Program Requirements

Course Requirements

Total Credit Hours Required: 9 credit hours

Core Courses (0 credit hours)

PHYC 6802.00: Physics and Atmospheric Science PhD Seminars
PHYC 9520.00: Prelim Doctoral Exam
PHYC 9530.00: PhD Thesis

General Electives (9 credit hours)

Graduate electives will be identified in consultation with the supervisor and committee. The supervisory committee may require additional courses, beyond tee minimum, depending on the student's background.

Additional Requirements

Within 18 months of registering in the PhD in Physics and Atmospheric Science program, students must submit a qualifying report of up to 70 pages. This report should include a literature survey and a significant research proposal for the PhD thesis. This is followed by an oral examination which must be successfully passed.
Students are required to attend the departmental colloquia, and to attend the departmental seminar series most relevant to their area of research. Students who are unable to attend seminars regularly must have the specific agreement of their Supervisory Committee that this requirement be waived.
Every graduate student is required to give at least one talk a year in one of the Department’s regular graduate seminars series, although the specific requirements vary. This is a good opportunity to give a talk in an informal environment. All graduate students are also required to attend their division’s graduate seminars.
The PhD degree will be granted primarily on the basis of the candidate’s ability to carry through original investigation. Part of the evidence of this will be acceptance of scientific material for publication in refereed journals and the preparation of a satisfactory thesis.

For students who have not completed an MSc, it is expected that a total of 21 credit hours of graduate courses should be completed beyond their undergraduate studies (including those completed prior to transferring from the MSc into the PhD).