Doctoral Guidelines


The "Department of Physics Doctoral Guidelines" serves as the handbook of graduate policies and procedures. It contains academic information such as breadth and specialty requirements, General Exam information, time lines of satisfactory progress and thesis information. It also contains research information regarding funding, switching groups and other policies/procedures.

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Introduction
The Physics Graduate Program
Types of Financial Support
Satisfactory Progress
Academic Issues
General Doctoral Examination
Specialty Subject Requirements
Breadth Subject Requirements
Research
Thesis
Career Counseling

Introduction

This document describes the doctoral program in the Physics Department. It supplements the Graduate School Manual which outlines the general Institute requirements and is available on the web at http://web.mit.edu/gso/.

The primary goals of the graduate program in physics at MIT are to solidify and broaden your knowledge of physics and to teach you how to do research, how to identify important problems and how to communicate scientific information effectively. In short, how to become a professional physicist and a productive member of the scientific community.

We describe here the steps involved in accomplishing this. We apologize for the somewhat bureaucratic tone of the material, but experience has shown that it is helpful to have every aspect of the graduate program spelled out clearly in one document.

The Physics Graduate Program

The physics graduate program is under the direction of the Physics Education Committee, which includes members with the following graduate responsibilities:

The staff in the Physics Education Office (PEO), Room 4-315, can direct you to committee members most appropriate to your specific questions or concerns. Professor Thomas Greytak serves as the advisor for student concerns about scientific misconduct issues including interactions with research supervisors, data integrity, and authorship. In addition, Prof. Barton Zwiebach and Mr. Sean Robinson serve as mediators in the Department and can be helpful in dealing with sensitive issues.

Types of Financial Support

GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS
Students with a Research Assistantship (RA) or Teaching Assistantship (TA) are expected to spend full time on education and assigned duties and may not engage in any other activity for compensation without the specific approval of the Department Head. Graduate assistants are required to register for an academic load of 36-48 units (which may include Special Problems, Thesis Research or Physics Teaching) during any term (including summer) in which they have any form of MIT or Departmental support. In addition to course work, students doing research should always register for Special Problems (8.391 in the fall and 8.392 in the spring or summer) or, after turning in a thesis proposal, Thesis Research (8.THG). The number of units will vary between 12 and 48 according to the approximate number of hours per week spent on research. This gives students academic credit for their research work. Teaching assistants may register for 12-48 units of Physics Teaching (8.399). In this way, TAs also receive credit for teaching. Under most circumstances, the normal course load for graduate students with a full-time RA or TA is two academic subjects.

The current stipend rates for RAs and TAs are available in the Physics Education Office. For both RAs and TAs, full tuition is paid over and above the stipend. If a student loses RA support due to termination of a research contract, the Department will provide support for one additional term (in the form of a TA) and will make every effort to provide an alternative form of continuing support.

RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP
These appointments are generally for the academic year, plus the summer. The amount of time a student spends on RA duties depends on the amount of course work he or she needs and on the requirements of the group in which he or she works. For new graduate students taking classes and preparing for the general examination, research duties normally require 20 hours per week or less. After two to three years, research usually becomes full-time.

TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP
Some TA appointments are available during the fall and spring terms. These appointments involve teaching sections in a course or lab, tutoring, or grading homework and exams. This work requires up to about 20 hours per week in addition to any research or class work the student is doing.

A number of first year graduate students are supported by a nine-month (fall and spring) TA appointment. Although the Department cannot guarantee employment during the subsequent summer for these students, in the past virtually all have been able to find summer RA appointments in a Physics Department research group or obtain a summer externship in industry or in a national laboratory. Students who have a TA in their first year normally join a research group and are supported by an RA in subsequent years.

TA appointments may also be made beyond the first year. These appointments are used to encourage students who wish to hone their teaching skills, to help alleviate funding pressures on the faculty, to facilitate a student's transition to a different research group, or to support departmental teaching needs. Students who desire TA support after the first year must apply to the Graduate Appointments Coordinator. Applications for these TAs are considered on a case-by-case basis.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS
Scholarships and fellowships are full time positions, unless specifically exempted by the Department Head. A student entering the Department with a scholarship or fellowship has a great deal of flexibility in planning his or her graduate program and in seeking out a research group. However, each scholarship or fellowship student is responsible for finding a research group that will provide funding upon expiration of the fellowship support. Some information on scholarships and fellowships for graduate students in physics is available in the Physics Education Office, as well as the Graduate Education Office, Room 3-134.

SWITCHING GROUPS
Most students continue through from their first RA to a thesis in the same group. Some, however, elect to change research groups. An RA who does not wish to continue research in his or her group, or who simply wishes to investigate other possibilities, should not hesitate to talk to other professors about different opportunities. However, students are responsible for notifying their current supervisor of their intention to leave a group. Students are expected to work in the research group as long as it is providing funding. In order to facilitate the transition from one research group to another, each student is guaranteed one semester of transitional funding in the form of a TA. Once the decision has been made and approved to switch groups, the student should notify the Physics Education Office and the Physics Fiscal Office.

Satisfactory Progress

Satisfactory academic progress involves passing the three parts of the General Exam on time (see the timetable that follows), completing the subject requirements in the specialty area, and satisfying the breadth requirement. The Dean for Graduate Students, in conjunction with the Department, may issue academic warnings to graduate students who maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or lower or whose unit load for any given term is below 36 units.

Satisfactory progress in research is more difficult to define since Ph.D. research does not follow a rigid time schedule and each professor has his or her own approach. Certainly satisfactory progress includes completing assigned RA or TA duties competently and on time. More importantly, a student is expected to take responsibility for a specific project, both solving the day-to-day problems and mustering the vision, ingenuity and skills necessary to bring the project to completion. By meeting regularly, the student and research supervisor can agree on the scope of the thesis project and establish a reasonable schedule for milestones along the way. Students should maintain close contact with their research supervisor and make known as early as possible any dissatisfaction with their projects, or any desire to leave the group.

Research assistantships are generally renewed on a yearly basis (except for first year students who are normally appointed for nine months). The award of an assistantship imposes no obligation to continue such support beyond a given appointment. The Department has the policy that, in the event of unsatisfactory performance, notice of termination must be given to the student by the research supervisor, in writing, at least one full term in advance. Written notification of unsatisfactory progress must also be sent to the student and his or her academic advisor at least three months before the termination notice. Specific notification dates for each term are available in the Physics Education Office. The student has a responsibility to continue working as long as he or she is being supported.

In the event that there are differences between the research supervisor and the student concerning unsatisfactory performance, the problem should be brought to the attention of the student's academic advisor or brought before the Graduate Committee. Committee members are willing to discuss, in private, problems encountered by either the student or the research supervisor before formal action takes place. Additional resources are listed on the front page of this document.

+ This timetable is effective for students entering in June, 2001 and later. Students entering before this date should consult the Doctoral Guidelines dated August 2000.
* Students who enter in February should invert the Fall and Spring terms in this table (i.e., Part I first attempt is in the Spring term of the 1st year).
** If delays or postponements are needed, contact Prof. Barton Zwiebach for the General Exams or Prof. Patrick Lee for the Thesis Proposal. See applicable sections in these Guidelines for detailed procedures.

Academic Issues

DEGREE PROGRAMS
The normal degree program in the Department leads to a Ph.D. in Physics. Only in special cases (i.e., US military officers) are students admitted to pursue a Masters degree in Physics. Sometimes a student admitted for a Ph.D. may decide not to follow the program through to completion or may fail the General Exam. In these cases the student may be able to satisfy the requirements for the Masters degree.

ADVISING AND REGISTRATION
Upon entering the Department, every student is assigned an academic advisor. Under most circumstances this faculty member will continue to advise the student until graduation. Later, when the student joins a research group, another faculty member will become his or her research advisor. Thus, for most of their time in the Department, students have two separate faculty members to whom they can turn for help and advice.

Each fall and spring term students must meet with their academic advisor to complete their registration. Each student will be sent a scheduled time for meeting with his or her advisor on registration day. Summer registration is handled in the Physics Education Office. To make a subject change after registration day, students should use the Institute form, available in the Student Services Center (11-120) or the PEO. The subject's instructor must sign the form if a subject is being added and, in all cases, the form requires an academic advisor's signature. To avoid late charges and the need to petition a change through the Dean of Graduate Students, students should be sure to change their registration before the Registrar's deadlines. The add date is about five weeks into the term and the drop date is about three weeks before the last day of classes. Pre-registration for all terms is done on-line via WEBSIS <http://student.mit.edu/>.

CHOOSING FIRST YEAR SUBJECTS
The Department does not require students to take any subjects other than those needed to satisfy the specialty and breadth requirements described below. However, many students begin by taking some combination of graduate Quantum Mechanics (8.321), graduate Electricity and Magnetism (8.311), and graduate Statistical Mechanics (8.333). These are the subjects that have proven to give students a broad view of basic physics as well as a foundation for preparing for Part II of the General Exam. First-year students concerned with the level of their undergraduate preparation (in this regard Part I of the General Exam is a useful diagnostic tool) are encouraged to take senior level undergraduate subjects such as Electricity and Magnetism (8.07), Statistical Mechanics (8.08) and Classical Mechanics (8.09). Some first-year students may wish to sample basic graduate subjects in specialty areas: Atomic and Optical Physics (8.421 and 8.422), Solid State Physics (8.511), Biophysics (8.591J), Plasma Physics (8.613J), Introduction to Nuclear and Particle Physics (8.701), and Astrophysics (8.901). These subjects may later be counted towards one's specialty or breadth requirements. While planning their first year program, students should keep in mind that the normal load for those with full time RAs and TAs is two academic subjects, or about 24 units.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTERS DEGREE
Masters candidates must complete 66 units, 42 of which must be "H" level subjects. A thesis is required; however, an oral thesis defense is not required. The thesis will be assigned a grade by the research supervisor in consultation with the thesis committee.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PH.D.
The specific requirements for the Ph.D. are:

• Passing the General Doctoral Examination
• Specialty Requirements
• Breadth Requirements
• Written Thesis and Oral Defense

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