Course Requirements Introduced in 2018

Take at least

  7 one-semester courses=

  (6 ‘lecture’ + 1 ‘special investigation (SI)’)=

  (5 ‘foundational’ + 1 ‘elective’ + 1 ‘SI’)

Plus the ‘helpful info’ , low-workload requirements of PHYS 515 (Physics Research Options) in Fall, and PHYS 590 (Responsible Conduct of Research) in Spring

Course Requirements for those students who matriculated prior to the Fall of 2016

9 Term Courses; 1 Lab Course; Phys 590 Responsible Conduct in Research

(For core courses: if you’ve already taken a comparable class, sign-up for Pass Out exam, see OrgSync)

4 semesters as a Teaching Assistant at the TF10 level (10 hrs/week)

Yale Graduate School grade format: Honors (H); High Pass (HP); Pass (P); Fail (F)

• Grad School Requirement: 2 grades of Honors by the end of the fourth term of full-time study
• Physics department Requirement: High Pass average by the end of the fourth term of full-time study 

To complete the Physics Department’s course requirements, students are expected to take a set of six term courses (course information can be found on the Search Yale Courses page): five foundational courses and one elective. The five core courses (1. PHYS 500, Advanced Classical Mechanics; 2. PHYS 508, Quantum Mechanics I; 3. PHYS 502, Electromagnetic Theory I; 4. PHYS 512, Statistical Physics I; and 5. PHYS 608, Quantum Mechanics II) serve to complete the student’s undergraduate training in classical and quantum physics. For the sixth course, students select from the list of graduate elective courses offered by the Physics or Applied Physics departments, or courses offered by other departments with the approval of the DGS. In addition, all students are required to engage in a research project by taking PHYS 990, Special Investigations. In their first year of study, students must take, at a minimum, the foundational courses one through four, along with the research seminar courses: PHYS 515, Topics in Modern Physics Research, and PHYS 590, Responsible Conduct in Research for Physical Scientists.

For students already familiar with the material, the Physics Department offers “pass-out” examinations for the five core courses, to be given at the start of each course, to determine whether a student has sufficient mastery of basic material to be excused that particular core course. To be eligible to take this exam a student must have had a more-or-less equivalent-level course elsewhere. The exam will be administered by the DGS and the previous year’s lecturer of the course in question. In a separate process, if a student has taken an equivalent course while registered as a graduate student elsewhere, the student may at the discretion of the DGS petition the Associate Dean of the GSAS to replace that course with an elective (the petition process factors in grades earned at Yale, which means that this alternative to the pass-out exam process is typically only used after one semester of coursework).  In both processes, a student who is excused from a core course must replace it with an advanced elective in order to reach the same total number of required courses.

The PHYS 990, Special Investigations (SI) course is a course-based research experience, intended to help students to identify promising areas of thesis research. To pursue an SI, a student first identifies a faculty advisor for the project, who must have a primary or secondary appointment in the Physics Department. In consultation with the advisor, a student is required to write a brief proposal specifying the plan of action for the project. (A cover page for the proposal is here.) The SI project proposal must be approved by the DGS. In addition, a 40-minute Powerpoint or similar presentation on the SI is required at the end of the semester to a 3 person panel (e.g., advisor and two other faculty, or advisor and two postdocs). The SI grade is assigned by the SI advisor and written feedback to the student should be given on this form. Students may want to pursue SIs in different subfields to explore their research options before committing to a PhD thesis topic. The DGS will not approve an SI for audit.

The new course requirements (for students who matriculated in, or after, the Fall of 2016) are intended to offer increased flexibility to customize a student’s path through the courses, and to jumpstart a student’s pursuit of research opportunities.  Four different examples of first year course selections are shown here (Sample Schedules A, B, C, D). 

Sample 1st Yr Schedule A 

At or Above 1st Yr minimum load

Sample 1st Yr Schedule B 

At or Above 1st Yr minimum load + Could qualify for “M.S. en route” in 1st Yr

Sample 1st Yr Schedule C 

At or Above 1st Yr minimum load + Could qualify for “M.S. en route” in 1st Yr + Take all 5 foundational courses pre-2nd Yr Qual

Sample 1st Yr Schedule D 

At or Above 1st Yr minimum load + Could qualify for “M.S. en route” in 1st Yr + Take all 5 foundational courses pre-2nd Yr Qual + On track to finish up all course requirements in 1st Yr

Course Requirements and suggested sequencing for those students who matriculated prior to the Fall of 2016

To complete the Physics Department’s course requirements, students are required to take nine one-term classroom courses and a one-term lab course. A set of six core courses (PHYS 500 Advanced Classical Mechanics, PHYS 502 Electromagnetic Theory, PHYS 506 Mathematical Methods of Physics, PHYS 508 Quantum Mechanics I, PHYS 512 Statistical Physics I, and PHYS 608 Quantum Mechanics II) and a laboratory course (PHYS 504Lb or PHYS 990a,b) serve to complete a student’s undergraduate training in classical and quantum physics. Three advanced courses, including a required course in one of either Relativistic QFT, Many-Body Theory or Statistical Mechanics II, provide an introduction to modern physics and research. For students already familiar with the material, the department implements “pass-out” examinations for the core courses, to be given at the start of each course, to determine whether a student has sufficient mastery of basic material to be excused that particular core course. To be eligible to take this exam a student must have had a more-or-less equivalent-level course elsewhere. The exam will be administered by the DGS and the previous year’s lecturer of the course in question. Students passing out of a core course must instead take an elective to make up the total number of required courses, unless the student has taken an equivalent course while registered as a graduate student elsewhere, in which case the student may at the discretion of the DGS petition the Associate Dean to be entirely excused that course.

All first-year graduate students must take either PHYS 504Lb or a laboratory-based Special Investigation (SI) (PHYS 990a,b), supervised by a particular faculty advisor who must have an appointment in Physics. Either course must be completed in the first year of graduate study. To be able to choose the SI option, the student must have previously taken an advanced undergraduate laboratory class, and is required to write a brief proposal specifying what the SI project is. (A cover page for the proposal is here.) The SI project must be approved by the DGS. In addition, a 40-minute Powerpoint or similar presentation on the SI is required at the end of the semester to a 3 faculty panel. The SI grade is assigned by the SI advisor and written feedback to the student should be given on this form. Additional SIs may be carried out after Year 1, but a proposal is not required in this case. The DGS will not approve an SI for audit.

Formal association with a dissertation adviser normally begins in the third or fourth term after the qualifying examination has been passed and after most required course work has been completed. It is best though to start exploring possible advisors in your first year at Yale. An adviser from a department other than Physics can be chosen in consultation with the DGS, provided the dissertation topic is deemed suitable for a physics PhD.

It is up to you to seek out faculty and talk to them no later than your third term (if not earlier) to discuss your interest and possibilities of collaborating. It is up to you to be proactive in seeking out a mentor because the Department does not “provide” a mentor for you and there is no guarantee that a particular mentor will have an opening (and research funding) available at the time you are ready to begin research. Hence it is imperative that you explore different advising opportunities within a subfield and perhaps even more than one subfield of physics.

Students are generally expected to work in a research laboratory during the summer after their first year in order to gain experience in a field of potential interest. This may turn out to be the beginning of a research collaboration with a future adviser, but there is no obligation to continue working in the same group if you decide it is not suitable. Students who have not passed the qualifying examination are expected to make arrangements with the summer adviser to allow time to study for the exam.

At the end of the summer, students are expected to to make a Powerpoint or similar presentation of their research. Written feedback concerning the overall performance will be provided by the summer research advisor and also will be reviewed by the DGS.

If you desire to take a course outside of Physics or Applied Physics, this should be brought to the attention of the DGS and especially your research adviser for their review.

The grades assigned in the Graduate School are:

H = Honors
HP = High Pass
P = Pass
F = Fail

The Physics Department requires a grade point average of HP for a student to remain in good standing. In addition, there is a Graduate School requirement that a student must attain at least two grades of Honors within the first two years of study. A grade of P is generally considered an unsatisfactory grade, its name notwithstanding.

In occasional circumstances, a student may need additional time to complete coursework. An arrangement for a completion date must be worked out with the instructor. The instructor will submit the grade as a Temporary Incomplete (TI) with the intended completion date (http://gsas.yale.edu/forms). Incomplete grades must be converted to a final grade no later than October 1 of the following academic year. Otherwise, the TI will be converted to a permanent Incomplete (I) . See Graduate School Program & Policies Bulletin for more details.

Teaching experience is regarded as an integral part of the graduate training program although it is not an absolute requirement for a Physics PhD at Yale. However, students on University Fellowships must serve as teaching fellows during a portion of their first two years of study. Teaching in this case refers not to grading papers, but teaching in a laboratory or discussion section in which you can develope classroom presentation skills. These presentation skills are essential to your future success as a teacher and researcher.

Students whose native language is not English (and have not taken the Test of Spoken English (TSE) with a score of at least 50) are required to pass the SPEAK assessment administered at Yale within the first two years of study. Non-native English speakers are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the many course opportunities and English conversation groups available through the Graduate School and the English Language Institute (ELI). If you are not able to speak and write English fluently, you will find it very difficult to carry out your research, write publications, or find employment.

Equivalent course work, completed elsewhere and taken while registered as a graduate student, may enable a student to be excused from a core course requirement, which is then replaced with an advanced elective. This is done at the discretion of the DGS and with the approval of the Graduate School Associate Dean.

2022 Exam - Solutions: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4

2021 Exam - Solutions: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4

2019 Exam - Solutions: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4

2018 Exam - Solutions: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4

2017 Exam - Solutions: Part 1 and Part 2

2016 Exam - Solutions: Part 1 and Part 2

2015 Exam - Solutions: Part 1 and Part 2

2014 Exam - Solutions: Part 1 and Part 2

2013 Exam - Solutions: Part 1 and Part 2

2012 Exam - Solutions: Part 1 and Part 2

2011 Exam - Solutions: Part 1 and Part 2

2010 Exam - Solutions: Part 1 and Part 2

The graduate school requires all students to be admitted to candidacy by the end of the third year. Students who have completed their course requirements with satisfactory grades (a High Pass average and the Graduate School requirement of two Honors (which can include PHYS 990 Special Investigation)), pass the qualifying examination, and who have submitted an acceptable thesis prospectus are recommended for admission to candidacy.

Students must be admitted to candidacy by the end of the third year or they will not be permitted to register for the next term.

A core thesis committee, consisting of 3 faculty members must be selected by each student at the earliest opportunity, either in the second semester of the second year or in the first semester of the third year. The committee composition can be changed later.

The first meeting between the student and the core thesis committee should take place early in the first semester of the third year. Here the student will present their Year 2-to-3 summer research as well as their initial thesis research plans.

Subsequently, each student must meet periodically with their core thesis committee in closed session to discuss progress. These meetings will occur at least once per year, but could be more frequent. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange these closed session meetings at least once per year or more frequently if deemed necessary by student or the committee.

The purpose of these closed-session meetings is NOT for the student to provide a formal scientific presentation to the committee. An update on the student’s research progress is appropriate, but should not be the sole focus of this session. Rather, the goal of these meetings is for the committee to assess the student’s overall progress as a physicist. For example, one important role of the core thesis committee is to ensure that the student has a sufficiently broad knowledge of their subfield. The committee may choose to do this via a variety of procedures at their discretion. Questions on, and related to, the field and on physics in general will be a typical part of these sessions. In addition, the committee should assess the student’s professional progress, i.e. exposure to the literature and the work of other groups e.g. via conferences; opportunities to write and present their work orally; attendance at relevant seminars and/or classes; etc.

The ongoing monitoring of a student’s research progress through these meetings should diminish the chances of surprises at the thesis defense. Such monitoring can also provide a protection to both the student and advisor: First, if a student has sufficient material for a PhD, then the committee can push a reluctant advisor to agree to a thesis defense. Alternatively, if a student’s research performance is inadequate, the committee can support academic sanctions on the student, i.e. that the student is not in good academic standing.

After the closed-session meeting, the core thesis committee chair will prepare a brief report of the committee’s assessment of the student’s progress towards the thesis, and present this to the student and Departmental Registrar: Thesis Progress Report.

In addition to the private committee meetings, students will periodically give presentations (at least once per year) in a public forum, which the core thesis committee members are expected to attend and concerning which the core committee should provide written feedback to the student. Possible forums for such presentations include the Weak Interaction Discussion Group, The Monday Evening Seminar, the Sackler Discussion Group, collaboration presentations, group meeting presentations, etc. The format of the presentation should be a talk that lasts 30 minutes or more. The allowable format and content for the “public presentations” should be viewed broadly, subject only to the participation of the core thesis committee. Especially early on in their research career, to satisfy this requirement, it may be that it makes most sense for a student to make a journal club-type presentation in the context of a group meeting, later on progressing to a research-based presentation in one of the regularly scheduled series. It is also the student’s responsibility to arrange for this public presentation.

This public presentation is NOT meant to be merely a progress report for the core thesis committee, or an opportunity for the committee to ask physics questions about the work. Rather, the goal is primarily for the student to practice communicating in a public setting, and to receive feedback about how to improve their presentation abilities.

After the public presentation, the core thesis committee chair will prepare a brief report of the committee’s assessment of the student’s presentation, and present this to the student and Departmental Registrar. Once again, the focus of this report should be on presentation style rather than a comment on the scientific progress.

The first page should contain the following information: title, student’s name, adviser’s name, Yale University Physics Department, and date. Prospectus should also include an abstract. The faculty adviser and the student’s core thesis committee should read and approve the thesis prospectus before it is submitted to the Physics Graduate Registrar’s office. Here is the approval form. The submission should be done electronically in PDF format. In addition each student will present their thesis Prospectus in an oral presentation (Powerpoint or similar) to their core thesis committee (before the end of their third year).

The following is an excerpt from the Graduate School Programs and Policy Bulletin describing the prospectus:

The prospectus should be viewed as a preliminary statement of what the student proposes to do in his or her dissertation and not as an unalterable commitment. The appropriate form and typical content of a prospectus inevitably vary from field to field. In most cases, however, a prospectus should contain the following information:

1. A statement of the topic of the dissertation and an explanation of its importance. What in general might one expect to learn from the dissertation that is not now known, understood, or appreciated?
2. A concise review of what has been done on the topic in the past. Specifically, how will the proposed dissertation differ from or expand upon previous work? A basic bibliography should normally be appended to this section.
3. A statement of where most of the work will be carried out - for example, in the Yale library or another library or archive, in the laboratory of a particular faculty member, or as part of a program of field work at specific sites in the United States or abroad.
4. If the subject matter permits, a tentative proposal for the internal organization of the dissertation - for example, major sections, subsections, sequence of chapters.
5. A provisional timetable for completion of the dissertation.

Although it is difficult to prescribe a standard length for the prospectus, it should be long enough to include essential information for the proposed topics but not overly long. Seven to ten pages, excluding figures and bibliography, should be appropriate in most cases. The prospectus should be written in a manner comprehensible to people who are not experts in your particular subfield. A concise introduction to the subject is therefore essential.

Teaching Fellowships can be offered to advanced students (third year and up) who are no longer on university support. This is subject to availability of teaching assignments after all first and second year students on university fellowships have been given their assignments. Students will be compensated at the rates established by the Graduate School Teaching Fellows Office.

The Dissertation Progress Report is due each May 1 for work done in the academic year just completed. Filling in the form is now an on-line process.

The Graduate School has specific rules about formatting, etc. When you are preparing your final draft, you should consult their Dissertation Submission Checklist.

The Physics Department requires a 4-member faculty committee plus an outside reader and must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. Therefore, the student should consult with their research adviser, core thesis committee and then the DGS about the make-up of the committee and when approval is given, the student should then ask those wanted on the Committee if they will agree to serve. The Committee should be made up of at least two tenured faculty members. Typically, the Committee would include the members of the core thesis committee and one more faculty member.

Usually, the make-up of the committee is as follows:

For students in an experimental field:
Adviser and another in same experimental field; another in same field but theoretical; another experimentalist (any field).

For students in a theoretical field:
Adviser and another in same theoretical field; another in same field but experimental; another theorist (any field).

The Physics Department recommends that the first chapter of the thesis be a succinct summary of the entire thesis, including in particular:

1. a brief review of the field prior to the thesis research to provide context
2. a presentation of the goals and motivations of the thesis research
3. a clear description of what the student has achieved in the thesis research (primarily written in the first person singular, but with due credit to others as appropriate). This description should refer back to (1) and clearly indicate the relation to prior work.

   It may also make sense to add:
    

4. suggestions for how to best build upon the thesis research in future work.

Otherwise these suggestions should appear in the conclusion of the thesis.

Once the Defense Committee is chosen and approved by the DGS, it is the student’s responsibility to set the date, time and place for the defense at a time convenient to all members of the Committee. Copies of the dissertation should be given to them at least three weeks in advance. The Physics Registrar’s office will assist in locating a room if necessary. The dissertation defense shall consist of two consecutive parts. The first part, which shall be open to anyone interested, will consist of an oral presentation of approximately one-hour in length, in the style of a research seminar. An announcement will appear in the weekly Seminar Notices. The second part will consist of detailed questioning of the candidate by the dissertation committee, at which attendance will be restricted to members of the committee.

Outside reader (after oral defense)

After the defense, the committee may ask the student to make some changes in the dissertation. These changes must be made before submission to the Graduate School.

Submission guidelines are posted on-line at the Graduate School’s website: Dissertation Guidelines, Dissertation Check list (under Resources), and Notification of Readers form. Remember to list your advisor as one of the 5 readers.

Note: Students must be registered through the term of dissertation submission (unless they have already completed their sixth year).

A student wishing to extend his/her registration beyond their original six year terminal date must file a Petition for an Extension. A Dissertation Progress Report must also be completed along with a letter to the DGS stating the reasons for needing an extension. The extension can be requested for one or two terms. Extensions beyond the seventh year are not normally allowed. Note: It is not necessary to be a registered student beyond your sixth year to be able to complete your dissertation and defend. However, you would not be allowed to receive AR salary as a student, nor would you have health insurance if you were not registered.

Your subject librarian, Kayleigh Bohémier, curates a guide to databases, ebooks, and other electronic materials most useful to your Physics research. Please visit http://guides.library.yale.edu/physics, which is grouped into tabs for easy resource navigation.

Your closest library location, the Center for Science and Social Science Information, provides access to many resources. All rooms are available for booking via the CSSSI’s main page, http://csssi.yale.edu.

• Presentation practice rooms with video recording equipment and video conferencing abilities;
• Small rooms seating 4-6 individuals with MediaScape technology, allowing you to connect multiple computers to the same screen for group discussion;
• Computers with scientific and statistical software;
• Access to StatLab consultants, many of whom have training in MATLAB and L^ATEX: http://statlab.stat.yale.edu;
• Access to the 180,000 volume on-campus collection of science and social science books. Please note that the Math, Chemistry, and Geology collections are primarily housed in departmental libraries elsewhere on campus.

Kayleigh Bohémier, Science Research Support Librarian, is your subject librarian. Feel free to talk to her about citation management, accessing library resources, or best practices for finding information on your research topic. Her skills include search strategies in ADS, Google Scholar, and INSPIRE, but also bibliography and citation management tools such as BibTEX, Mendeley, and Zotero.

She can be reached at kayleigh.bohemier@yale.edu or 203-432-9519. Feel free to stop by her office in CSSSI C41 or drop in during the open hours listed on her LibGuide profile: http://guides.library.yale.edu/profile/kayleigh-bohemier.