[The Department of Physics and Astronomy currently requires all students who wish to enter our Engineering Physics Ph.D. graduate program to have an M.S. degree from MSU or from another university. Any graduate student who does not already have an M.S. degree is automatically entered into our M.S. in Physics graduate program.]
If the student is entering the Engineering Physics Ph.D. graduate program with an M.S. from another university, the student is required to take placement examinations in classical mechanics, electromagnetic theory, and quantum mechanics. The results of these examinations are completely advisory; they are used to advise entering students on whether or not they have the appropriate physics background to take the 8000-level courses or whether it would be prudent to review the material prior to taking the 8000-level courses. The student makes the final decision as to which courses to take. Students who enter the Engineering Physics Ph.D. program with an M.S. in Physics from MSU are not required to take the placement examinations.
All new graduate students who wish to have teaching assignments are required to attend and pass the Teaching Assistant Workshop, which is offered by the University once a year just before the beginning of the Fall semester. All international students who wish to continue to have teaching assignments are also required by the College of Arts and Sciences to take and obtain a satisfactory score on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) exam by the end of their first year at MSU.
By the end of the first year in the Ph.D. program, the student should have chosen a research area and a research advisor, and have begun research. If a Ph.D. student has not chosen a research advisor by the end of her/his first year in the Ph.D. program, the head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy will appoint two faculty members who, along with the Graduate Coordinator, will serve as the student's Ph.D. Advisory Committee until the student chooses a research advisor.
As soon as the student has selected his/her research advisor, the student, in consultation with her/his research advisor, is to select an Engineering department with which to associate. At that time, the student's Ph.D. Advisory Committee is formed and the Committee meets to select the student's Program of Graduate Study. (For Ph.D. students, the Program of Graduate Study form must be sent to the Graduate School by the end of the first year in our department.) The Ph.D. Advisory Committee will consist of at least two faculty members from Physics; at least two faculty members from the Engineering department (one selected by the student, and one appointed by the head of the associated Engineering department); and at least one faculty member from a different "science" or engineering department. The Physics Graduate Coordinator sends a formal letter to the head of the associated Engineering department requesting that the head appoint the ex officio member. The ex officio member has full voting rights. The Ph.D. Advisory Committee will meet annually to review the student's progress and recommend to the head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy whether or not the student should receive a graduate assistantship for the following year.
When the student has completed all the Physics core courses [see Guidelines for Physics Ph.D. Candidates] and has obtained his/her committee's permission, the student is to take the written Physics preliminary examinations in classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, electromagnetic theory, and mathematical physics. Each examination is 2 to 3 hours long. These examinations are generally offered only once per year, during the summer.
When the student has completed all the required Engineering courses and has obtained his/her committee's permission, the student takes the written Engineering preliminary examination. This 2 to 3 hour examination covers all the graduate Engineering courses taken by the student. This examination is scheduled by the student's Ph.D. Advisory Committee.
When the student has successfully passed all of the written preliminary examinations, the student takes the oral preliminary examination at a time scheduled by the student's Ph.D. Advisory Committee. The student presents to the committee the proposed dissertation research topic. The student is required to attempt this examination within 12 months of successful completion of all components of the written preliminary examination. Graduate School rules establish a minimum time between completion of the preliminary examination and graduation: Graduate School rules require that the preliminary examination must be successfully completed by June 1 if a student intends to graduate in December, by November 1 for May graduation, and by February 1 for August graduation. For most students, the time between completion of the preliminary examination and graduation is significantly longer than the minimum.
After completion of the dissertation, the student defends the dissertation to their Ph.D. Advisory Committee. A student who has entered the Physics graduate program without a Master's degree from another university should not expect financial support beyond his/her sixth year at MSU. A student who has entered the Engineering Physics Ph.D. program with a Master's degree from another university should not expect financial support beyond her/his fourth year in the Ph.D. program.