Overview
The curriculum leading to the Ph.D. degree in Applied Physics
combines coursework in the fundamentals of physical theory,
its applications to modern technology, and practical "hands-on"
training in the research laboratories.
Applied
Physics is administered as an intercollegiate degree program
with participating faculty in the College of Literature Science
and the Arts, and the College of Engineering. General admission
and degree requirements are administered by the Rackham Graduate
School.
The
program is normally four to five years with an emphasis on
coursework during the first two years. Students are encouraged
to become involved in research at the earliest opportunity
and are required to complete a supervised research project
in their first year. When students complete the basic academic
core, have satisfied the qualification procedure (see below),
have formed a Dissertation Committee, and have obtained approval
for their Dissertation Prospectus, they are eligible for admission
to Candidacy for the Ph.D. Candidacy is normally achieved
after four or five semesters of graduate work.
Qualifying Procedure
The decision to qualify a student for Ph.D. study is based on the student's academic record, performance in a four-credit hour supervised research project, and the results of an oral examination, beginning with a brief presentation of the student's supervised research followed by questions on standard undergraduate-level physics. The student is expected to qualify within two years of entering the graduate program. This examination is taken during the summer before the start of the second year.
Preliminary Examination
A preliminary examination of the plans for dissertation research will be made by the student's Dissertation Committee. The preliminary examination will take the form of a presentation to the committee of a Dissertation Prospectus stating the objectives and proposed methods of investigation. Over the signatures of the Dissertation Committee, the program committee will authorize the student to proceed with the thesis research.
Students normally will have formed their Dissertation Committee by the end of their fifth term in graduate school. Approval of the Dissertation Prospectus is a program requirement prior to Candidacy. This should be completed during the first semester of the third year and also coincides with candidacy.
Candidacy
In
order to achieve candidacy and form a dissertation committee,
seven prescribed 500-level courses must be passed with a grade
B or better. In addition, four elective courses (chosen in
consultation with the program advisor according to the student's
research needs) must be completed satisfactorily. Satisfactory
completion of one four-credit hour course on non-thesis research
is also required, under the supervision of a faculty member.
Prior approval by the program committee must be obtained before
beginning this supervised research course. All first, second,
and third year students are required to enroll in the weekly
seminar course (AP 514).
Thesis Defense
