Physics, Ph.D.

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Degree Requirements

Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must satisfactorily complete eight core courses, four elective graduate courses in physics, and at least 48 credit hours of graduate courses in total. Students typically take the core sequence of courses during their first two years, and may take electives during their second and later years, according to their interests and in consultation with their research adviser.

Core Courses

The department offers 10 core courses with emphasis on particle physics, which include:

Elective Courses

The department offers several elective courses.

Research Courses

After completing core courses and electives, students typically sign up for 8000-level research courses under their adviser until reaching the required 48 hours.

Comprehensive Qualifying Exam

In order to advance to Ph.D. candidacy, SMU also requires students to pass a comprehensive qualifying exam, usually given within the first two years. In Physics, this takes the form of a four-part written exam. Topics include Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Electrodynamics, and Statistical Mechanics. Exams are given annually, typically just prior to the start of the fall semester. Students are allowed two attempts to pass all four sections and must do so before the end of their fifth semester. We also ask incoming students to take the exam for purposes of placement, but do not count this against their two attempts.

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