Go to the U of M home page
School of Physics & Astronomy
School of Physics and Astronomy Wiki

User Tools


graduate_handbook:academic_program

This is an old revision of the document!


Entering students and the first year

The first year acts as a transition period between your undergraduate and graduate experiences. The main activity is still taking classes to solidify your understanding of Physics, but you are also encouraged to think about your research interests, and to find a suitable research adviser for your first Summer in our program. Towards this goal, you need to learn about what research is done in the department, and start talking to those professors whose research you are most interested in.

Course work

You should expect to take two or three regular courses per semester, including our core courses. In general, you are expected to be enrolled in between 6 and 14 credit hours per semester. In addition, you will take the Graduate Research Seminar which introduces you to the research being done in this School and people doing it. If you are a TA, you will also take the course Best Practices in Physics Teaching. This course explores techniques designed to make your teaching more efficient and successful.

If you receive a Teaching Assistant offer, you are typically asked to decide on what courses to take before the Fall semester starts. This is due to our need to arrange teaching assignments for the Fall semester before it starts.

Depending on your background or preparation, you may want to consider taking advanced undergraduate classes (4000 level classes) during this first year, or have some of the required classes waived and directly take more advanced coursework. In either case, you should consult your academic adviser. If you wish to have some of the required course work waived on account of classes that you have already taken before joining the University of Minnesota, you need to contact the DGS for written approval.

The course numbering system at the University of Minnesota is as follows: 1xxx, 2xxx and 3xxx courses are undergraduate courses that are not open for graduate credit. Courses numbered 4xxx and 5xxx are open for both undergraduate and graduate credit. 4xxx courses are primarily for undergraduates, while 5xxx courses are primarily intended for graduate students. 8xxx courses are advanced graduate courses.

Typical First Year Courses

Fall Spring
5001: Quantum I (4 cr.) 5002: Quantum II (4 cr.)
5011: Classical I (4 cr.) 5012: Classical II (4 cr.)
5201:Statistical/Thermal Physics (3 cr.) 4041: Computational Methods (4 cr.)
4xxx Intro to…
5041: Mathematical Methods (4 cr.)
5072: Teaching College Physics I (1 cr.) 5072: Teaching College Physics II (2 cr.)
5980: Intro to Research Seminar (1 cr.) 5980: Intro to Research Seminar (1 cr.)

Transferring credits: If you have taken graduate courses at another graduate institution, you may be able to transfer the credits. The official transfer of credits takes place when you submit your degree program form (see below). Credits from another institution can be transferred as long as they are taken after you have received a bachelor's degree. If you have attended college outside of the U.S., you can generally transfer credits earned after 4 years of post-secondary education. For example, some countries have a 5-year baccalaureate program. Generally, only courses from the 5th year of such a program can be transferred.

Some Elective Courses Taken By First Year Students

Course number Course name
Physics 4051/2 Methods of Experimental Physics
Physics 4211* Introduction to Solid State Physics
Physics 4303 Waves, Optics, and Relativity
Physics 4511* Introduction to Nuclear and Particle Physics
Physics 4611* Introduction to Space Physics
Physics 4621* Introduction to Plasma Physics
Physics 5022 * Relativity, Cosmology, and the Universe

* Survey courses useful in deciding research specialties

You are also encouraged to enroll and attend our weekly Physics Colloquium. This seminar features prominent physicists across a variety of fields, and present their research in a way that is meant to be accessible to beginning graduate students.

Towards becoming involved in research

Since you are expected to have made arrangements to do research with a faculty adviser during the Summer after your first year, you should do a few things before then besides attending the Research Seminar (Phys 5980) and colloquia. You need to begin discussions with individual faculty members about doing research with them by the Spring Semester. Get into the habit of browsing through some of the more important Physics journals so that you will become familiar with what kind of work is being done in various sub-fields of physics. Periodic seminars in specialized research areas (announced in the department Weekly Calendar) will give you the flavor of current research in more depth. Some of the groups offer informal “Lunch” seminars which are a good way to learn about the basics of a research area, and are often given by senior graduate students. Take every opportunity to ask faculty members, research staff, and students about the research they are doing.

The process of finding a research adviser is quite informal, and we expect you to take the lead in probing areas of research in the School that interest you. It is understood that finding mutually agreeable arrangements takes time, and that you may wish to switch between fields as you become more acquainted with them during the course of your first two years. Be sure to ask about potential for funding, as this is the main constraint that all groups have in accepting new students.

The Graduate Written Examination (GWE)

The Graduate Written Exam, or GWE, is currently given once each year, at the end of the Spring semester. The purpose of the examination is to test knowledge of 'undergraduate' physics but at a level of sophistication appropriate to graduate school. While the exam does not cover graduate material, it does demand a high degree of mastery of the undergraduate material. The GWE is drafted by a special faculty committee, and the passing grade is set every year by the faculty.

Further information about policies, tips on how to prepare for the exam, and links to a historic record of past exams is given in the Section Graduate Written Examination Policy.

graduate_handbook/academic_program.1730840441.txt.gz · Last modified: 2024/11/05 15:00 by vinals