1 from minor or related fields | 3 members: 3 from physics or 2 from major field, 1 from minor or related fields | 4 members: 3 from major field (advisor plus an experimentalist and a theorist in the same subfield of physics and 1 from outside physics. (someone who has an appointment with graduate program other than physics. S/he can also have an appointment with physics.) |
| Thesis reviewers | All members of oral committee | N/A | 3 reviewers, including committee member from outside physics. Thesis must be approved one week before defense |
Table 1.2: Forms you need to file to the Graduate School
All forms are found in www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/
| Form (with proper link to where the forms are) | When | What's in it and why |
| Degree Program www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/gs89a.pdf |
After GWE, before Oral Exam | Courses taken; to determine whether you've satisfied 40-credit requirement |
| Preliminary Oral Examination Scheduling www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/gs12.pdf |
At least one week before Oral Exam | Scheduling Oral Exam |
| Preliminary Oral Examination Report (your adviser will get it from Grad School) |
Within a day after Oral exam | Report of result |
| Thesis Proposal www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/gs63a.pdf |
Term after passing Oral Exam. | Scheduling final defense |
| Doctoral Grad Packet can be requested through www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/grad_packet/doctoral/confirm.html |
Before graduation | It contains Graduation Instructions, Thesis Reviewer's Report, Application for Degree, Commencement Attendance Approval Form among others. |
Table 1.3: Forms you need to file to the Graduate School (Master Plan A)
| Form (with proper link to where the forms are) | When | What's in it and why |
| Degree Program www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/gs89a.pdf |
After about 10 credits | Courses taken; to determine whether you've satisfied 40-credit requirement |
| Graduation Packet (incl. Thesis Reviewer’s Report form) www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/grad_packet/masters/confirm.html |
When Degree Program has been accepted. Allow 2 weeks to allow readers to read your thesis. | |
|
Application for Degree Pick up at 200 Fraser or 130 Coffey. |
First work day of the month you will graduate. | |
| Thesis Reviewer's Report form
Pick up at 316 Johnston Hall – also pick up Final Examination Report Form this time |
||
| Final Examination Report Form 316 Johsnton |
Last work day of the month in which you graduate |
Table 1.4: Forms you need to file to the Graduate School Master Plan B)
| Form (with proper link to where the forms are) | When | What's in it and why |
| Degree Program www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/gs89a.pdf |
After about 10 credits | Courses taken; to determine whether you've satisfied requirement |
| Graduation Packet (incl. Thesis Reviewer’s Report form) www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/grad_packet/masters/confirm.html |
When Depgree Program has been accepted. | |
| Application for Degree Pick up at 200 Fraser or 130 Coffey Hall |
First work day of the month in which you graduate. | |
| Final Examination Report Form | Last work day of the month in which you graduate. |
Table 1.5: Special forms for all degrees
| Form (with proper link to where the forms are) | What's in it and why |
| Graduate School Petition Form www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/gs59.pdf |
To request changes on an approved program or extension of time to complete degree. |
| Change of Status/Readmission Request Form www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/cos.pdf |
For readmission or change of major/degree objective. |
| Commencement Attendance Approval Form | To attend commencement. |