Resources For:

The First Two Years

Master of Arts (AM)

• The Department of Physics does not admit students whose sole purpose is to study for the master of arts degree. However, the AM degree is frequently taken by students who continue on for the PhD degree. For those who do not attain the doctorate, the AM degree attests to the completion of a full year’s study beyond the AB degree.

• A minimum of one year residence is required.

• Eight half-courses are required for the AM degree. At least four of them must be physics courses, and ordinarily all must be in physics or related fields. Not more than two half-courses may be from the 100-level listing, “for undergraduates and graduates,” and ordinarily not more than one half-course may be from the 300-level group, “Reading and Research.”

• The remainder must be from the 200 level, “primarily for graduates.” With the per­mission of their advisors and with the approval of the committee on higher degrees, students may substitute 300-level courses for more than one of the required eight half-courses.

• All half-courses counted toward the AM degree must be passed with a grade of C-or better, and a B average must be obtained in these courses. (In calculating the average, a grade of C is offset by a grade of A; no account is taken of pluses or minuses.)

• No thesis, general examination, or knowledge of a foreign language is required for the AM degree.

Teaching

Because of the importance of teaching skills for a successful physics career, one term of teaching is required of all physics students, generally in the first five years of graduate study.

Course Record

The student must present a high record in graduate studies during at least two terms of advanced work. The award of the AM does not automatically qualify the student as a candidate for the PhD. Students who propose to present dissertations in experimental fields should demonstrate promise in experimental work and a satisfactory under­standing of theoretical physics. Applicants for candidacy in theoretical physics should demonstrate strength in courses of a mathematical nature and a satisfactory acquain­tance with experimental aspects of physics. Detailed course requirements are given below under “PhD Requirements.”

PhD Requirements

Academic Residence

• Ordinarily a candidate must be enrolled for at least two years (four terms) of full-time study in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Program of Study

• Each student is required to demonstrate proficiency in a broad range of fields of physics by obtaining honor grades (B-or better) in at least eight half-courses, spec­ified as follows:

A) Core courses: Physics 251a, and Physics 251b, and Physics 232 or Applied Physics 216, and Physics 262 or Applied Physics 284.

B) Elective courses: Four additional half-courses drawn from the following list, with at most two half-courses in any one field. (Note: Not all courses listed are given every year and course offerings, numbers, and contents sometimes change. Students therefore should confer with their advisors or with the chair of the Com­mittee on Higher Degrees about their program of study.)

Particle Physics, Field Theory, String Theory, and Mathematical Physics: Physics 245, 248, 253a, 253b, 253c, 264, 283b, 283r, 287a, 287br, 289r.

Condensed Matter Physics: Physics 266, 268r, 270, 298r, Applied Physics 225, 282, 292, 293, 295a, 295b, 296r, 298r, Engineering Sciences 247.

Optics, Atomic, and Molecular Physics: Physics 265, 265r, 271, 285a, 285b, Applied Physics 216 (if Physics 232 is used as a Core course), 217.

Relativity and Astrophysics: Physics 210, 211, any 200-level Astronomy.

Mechanics, Electromagnetism, and Applied Mathematics: Physics 218, 232, Applied Mathematics 201, 202, 203, 205, 210, 212, Engineering Sci­ences 220, 225, 240, 241, 246.

Biological and Medical Physics: Engineering Sciences 218, and physics-related courses at the 200 level from Biophysics and Biology offerings.

Earth and Planetary Physics: Physics-related courses at the 200 level in Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Other Fields: A student may use 200-level courses or fields not on this list with the approval of the Committee on Higher Degrees. In place of demon­strating proficiency by satisfactory course performance, a student may demon­strate proficiency, by submitting evidence of satisfactory work in appropriate courses taken at other institutions, or by other means deemed satisfactory by the Committee on Higher Degrees. Students wishing to utilize this option should submit a petition to the Committee on Higher Degrees before the end of their first year at Harvard Graduate School.

The general requirements outlined above are a minimum standard and stu­dents will usually take additional courses in their selected fields and in other fields. A student need not fulfill these requirements before beginning research. As a result of an exchange agreement between the universities, graduate stu­dents in physics at Harvard may also enroll in lecture courses at the Massachu­setts Institute of Technology. The procedure is outlined under Cross-Registration into Courses Offered by Other Faculties (see Chapter V).

Language

• There is no formal language requirement for the PhD in physics. Students are none­theless advised that in many fields of physics a knowledge of certain foreign lan­guages is extremely useful.

Laboratory

• The laboratory course, Physics 247r, or equivalent laboratory experience, or an oral examination on an experimental topic is a required part of the PhD program for all students who do not submit a dissertation that demonstrates experimental proficien­cy. Students who wish to fulfill this requirement by equivalent laboratory experi­ence or an oral examination should obtain approval from the Committee on Higher Degrees no later than the end of the third year of residence.

Criteria for Satisfactory Progress

In addition to the guidelines specified by the Graduate School of Arts and Science, satisfactory progress (see Chapter VI Degree Requirements) for graduate students in the physics department is identified by the following guidelines. Upon successful completion of the qualifying oral examination, the student must arrange for the appointment of a research committee of faculty members who will monitor the progress of the student thereafter. The student must be accepted by an appropriate dissertation advisor within eighteen months after passing the qualifying oral examination. During each subsequent year, the student’s academic progress will be evaluated for satisfactory progress toward the completion of the degree; beginning with the third year of graduate study, the student must submit a progress report each year in the form specified by the Committee on Higher Degrees. The progress report must be approved by the student’s Research Committee and the Committee on Higher Degrees. The Committee on Higher Degrees will examine with special care students beyond their fifth year. For other types of extensions of leave-of-absence policies, consult Chapter VI of this publication

Advising

Prior to graduate students’ arrival at Harvard, they are assigned a faculty advisor in the physics department. Where possible, students are assigned advisors in one of the fields in which they have indicated an interest. This advisor answers questions and signs study cards during the first year or two, when most students are engaged in taking courses. As this stage nears completion, students generally take an oral examination (see below). The oral examination chair is generally the faculty member with whom the student wishes to carry out his or her dissertation research. After successful completion of the oral examination, this faculty member becomes the student’s advisor, and heads a dissertation committee consisting of two additional faculty members. If issues subsequently arise between the student and his or her dissertation advisor that cannot be resolved by direct discussions, the student can seek additional input and assistance from the other members of the dissertation committee. In rare cases when differences cannot be resolved in this way, students can seek the help of the director of graduate studies.

Qualifying Oral Examination

• The purpose of the examination, required of all PhD candidates, is to aid in estimating a candidate’s potential for performing research at the level required for the PhD dis­sertation. Each student is asked to select, prepare, and discuss in depth some topic in physics, and to answer questions about that topic and closely related problems.

• Students are judged on the knowledge and understanding they demonstrate and on the clarity and organization of their expositions. Originality is welcomed but not required.

• In evaluating the candidates, the examining committee may take into account other in­formation about their performance as graduate students. Students will pass the exam­ination if the examining committee believes that they have demonstrated adequate comprehension of physics in the area of their chosen topic and the ability to perform the dissertation research required for the doctoral degree.

• Students who fail the qualifying oral examination on the first attempt will usually be permitted by the examining committee to take a second examination at a later date.

• The procedures for the qualifying oral examination are as follows: the student selects a faculty member to serve as chair of his or her examining committee. The committee chair is normally one of the department members and, when feasible, a prospective dissertation advisor.

• The student then selects a topic, preferably but not necessarily related to the proposed field of dissertation research, prepares an abstract and submits it, with a program of study (described below), and a decision as to whether the prospective doctoral re­search will be experimental or theoretical.

• The student then confers in detail with the examining committee chair about the topic to be discussed, the nature of the examination, and the other faculty members who will serve on the committee.

• The examining committee must have at least three members, two of whom must be from the Department of Physics.

• The committee chair will provide written approval of the topic, and the overall com­position of the examination committee must be approved by the chair of the Depart­ment. To avoid inappropriate preparation, this conference should take place at the earliest possible date.

• A student who wishes to change from an experimental to a theoretical dissertation topic, or vice versa, may be required to pass a second qualifying oral examination.

• Students are required by the end of their second year to select a committee of three faculty members to advise them on their research progress. Students are expected to pass the oral examination given by this committee by the end of their second year.

The committee may, upon petition, grant a deferment of the examination for up to one year. Students who have not passed their oral examinations by the end of their third year of graduate study must seek approval from the Committee on Higher De­grees prior to being allowed to register for the fourth year of graduate study. if sat­isfactory arrangements cannot be made, the student will be withdrawn by the department.

Dissertation

• The final requirement for acceptance as a PhD candidate is formal acceptance by a suitable dissertation supervisor (a faculty member of the Department of Physics or a related department). This requirement should be met soon after the oral is passed.

• Sometimes a student may wish to do a substantial portion of his or her dissertation research under the supervision of someone who is not a faculty member of the Department of Physics or a related department. Such an arrangement must have both the approval of the student’s dissertation supervisor and that of the Committee on Higher Degrees.

• Students who encounter difficulty in being accepted by an appropriate advisor after passing their qualifying orals should consult with the chair of their oral examining committee, their faculty advisor, or the Director of Graduate Studies.

• Any student who has not been accepted as a PhD candidate by some suitable disser­tation advisor within eighteen months after passing the qualifying oral must obtain permission of the Department of Physics to register in any subsequent term until the dissertation research has begun. This permission will be granted only if, upon re­view of the student’s work, the department is satisfied that the student is making suf­ficient progress toward dissertation research.

• Each year following the oral examination the student must show satisfactory progress toward the completion of the degree. This evidence of progress may, at the department’s discretion, take the form of a dissertation chapter completed, manu­scripts submitted for publication, abstracts of papers delivered at professional meet­ings, or other evidence as specified by the dissertation director.

• Beginning with the sixth term of graduate study, the student must submit a progress report each term in a form specified by the Committee on Higher Degrees. The progress report must be approved by the student’s research committee and the Com­mittee on Higher Degrees. The Committee on Higher Degrees will examine with special care students beyond their fifth year.

• In order to become acquainted with the various programs of research in progress and promising areas for dissertation research, students should attend seminars and colloquia, and consult with their faculty advisors and upper-level graduate stu­dents. A list of the current research activities of graduate students and faculty members is assembled yearly and is available at the department office.

Final Examination

• The final examination, conducted orally, involves a searching analysis of the disser­tation. If the coursework does not indicate a wide proficiency in the field of the dis­sertation, the examination may be extended to test this proficiency as well.

• The candidate must provide copies of the completed (unbound) dissertation for members of the final examination committee well in advance of the examination. Detailed requirements on the form of the PhD dissertation are published in The Form of the PhD Dissertation, available at the department office or online. 

Length of Time to Degree