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  • Advising

    • Some helpful hints

    This page contains some information related to graduate advising. It is geared toward new students to help select courses, get tuition benefits, find a research advisor, etc. Before any details, here are some general suggestions to help avoid problems as you advance toward your degree.

    • Know the rules. The best source for you to get around is the Unofficial Graduate Handbook. It was written by graduate students for graduate students, primarily because the current official department handbook is outdated and not very useful. But if you want the authoritative sources on enrollment, degree requirements and tuition benefits, among other things. One is the Physics Department's Graduate Handbook. The other is the Graduate School's Handbook. Read these carefully. Please note: Departmental rules are STRONG GUIDELINES for you, your research advisor and your advisory committee. The Graduate School's rules are ABSOLUTE and are strictly enforced. YOU ALONE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOWING AND SATISFYING ALL REQUIREMENTS FOR ENROLLMENT, TUITION BENEFITS, AND COMPLETION OF YOUR DEGREE.

    • Plan ahead. Map out the courses you will take during your graduate program, making sure you take all departmental core courses. Be sure that you satisfy the degree requirements of the Department AND the Graduate School. As early as possible, talk with faculty members about research areas which interest you. It is rarely too early to choose a research advisor. Balance this advice with the fact that your choice of research will likely define your career in Physics. Click here to shop around.
    • Learn from examples. To avoid problems on your path to a graduate degree, we are compiling a case-studies list, mostly consisting of things some students have done but which you should NOT try. Some are obvious (e.g., do not let your GPA fall below a 3.0), others may not be. Anyway, please check out the case studies site.
    • Get help. There are a number of resources available to you if you encounter difficulties with coursework, the common exam, or bureaucratic issues. The first person to speak with is your advisor/counselor. Other people, like the Director of Graduate Studies (Jordon Gerton) or the Graduate Secretary (Jackie Hadley), can help also. If we can not solve your problem directly, we will try to point you to people on campus who can. Just contact us.

    Choosing Courses

    We recommend that you follow the Physics Graduate Handbook in choosing courses for your particular graduate program (for example, see Section 2 of the Handbook).

    If you have already taken graduate physics courses elsewhere, perhaps as part of a M.S. program at another institution, you should not repeat them here. For example, if you have already had graduate E&M, just talk with the instructor of the Department's equivalent course (PHYCS 7710) to confirm that you have already covered the material taught in that class. Get written or email confirmation from the instructor if s/he agrees that you do not need to retake the course. Speak also with your graduate advisor--ultimately your graduate advising committee must decide whether you should (re)take a core course like 7710.

    If you feel that you need review of material for the common exam or in preparation for the core courses, you are strongly encouraged to take one or both of Prof. Raikh's 5010/5020 sequence. (The commom exam is offered at the beginning of fall semester so that you can adjust your course selection according to your score on the written part of the exam.)

    Tuition Benefits

    The Graduate School's tuition benefit program will cover tuition for up to four semesters (M.S. program) or ten semesters (Ph.D. program). The Graduate School has very clear eligibility requirements for tuition benefits; see links at the Graduate School homepage for details. In particular, READ THIS.

    Beware: the Graduate School make NO exceptions to its stated policy with regard to tuition benefits. Furthermore, you are responsible for tuition whenever you register for classes, so be sure to confirm that you are eligible for benefits if you do not wish to pay for tuition yourself.

    Graduate Advisors

    Each graduate student in the Department of Physics must have a graduate advisor. If you are a new student, a faculty member from the Graduate Advising Committee will be assigned as a temporary advisor or "counselor". You should choose a research advisor by the end of your first year (for an M.S. degree) and no later than the end of your second year (for a Ph.D.). The Research web page provides a list of research topics and specializations for faculty in our department.

    Advising Checklist

    You should meet with your advisor/counselor at the beginning of each semester. Here is a to-do list for your meeting:

    • Review previous physics coursework. Are there any course requirements which might be waived because of coursework completed at other institutions? Do any courses need to be repeated? Are review courses like 5010/5020 recommended?
    • Determine course schedule for upcoming semester. The Physics Graduate Handbook schedule (Section 2) is recommended for students seeking a Ph.D. Make a contingency plan if review coursework is indicated by common exam. All first- and second-year students should take one or two credits of PHYCS 7800 (Colloquium). Students with weak English-language skills should also take ESL classes offered by the Department of Linguistics. We advise taking any non-scientific courses as "Credit/No Credit".
    • Develop a longterm plan for study/coursework. Again, the handbook schedule should serve as a guide.
    • Assess tuition benefits eligibility. Note that students coming in with a M.S. degree related to physics will have only six semesters of tuition eligibility. Thus it is important to determine which course credits can be transfered and/or used to waive core course requirements. It may be possible to obtain the full ten semesters of benefits if the student's Masters degree is in an unrelated field. In this case, a petition to the Graduate School by the advisor/counselor must be made ASAP. Also note that students who serve as TAs for two semesters may be eligible to receive benefits for two additional two semesters.
    • Worry about GPA. Students must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA to receive tuition benefits. This is a hard rule, so do not tempt fate by overloading your schedule. Plan your schedule wisely;know what grades you need if you are at risk; and know what you may have to do if your GPA falls below the 3.0 limit.
    • Confirm grading/teaching assignment or research assistantship. The Department of Physics reserves its TA support for Ph.D. students only. Those students seeking terminal M.S. degrees do not have any guarantee that they will receive a teaching assistantship. Note that tuition benefits are conferred only for students who are TAs or RAs. Of course, all students are encouraged to seek RA support if such is available in their chosen field of study.
    • Discuss research interests and potential research advisors. Students should ask around about possible research topics and research groups. Even first year students should find a research group in which to work, perhaps taking a summer R.A. position if available or doing research as part of an independent study/reading course. Try to get a feel for the various research efforts in the department before settling on a research topic for your degree.
    • Review steps for formally becoming a M.S. or Ph.D. candidate. What forms are required and when should they be completed? (Refer to form due dates provided by the Grad School.)
    • Sign advising and tuition benefits forms. This is the most important material part of the advisor-student meeting.... Students should take their tuition benefits form to Jackie Hadley in JFB 201.

    Anything else?

    If you have questions on any other aspect of getting started as a graduate student in Physics at the U, please let us know -- thanks!

    Our Handbook

    Most of the information in these sections plus a whole lot more is included in the Unofficial Graduate Handbook, which is written by graduate students, for graduate students.