Physics

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Graduate Student Affairs:
Room 2561 Mayer Hall Addition

http://physics.ucsd.edu

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

The Graduate Program

The Department of Physics offers curricula leading to the following degrees:

MS, Physics

CPhil, Physics

PhD, Physics

PhD, Physics (Biophysics)

PhD, Physics, Specialization in Computational Neuroscience

PhD, Physics, Specialization in Computational Science

PhD, Physics, Specialization in Quantitative Biology

Biophysics students will receive their MS (if applicable) and CPhil degrees in physics. Only their PhD will be in physics (biophysics).

Entering graduate students are required to have a sound knowledge of undergraduate mechanics, electricity, and magnetism; to have had senior courses or their equivalent in atomic and quantum physics, nuclear physics, and thermodynamics; and to have taken upper-division laboratory work. An introductory course in solid-state physics is desirable.

Students may choose to pursue a master’s degree en route to the PhD or may choose to leave with a terminal MS. Requirements for the master of science degree can be met according to Plan I (master’s thesis) or Plan II (comprehensive examination). (See “Graduate Studies: Master’s Degrees.”) For Plan II, the comprehensive examination is an oral exam. A list of acceptable courses is available in the Department of Physics Graduate Student Affairs office.

Contiguous Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Program in Materials Physics

The program offers a MS in physics with specialization in materials physics. It is open only to UC San Diego undergraduates, and is a Plan I program only (thesis). During the first quarter of the senior undergraduate year, students enrolled in the BS degree program with specialization in materials physics (see above) may apply for admission to the MS program. To be eligible, students must have completed the first two quarters of their junior year in residence at UC San Diego and have a GPA of at least 3.0 in both their major and overall undergraduate curriculum. It is strongly recommended that BS students who intend to apply to the MS program take MAE 160, ECE 103, and ECE 134 as restricted BS electives.

It is the responsibility of the prospective BS/MS student to select a faculty member (from the Department of Physics or, with Physics department approval, from the MAE, ECE, or Chemistry departments) who would be willing to serve as the student’s adviser and with whom the student would complete at least twelve units of S/U graded research. Research could commence as early as the undergraduate senior year; research units taken during the senior year would count only toward the MS degree and not toward the BS. The student must confirm that the selected faculty adviser will not be on off-campus sabbatical leave during any quarter of the scheduled BS/MS project.

Students are expected to meet the requirements for the MS in one year (three consecutive academic quarters) from the date of receipt of the BS. Any deviation from this plan, such as a break in enrollment for one or more quarters, may result in the student being dropped from the program.

The requirements for the MS are as follows:

Completion of at least twelve and no more than twenty-four units of research, which may begin as early as the first quarter of the senior undergraduate year. Students accumulate units for their research by enrolling in PHYS 295 (MS Thesis Research), which may be taken repeatedly.
Completion of MATS 201A-B-C during the fifth (graduate) year.
Completion of two restricted electives, to be chosen from PHYS 201, 211A-B; MATS 227, 240A-B-C; ECE 231, 233 (other courses allowed by petition).
Completion of additional courses (restricted electives and/or research) so that the total number of units (research plus required courses plus elective courses) totals no fewer than thirty-six units taken as a graduate student.
Maintenance of a grade point average of at least 3.0 for all course work, both cumulatively and for each quarter of enrollment in the BS/MS program.
Completion of a thesis, with an oral presentation to, and approval of, a three-member committee from the Department of Physics including the faculty adviser. If the faculty adviser is from outside the Department of Physics, the committee shall consist of the adviser and two members from the Department of Physics faculty.
Three consecutive quarters of full-time residency as a graduate student that will commence the quarter immediately following the quarter in which the BS is awarded (not counting Summer Session).
Although students may receive research or teaching assistantships if available, there is no guarantee of financial support associated with the MS program. Students who obtain a teaching assistantship should make sure that it does not interfere with completion of the MS degree requirements within the one-year time frame allotted.
Teaching is not a requirement for the MS.

Suggested Schedule—MS requirements completed during the fourth and fifth (graduate) year:

FALL	WINTER	SPRING
YEAR 4
PHYS 130B	PHYS 124	PHYS 133
PHYS 140A	PHYS 152A	PHYS 152B
PHYS RE (undergrad)	PHYS RE (undergrad)	PHYS RE (undergrad)
PHYS 295	PHYS 295	PHYS 295
YEAR 5
RE/PHYS 295	RE/PHYS 295	RE/PHYS 295
RE	MATS 201A	MATS 201C
RE/295	MATS 201B	RE

Suggested Schedule—MS requirements completed during the fifth (graduate) year, only:

FALL	WINTER	SPRING
PHYS 295	PHYS 295	PHYS 295
RE	Mat Sci 201A	Mat Sci 201C
RE/295	Mat Sci 201B	RE

Doctoral Degree Program in Physics

The department has developed a flexible PhD program that provides a broad, advanced education in physics while at the same time giving students opportunity for emphasizing their special interests. This program consists of graduate courses, apprenticeship in research, teaching experience, and thesis research.

Entering students are assigned a faculty adviser to guide them in their program. Many students spend their first year as teaching assistants or fellows and begin apprentice research in their second year. Prior to establishing a research adviser, assigned faculty advisers will conduct an annual progress review for each student. When a student’s association with a research area and research supervisor is well established, that faculty member will conduct the annual research review. After two years of graduate study, or earlier, students complete the departmental qualifying requirements and begin thesis research. Students specializing in biophysics make up deficiencies in biology and chemistry during the first two years and complete the departmental qualifying requirements by the end of their third year of graduate study. There is no foreign language requirement.

Entrance Testing

Entering students must take an entrance diagnostic exam on undergraduate physics. The exam will cover mechanics, electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics and mathematical methods. Students who are found to have serious weaknesses in preparation will be directed to enroll in appropriate undergraduate upper-division courses.

Requirements for the PhD

Students are required to pass core courses, advanced graduate courses, teaching requirement, PhD candidacy examination, and a final defense of the thesis as described below.

1. Core Courses and Electives for Qualification

Physics students are required to take seven core courses (PHYS 200A Theoretical Mechanics I, PHYS 201 Mathematical Methods in Physics, PHYS 203A-B Advanced Classical Electrodynamics I and II, PHYS 210A Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics, PHYS 212A-B Quantum Mechanics I and II) with a grade of B or better and two elective courses with a grade of B+ or better. Elective courses may also count toward the department’s advanced graduate course requirement.

Students are expected to complete these courses by the end of their first year with the requisite grades but will be given up to two years to complete. A department qualification committee will review all students and recommend corrective measures for students who do not meet the course grade standards. Students who do not qualify after two years may be asked to leave the program. Biophysics PhD students will be expected to complete these courses by the end of their second year with the requisite grades but will be given an additional year if necessary.

The university requires an annual evaluation of each graduate student’s progress toward PhD candidacy and thesis defense in spring quarter. These annual spring evaluations are to be conducted by a student’s assigned adviser until a research supervisor is well established. After advancing to candidacy, spring evaluations must be conducted by at least three members of the doctoral committee.

2. Advanced Graduate Courses

Physics students are required to take five advanced graduate courses from at least three of the groups listed below no later than the end of the third year of graduate work. A 3.0 average over the five courses is required. (In lieu of the course requirement, students may petition to take an oral examination covering three areas of physics.)

Group 1 (Plasma): PHYS 218A-B-C (Plasma); 235 (Nonlin. Plas. Th.)
Group 2 (Condensed Matter): PHYS 211A, 211B (Solid State); 219 (C.M./Matl. SCI Lab), 230 (Adv. Solid State); 232 (Electronic Materials)
Group 3 (Particle Physics/High Energy): PHYS 214 (Elem. Part.); 215A-B-C (Part. & Fields); 222A (Elem. Particle Phys)
Group 4 (Mathematics): PHYS 210B (Nonequil. Stat. Mech.); 221A (Nonlinear Dyn.); 243 (Stochastic Methods); MATH 210A-B, 210C (Mathematics Physics); MATH 259A-B-C (Geom. Physics)
Group 5 (Biophysics): PHYS 273 (Biological Info); 274 (QBio Stoch Pop Gene); 275 (Biol Physics); 276 (Quan Micro Bio); 277 (Physics of Cell); 278 (Biophys Neurons)
Group 6 (Astrophysics): PHYS 227 (Cosmology); 228 (HE Astro. & Comp. Obj.)
Group 7 (General): PHYS 200B (Dynamics); PHYS 202 (Estimation); PHYS 212C (Quantum Mechanics III); PHYS 216 (Fluid Dynamics); 217 (Renorm. Field Th.); 220 (Group Th.); 225A-B (Relativ.)
Group 8 (Computational): PHYS 241 and 242 (Comp. Physics); 244 (Parallel Computing in Science and Engineering)

Students enrolled in the Biophysics PhD program select five courses from biology, biochemistry, chemistry, or physics in consultation with their adviser. At least three courses must be graduate courses. For more information, see the Biophysics section, below.

3. PhD Candidacy Examination

In order to be advanced to candidacy, students must have met the departmental requirements and obtained a faculty research supervisor. At the time of application for advancement to candidacy, a doctoral committee responsible for the remainder of the student’s graduate program is appointed by the dean of the Graduate Division. The committee conducts the PhD qualifying examination during which students must demonstrate the ability to engage in thesis research. This involves the presentation of a plan for the thesis research project. The committee may ask questions directly or indirectly related to the project and questions on general physics which it determines to be relevant. Upon successful completion of this examination, students are advanced to candidacy and are awarded the Candidate of Philosophy degree.

4. Instruction in Physics Teaching

All graduate students are required to participate in the physics undergraduate teaching program as part of their career training. The main component of this requirement is an evaluated classroom-based teaching activity. All graduate student teaching accomplishments are subject to the approval of the vice chair for education. There are several ways to satisfy the teaching requirement, including: (1) leading discussions as a teaching assistant, (2) practical classroom teaching, under faculty supervision, (3) participation in an approved teaching development program offered by the Department of Physics or the campus Center for Engaged Teaching, or (4) transferred teaching credit from another institution or department. Students who satisfy the requirement by teaching at UC San Diego should enroll in PHYS 500 in the fall quarter during or prior to which they complete it.

5. Thesis Defense

When students have completed their theses, they are asked to present and defend them before their doctoral committees.

Time Limits for Progress to the PhD

In accordance with university policy, the Department of Physics has established the following time limits for progress to the PhD. A student’s research progress committee helps ensure that these time limits are met.

	Theorists	Experimentalists
Advancement to Candidacy	three years	three years
Total Registered Time and Support	seven years	eight years

PhD in Physics (Biophysics)

The Department of Physics offers a graduate program which prepares students for a career in biophysics and that leads to the following degrees:

CPhil in Physics

PhD in Physics (Biophysics)

Biophysics students will receive their MS and CPhil degrees in physics. Only their PhD will be in physics (biophysics).

The PhD program consists of graduate courses, apprenticeship in research, teaching experience, and thesis research. Research in biophysics is being actively pursued in several departments (physics, chemistry/biochemistry, and biology) that also offer courses in, or courses relevant to, biophysics.

Requirements for the PhD in Physics (Biophysics)

The specialization in biophysics requires that students complete many of the same requirements as for the physics PhD. Students must complete the core and elective courses for qualification, advanced graduate courses, PhD candidacy examination, teaching requirement, and a final defense of the thesis. However, the requirements for the core and elective courses for qualification and advanced courses differ slightly from those of the PhD.

Biophysics PhD students are required to complete the core and elective courses for qualification by the end of their second year with the requisite grades but will be given an additional year if necessary. Biophysics students are required to pass five courses from biology, chemistry, biochemistry, or physics no later than the end of the third year of graduate study. The course plan shall be determined in consultation with the adviser. At least three of these courses must be graduate courses. A 3.0 average over the five courses is required. (In lieu of the course requirement, students may petition to take an oral examination covering three areas of physics.)

PhD in Physics with Specialization in Computational Neuroscience

The Neuroscience Graduate Program, Department of Physics, and Department of Bioengineering offer a specialization in computational neuroscience. Students from these departments or program that pursue the computational neuroscience specialization are trained in the broad range of scientific and technical skills essential to understand the computational and theoretical basis of neural systems. Students in this specialization will be required to fulfill all of the academic requirements for a doctoral degree in their home department or program and must successfully complete a set of three core computational courses, any other course work as directed by the computational neuroscience committee, and successfully defend a thesis on an approved topic.

Computational Neurosciences Specialization Courses:

BGGN 260/PHYS 279/BENG 260 (Neurodynamics), PHYS 278 (Biophysical Basis of Neuronal Dynamics), and COGS 260 (Algorithms for the Analysis of Neural Data).

PhD in Physics with Specialization in Computational Science

See “PhD in Mathematics with Specialization in Computational Science” for more information.

The UC San Diego campus is offering a new comprehensive PhD specialization in computational science that will be available to doctoral candidates in participating academic departments at UC San Diego.

This PhD specialization is designed to allow students to obtain training in their chosen field of science, mathematics, or engineering with additional training in computational science integrated into their graduate studies. Prospective students must apply and be admitted into the PhD program in physics, and then be admitted to the CSME program.

Areas of research in the Department of Physics will include computational astrophysics and cosmology (studying star formation and the large-scale structure of the universe), computational condensed matter physics (studying nanodevices), computational quantum field theory (studying the four basic forces of nature), computational biological physics (protein folding and other biologically important complex structures), computational nonlinear dynamics, and computational plasma physics. Each faculty member works with graduate students on the listed research topics.

The specialization in computational science requires that students complete all home requirements for the physics PhD degree. Students are required to pass the core and elective courses with requisite grades for qualification, advanced course requirements, PhD candidacy examination, teaching requirement, and a final defense of the thesis. The qualifying and elective courses for the CSME program (e.g., PHYS 241-244) can be used as part of the advanced course requirement, which is the same as for the physics PhD.

Requirements for the PhD in Physics with Specialization in Computational Science:

Qualifying Requirements: In addition to the home department qualifying exam requirements, PhD students must take the final exams in three qualifying exam courses from the list below. Courses taken to satisfy the qualifying requirements will not count toward the elective requirements.

MATH 275 or MAE 290B (Numerical PDEs)
PHYS 244 or CSE 260 (Parallel Computing)
One course to be selected from List A

List A: CSME Qualifying Exam Courses

PHYS 243 (Stochastic Methods)
MATH 270A, B, or C (Numerical Analysis)
MATH 272A, B, or C (Advanced Numerical PDEs)
MAE 223 (Computational Fluid Dynamics)
MAE 232A or B (Computational Solid Mechanics)
MAE 280A or B (Linear Systems Theory)
To be determined by Executive Committee

Elective Requirements: To encourage PhD students to both broaden themselves in an area of science or engineering as well as to obtain more specialized training in specific areas of computational science, students will be required to take and pass three elective courses from the following approved List B (four units per course). The Executive Committee may approve the use of courses not appearing on the following list on a case-by-case basis. Courses taken to satisfy the elective requirements will not count toward the qualifying requirements.

List B: Relevant Elective Graduate Courses in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering

MATH 270A-B-C (Numerical Analysis; not permitted for mathematics students)
MATH 271A-B-C (Optimization)
MATH 272A-B-C (Advanced Numerical PDEs)
MATH 273A-B-C (Computational Mathematics Project)
PHYS 141/241 (Computational Physics I)
PHYS 142/242 (Computational Physics II)
PHYS 221A-B (Nonlinear Dynamics)
CHEM 215 (Modeling Biological Macromolecules)
BGGN 260 (Neurodynamics)
To be determined by Executive Committee

Program Policies: The following is a list of policies for the PhD specialization with regard to proficiency, qualifying, and elective requirements:

Proficiency in computer engineering must be demonstrated by the end of the first year.
The qualifying exams must be passed by the end of the second year, or, on petition, by end of the third year.
The qualifying exams can be attempted repeatedly but no more than once per quarter per subject.
The qualifying exams in the home department and the CSME qualifying exams must all be passed before the student is permitted to take the candidacy (senate) exam.
Two electives outside the home department must be taken.
The two electives can be taken at any time before defending the thesis.
One of the electives may be taken Pass/Fail; the other must be taken for a letter grade.

Recommended schedule for the PhD in physics with specialization in computational science

YEAR 1: PHYSICS CORE COURSES
PHYS 200A	PHYS 203A	PHYS 203B
PHYS 201	PHYS 212B	PHYS 210A
PHYS 212A
YEAR 2: CSME QUALIFYING COURSES
MATH 275	Non-Physics Elective	PHYS 244
PHYS 243	Adv Physics Course	Adv Physics Course
YEAR 3: CSME ELECTIVE COURSES
Non-Physics Elective	PHYS 241	PHYS 242

PhD in Physics with Specialization in Quantitative Biology

A specialization in quantitative biology spanning four schools—Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Jacobs School of Engineering, and Health Sciences—is available to doctoral candidates in physics. This PhD specialization is designed to train students to develop and apply quantitative theoretical and experimental approaches to studying fundamental principles of living systems. The core of this specialization comprises one year of theory courses and one year of lab courses, most of which can be counted toward satisfying physics elective requirements. For more information students should contact the Student Affairs Office.

Departmental Colloquium

The department offers a weekly colloquium on topics of current interest in physics and on departmental research programs. Students are expected to register and attend the colloquium.

Supplementary Course Work and Seminars

The department offers regular seminars in several areas of current interest. Students are strongly urged to enroll for credit in seminars related to their research interests and, when appropriate, to enroll in advanced graduate courses beyond the departmental requirement. To help beginning students choose a research area and a research supervisor, the department offers a special seminar (PHYS 261) that surveys physics research at UC San Diego.

Course Credit by Examination

Students have an option of obtaining credit for a physics graduate course by taking the final examination without participating in any class exercises. They must, however, officially register for the course and notify the instructor and the Department of Physics graduate student affairs office of their intention no later than the first week of the course.