|
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.
> click here for PDF version
If you would like free software for reading PDF files, go to
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
page 1 | page 2 | page
3
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:
| Sean Robinson, Education Administrator |
| Professor Richard Yamamoto, Graduate Appointments Coordinator |
| Professor Thomas Greytak, Associate Department Head for Education |
| Professor John Negele, General Examination and Requirements
Coordinator |
| Professor Patrick Lee, Graduate Student Coordinator |
| Professor Roman Jackiw, Graduate Admissions Officer |
| Professor Peter Wolff, Career Counselor |
| Graduate Student Representatives |
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.
|
TIMETABLE OF PROGRESS TOWARD A PH.D.
+
|
| YEAR |
TERM |
DEADLINE** |
| 1st |
Fall* |
Part I General Exam: First Attempt |
| Spring* |
|
| 2nd |
Fall |
Part I General Exam: Final Attempt |
| Spring |
Part II General Exam: Deadline for First
Attempt |
| 3rd |
Fall |
Part II General Exam: Final Attempt |
| Spring |
Part III General Exam: Deadline for First
Attempt |
| 4th |
Fall |
Part III General Exam: Final Attempt
Thesis Proposal Due: must be registered for 8.THG this
term |
| Spring |
|
| 5th |
|
|
| 6th |
|
Mean time to Ph.D. is 5.7 years. |
|
+ 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
page 1 | page 2 |
page 3
[top]

|