Here are some updates to the Graduate Students Handbook (1999).

The following PDF and MSWORD file contains a diagram of courses to take, forms to fill out and when and when you should get involved in research.

Quick reference Quick reference

The size of the committee for PhD (both Preliminary Oral and Final Exam) has been been reduced to 4 from 5. Beside your adviser, you need a professor in experimental and theoretical research in your field. The 4th member should be from outside the Physics program. For CM student, you may want to choose from one of the engineering departments whose research overlaps with your research. For HEP, often Astrophysics faculty member is chosen.

If you choose a minor, you must take 12 (PhD) or 6 (MS) credits of classes which are approved by the DGS of the department that you are getting your minor degree from.

If you choose “supporting program,” you can designate any classes you have taken (or will take) that I approve as for supporting program. Since our department is granted an exception from the Graduate School, any physics credits can be used for this purpose - even those closely related to your major.

When you attain the ABD (All But Dissertation) status when you will not be taking any course (of substances), the fringe benefit rate that your adviser has to pay to the University which covers tuition will be greatly reduced (about $3500/semester as of 2007). This will help your adviser since this saving can be used to support another student, or buy you more Helium:-). You may benefit from it if your adviser is reluctant to support you as an RA with the additional overhead for a non-ABD student, but is willing to support once you are ABD.

In order to get to ABD, you need to take all the courses needed to satisfy course requirement of your PhD (40 credits, 8 8-level credits, 2 seminar credits in your subfield) and thesis credits (24 credits). To obtain the thesis credits, you need to have passed your preliminary oral exam.

Since the tuition benefit of your support (RA, TA or fellowship) allows you to take up to 14 credits/semester, and 24 thesis credits are required, it will take 2 semesters after your preliminary oral to attain the ABD status. During these two semesters, you can take up to 4 credits to finish up all other required classes, or any other classes for “free.” So in order to get to the ABD status as soon as possible, make sure you take all the classes which are required for your PhD, or which you want to take, which may include GRAD 8101/02 for future faculty.