Program of Study - Cooperative Ph.D. in Physics
Students enrolled in the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Cooperative Ph.D. Physics program now have the option to reside at UTRGV and conduct their research under the direction of a graduate faculty member of the UTRGV Physics Department. All requirements for the program including graduation requirements are the same as those established for the UTA PhD Physics program.
Graduate Faculty
For dissertation committee purposes, “The Graduate Faculty” consists of persons who are tenure or tenure-track instructional faculty holding an appointment at the UTRGV as Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor with an earned Doctorate from an accredited institution.
Admission Requirements
See the UTA graduate catalog (http://www.uta.edu/physics/main/academics/grads.html) and the department specific requirements. Qualified students conducting their research at UTB will normally be supported financially through research assistantships. Contact the Chair, UTRGV Physics department for further information on financial aid.
Program Requirements
The doctoral degree requires a minimum of 81 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. The coursework in the Program of Study includes a Core Curriculum (24 semester credit hours) and Advanced Electives (15 semester credit hours) including graduate courses offered by other departments with the approval of the student’s Graduate Advisor. Research hours, including Research Seminar (3 semester credit hours), Directed and Doctoral Research (27 semester credit hours) and Dissertation (12 semester credit hours), totaling at least 42 semester credit hours, complete the Program of Study. To remain in good standing, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Courses
A. Core Curriculum I (15 semester credit hours):
UTRGV Course #
UTA Course #
PHYS 5306
| | |
PHYS 5309
| | |
| PHYS 5310 | Classical Mechanics I | 3 |
PHYS 5307
| | |
PHYS 5311
| | |
Core Curriculum II (9 semester credit hours):
UTRGV Course #
UTA Course #
PHYS 5313
| | |
PHYS 5308
| | |
PHYS 5312
| | |
B. UTRGV Advanced Physics Electives (6 semester credit hours selected from the following):
| PHYS 5375 | Structure and Function of Biological Molecules | 3 |
| PHYS 5387 | Special Topics in Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 5392 | Gravitational Wave Astronomy | 3 |
| PHYS 5393 | Introduction to General Relativity and Gravitation | 3 |
| PHYS 5394 | Advanced Statistical Methods for Modern Astronomy | 3 |
| PHYS 6331 | Solid State Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 6352 | Computational Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 6371 | Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Biological Systems | 3 |
| PHYS 6373 | Statistical Physics of Molecular Cell Biology | 3 |
| PHYS 6381 | Introduction to Astrophysics | 3 |
Transfer of Credits
The list above states the courses in the UTRGV M.S. Physics program for which credits can be transferred into the UTA PhD program. A maximum of 30 credit hours constituted by these courses are transferable.
In addition, 9 semester credit hours must be taken from the list below of UTA Advanced Physics Electives.
C. UTA Advanced Physics Electives
(9 semester credit hours selected from the following or from graduate courses offered by other departments, e.g., Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, etc.):
PHYS 6103
| | |
PHYS 6113
| | |
PHYS 6123
| | |
PHYS 6313
| | |
PHYS 6323
| | |
PHYS 6403
| | |
PHYS 6413
| | |
PHYS 6523
| | |
PHYS 6613
| | |
PHYS 6623
| | |
Topics courses may be repeated for credit as the topics vary. The student should consult her/his graduate advisor if in doubt.
PHYS 7403
| | |
PHYS 7503
| | |
PHYS 7603
| | |
PHYS 7703
| | |
PHYS 7803
| | |
PHYS 7903
| | |
PHYS 7973
| | |
D. Doctoral Research (42 semester credit hours):
PHYS 7001
| | |
PHYS 7002
| | |
PHYS 7003
| | |
PHYS 7013
| | |
PHYS 7101
| | |
PHYS 7102
| | |
PHYS 7103
| | |
PHYS 7111
| | |
PHYS 7112
| | |
PHYS 7113
| | |
PHYS 7001, PHYS 7002 and PHYS 7003: 6 hours; prior to passing qualifying exam
PHYS 7101, PHYS 7102 and PHYS 7103: 21 hours; after successfully passing qualifying exam
PHYS 7013: 3 hours
PHYS 7111, PHYS 7112 and PHYS 7113: 12 hours
Students must enroll in PHYS 7111-3 Doctoral Dissertation each semester that they receive advice and/or assistance on their dissertation. However, no more than 12 semester credit hours will count toward the Ph.D. degree. Students must attend the Research Seminar for a minimum of three full semesters during their graduate studies. However, no more than three semester credit hours may be applied to the Ph.D. degree.
Total Credit Hours: 48
Candidacy
All students seeking a doctoral degree at UTA must be admitted to candidacy. One of the requirements for admission to candidacy is passing the Doctoral Qualifying Examination. Students should consult the UTA’s Doctoral Degree Regulation for the other requirements.
Qualifying Examination
The qualifying examination is divided into written and oral portions. The written portion will cover the four core courses. The oral portion covers the student’s proposed research program and related fundamentals, must be taken within one year after passing the written portion of the qualifying examination, and will be evaluated by the student’s Dissertation Committee.
Comprehensive Examination
Students are eligible to take the Comprehensive Examination after giving evidence to their doctoral committees of adequate academic achievement by having completed all or most coursework requirements. The comprehensive examination is an oral presentation based on dissertation research. This examination should be taken at least one year prior to the intended date of dissertation defense so that the candidate has sufficient time to make up for any deficiencies in their research of understanding or their chosen field.
Dissertation Committee and Defense
The final oral defense consists of a public presentation of the dissertation and a closed oral defense. It is administered and evaluated by the student’s dissertation committee and covers the dissertation and the general field of the dissertation. Dissertation committee must have at least four members, three of whom are members of the Graduate Faculty (see definition above), and two of whom are from the doctoral candidate’s home program. The dissertation committee must approve the dissertation.