Program Structure and Requirements (with only B.Sc. Degree)
Overall Program Structure
The PhD in Physics consists of a minimum 72 credit hours, distributed as follows: 36 credit hours of coursework, 36 credit hours of PhD Dissertation, two zero credit PhD Seminar courses, as well as PhD Written Qualifying and PhD Research Proposal examinations. The components of the program are summarized in the table below.
| Category |
Credit Hours |
|
SCIE 701 Research Methods in Science
|
3 |
| Core Courses (7 Courses) |
21 |
| Technical Electives |
12 |
| CEPS 703 PhD Research Seminar I |
0 |
| CEPS 704 PhD Research Seminar II |
0 |
| PHYS 795 PhD Written Qualifying Exam |
0 |
| PHYS 796 PhD Research Proposal Exam |
0 |
| PhD Research Dissertation |
36 |
| Total |
72 |
All the courses that the students will take are at PhD level. The students will only be able to attempt PHYS PhD Written Qualifying Exam (WQE) after successfully completing a minimum of 27 credits of formal coursework.
Program Requirements
Students seeking the degree of PhD in Physics must successfully complete a minimum 72 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA threshold outlined in the contract between KU and the student. Course selection should be made in consultation with the student’s Main Advisor. All courses listed below have a credit rating of three credits each, except for PhD Research Seminar, Written Qualifying Exam, Research Proposal Exam, and the PhD Research Dissertation.
Program Core (24 credit hours)
Students must complete the core courses listed below.
Core Courses
Program Electives (12 credit hours)
Students must complete a minimum of four technical elective courses from the list below. Subject to the approval of the dissertation Main Advisor, up to two elective courses (6 credit hours) can be taken from another relevant PhD program in KU.
Program Elective Courses
| PHYS 701 | Advanced Computational Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 703 | Molecular Biophysics | 3 |
| PHYS 705 | Nanophysics and Nanotechnology | 3 |
| PHYS 706 | Quantum Field Theory | 3 |
| PHYS 707 | Advanced Solid State Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 709 | Experimental Techniques in Astroparticle Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 710 | Planetary Astrophysics | 3 |
| PHYS 711 | Quantum Transport and Optics | 3 |
| PHYS 712 | Atomic and Molecular Physics for Space Scientists | 3 |
| PHYS 713 | Electron Microscopy for Materials Characterization | 3 |
| PHYS 714 | Contemporary Topics in Applied Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 738 | Theoretical Astroparticle Physics | 3 |
PhD Research Dissertation (36 credit hours)
Students must complete a Dissertation that involves creative, research-oriented work within the field of physics, under direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Physics Department, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal dissertation and defended successfully in a viva voce examination.
Dissertation
Total Credit Hours: 72