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.

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.

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.

* Survey courses useful in deciding research specialties

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 department colloquia. 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.

All students should look seriously for research opportunities before the end of their first year. There are several factors to consider. One is theoretical vs experimental research. This choice often depends on skills and temperament. Theoretical research is more abstract and requires very good mathematical skills. Experimental research is more concrete, requiring the visualization of how a theoretical idea can be tested using measurements. It requires very good skills at system design. Modern experimental work requires the use of electronics and computer programming and sometimes the skills in machining, plumbing and other hands-on subjects. If in doubt as to whether their interests lie in experiment or theory, the students should talk to faculty members and more senior graduate students in both areas in order to help decide.

A second factor is the choice of a specialty area within physics. The specialty areas represented at the University of Minnesota include condensed matter physics, elementary particle physics, nuclear physics, space physics, nuclear and particle astrophysics, cosmology, biophysics, and physics education. A better idea of the interests of each faculty member can be found by browsing the physics Web site at http://www.physics.umn.edu.

A third factor to consider is the personal characteristics of individual faculty members. Graduate education is very individualized. It is important to have a good student-adviser relationship. The best method of gathering information is to talk with faculty members and other graduate students, particularly with the more advanced students who have had experience in thesis research.

A fourth factor to consider is the social characteristics of different fields. Many experimental groups, and sometimes theoretical groups as well, require working in large teams and collaborations, often of international nature. Maintaining good relations with team members and maintaining effective exchange of information with them are very important aspects of doing research in such groups. As above, the best method of gathering information is to talk with faculty members and with the more advanced students involved in such groups.

After narrowing their choices, students should make appointments to talk with several faculty members about joining their group. It is best to begin these discussions as soon as the research interests have been identified, and certainly before the first Summer. Faculty members will usually inquire about the student's background both from the student and from other faculty members. Success in a student finding opportunities in the research field of choice significantly depends on his/her academic performance on course work and on the GWE.

Usually, the decision to proceed with thesis research is preceded by a trial period. This could include an initial project not necessarily related to the eventual thesis. Sometime in the second year, if the initial project has proceeded well, the student should expect to make and receive a definite commitment as a thesis student. Otherwise, the student may seek a different adviser. If this is necessary, it is best to do it as soon as possible. The effects of changing adviser are much more serious later in the graduate career.

The School encourages early research connections by providing Summer research support to first year students. Such support is contingent on the student having found a faculty adviser that will supervise the research during the Summer term.

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.