PhD Course Requirements

What follows are the default set of requirements for all Physics Ph.D. candidates.

A total of 10 courses (30 hours) of advanced lecture courses are required. This excludes all seminars and colloquia.

  1. Core courses
    • PHSX 711 Quantum Mechanics I
    • PHSX 811 Quantum Mechanics II
    • PHSX 821 Classical Mechanics
    • PHSX 831 Electrodynamics I
  2. Other required courses
    • PHSX 717 Graduate Seminar (satisfies Responsible Scholarship requirement)
    • PHSX 815 Computational Physics
    • PHSX 871 Statistical Physics I (usually offered every two years. Substitution of CHEM 852 for this credit is not permitted) 
  3. Three additional 3-credit hour lecture courses. At least one must be a PHSX/ASTR course numbered 700 or above. Students who wish to pursue a more multidisciplinary plan of study, please see the multidisciplinary plan description below. Please note that courses cannot be substituted for this elective requirement. 
  4. Colloquium attendance is required according to the description in "Colloquium and Graduate Seminar" below.
  5. All graduate students, after their first semester, will deliver at least one oral presentation per semester. See "Communication Skills" for an explanation 
  6. Our department has an undergraduate lab requirement for all graduate students. For details please visit this link.

The courses listed above comprise the Department course requirements common to all students except those pursuing a multi-disciplinary plan of study, which is described below. Subsequent work, consisting of advanced courses in appropriate fields and seminars, will be selected by the student and the advisor on the basis of the student's need and intended field of specialization. There is no prescribed minimum number of hours for the Ph.D. degree. The student's dissertation committee will determine the adequacy of the student's courses and seminars and will specify the total course requirements in addition to those listed above.

Students who wish to pursue a more multidisciplinary plan of study may incorporate coursework from up to two other natural science, engineering, or mathematics (SEM) departments at KU by substituting non EPHX/PHSX/ASTR courses at the 600 level and above from these other disciplines for the two additional electives previously described. The research advisor or the Departmental Graduate Advisor, who is the default advisor for all students without a research advisor, shall approve all such outside course choices and provide documentation for the student file on the approved courses and their rationale.

Students who wish to take courses in the social sciences, humanities, or professional schools must submit a detailed plan of study that must be approved by the Physics and Astronomy Graduate Committee. Please note that while these unique plans involving non SEM fields will be considered, there is no guarantee that the plan of study will be approved.

Colloquium and Graduate Seminar

All Ph.D. students are required to have attended at least 75% of the regularly scheduled colloquia during their first six semesters.

In Fall of the first year, each graduate student is required to enroll in and attend the graduate seminar (PHSX 717) in order to become familiar with research programs in the Department and gain experience in oral presentations.

Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship

Before being able to schedule the comprehensive exam, the student must complete the Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement.

The research skills requirement can be satisfied with a B or better grade in a non-core, physics or astronomy graduate course, that covers material (i.e., skills) appropriate for the research specialty of the student. The course shall be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor, who will inform the graduate coordinator. The course will typically be an elective course. 

Example courses (not an exhaustive list), are:

PHSX 815 Computational Physics

PHSX 741 Nuclear Physics I

PHSX 761 Elementary Particles I

PHSX 781 Solid State Physics I

ASTR/PHSX 793 Physical Cosmology

ASTR 792 Topics in Advanced Astrophysics

PHSX 795 Space Plasma Physics

The default class to fulfill the research skills requirement will be PHSX 815. If you receive a B or better grade in PHSX 815, no action is required. If you plan to fulfill this requirement with another course, please discuss this matter with your research advisor. Once you have approval from your advisor, please contact the Graduate Coordinator. This request will not be considered without the approval of the research advisor. Please note that PHSX 815 is a required course, regardless of whether or not it is used to fulfill the research skills requirement. 

The Responsible Scholarship requirement is filled via completion of the PHSX 717 Graduate Seminar.