The main goal of a graduate education is to become a productive and independent researcher, leading to a creative and productive career whether it is in an academic, government, or corporate setting. To accomplish this goal, we provide our students with a wide variety of learning and research opportunities. In addition to research training, our students develop other skills such as effective mentoring, aptitude to work with others collaboratively, the ability to deliver effective lectures and to prepare written materials appropriate for a target audience, and time management. To become an excellent researcher in the broadest sense, you will need to develop all of these skills during your time in graduate school. In addition, it is quite likely you will work as a teaching assistant (TA) during some portion of your graduate studies. This is an additional opportunity to develop your teaching and mentoring skills, as well as your understanding of the basic principles of Physics.

While this Handbook provides a relatively comprehensive list of requirements and policies pertaining to our program, it is not meant to be a substitute for interaction with your faculty advisers regarding academic matters. The Physics staff will also be happy to assist you with programmatic questions that you may have.

Your first formal interaction with our program will likely be during orientation period, right before the Fall semester starts. Orientation activities include a number of administrative tasks such as completing employment, immigration, and financial forms, getting your office space and keys, and obtaining a University ID which will give you access to University buildings, computing, and online resources.

The first part of orientation addresses academic matters such as course requirements and expectations, as well as a research portion in which you will be offered the opportunity to interact with faculty and their groups. The second part is structured around expected teaching assistant duties. You will be introduced to the techniques of instruction that you will use to teach your classes. You will also receive training in teaching laboratories and discussion sections, and in evaluating students' written work. Orientation will also address typical student learning difficulties in physics, classroom management techniques, and how to handle difficult situations such as those involving discrimination or dishonesty. You will also be introduced to the experimental and theoretical bases of the teaching techniques used.

Teaching Assistants whose native language is not English are required by the University to take an additional three-week University Orientation earlier in the Summer. This program provides intensive instruction in communication skills and basic strategies geared to teaching American students. To be qualified to teach you must pass a communications test given during that time. If you do not pass the test at a sufficiently high level, you will be required to take a communications skills course during your first semester. At the end of that course you will again take the communication test. If you again do not pass, you must re-take the course. The School will pay your tuition for the course the first time you take it. For any additional term the tuition will be your responsibility.

When you first arrive, you are assigned an academic adviser to guide you in course selection and other related academic matters. Communicate with him/her as often as you feel necessary to make sure you are on the right track; at least once every semester. If your academic adviser is not available and you need assistance, contact the DGS of the GPC.

In due course, you will find a research adviser who will be the person responsible for guiding you during the research phase of your education. We do expect that you will find a research adviser before the end of your second year. Although changes can and do occur after that, the ideal arrangement involves you having settled into a particular research group by the end of the second year.

Note that we offer a research fellowship in your first Summer in our program if (a) you spend the Summer on Campus, and (b) you conduct research with one of the faculty members of the School of Physics and Astronomy. This Summer adviser assignment is temporary, and meant to give you exposure to research and to a research group. Some students continue their Ph.D. research under the same adviser, others do not.

Most of our students work as teaching assistants (TA) during some fraction of their graduate career. Teaching involves different skills compared to research that you also need to develop. A good teacher is a good mentor, which is different from being able to explain difficult concepts clearly. Rather, effective mentoring requires the ability to assess the level of a given student, and come up with strategies to help the student learn more effectively. Since this ability is important in your professional life, teaching is an important component of your professional training in our graduate program.

Keep in mind, however, that since your primary role in our program is the conduct research, you need to learn to balance your effort in teaching and research. Balancing among different efforts is another component of your professional training.

Almost all graduate students in our School are financially supported by an assistantship or a fellowship. Tuition is paid by the School for all teaching assistants (TA's), by a research grant for all research assistants (RA's), and by the University or other organization for fellows. All students financially supported by the school receive medical insurance coverage (for themselves and their families).

Further details and policies are given in the Physics Graduate Policies section.

Continuous assessment of graduate students’ performance toward a PhD is done to ensure adequate progress, and to help identify the causes of any potential problem. Briefly, the University has a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0. Students must pass a Graduate Written Exam (GWE) to make sure they have working knowledge of undergraduate physics prior to entering the research phase of their studies. Students must also pass a Preliminary Oral Exam. Finally, students must complete an annual report of progress. Please consult our requirements for satisfactory progress in the graduate program for further details.

Scientific and technological advances have had a large impact in the development and welfare of modern society, including our standard of living, travel and communication, increases in life expectancy, medical advances and the eradication of many preventable diseases. As a consequence, society is investing heavily in supporting basic and applied research to further promote these advances, yet allowing a significant amount of freedom on how the research enterprise is organized and managed. In some form or another, yourself and your research in graduate school at the University of Minnesota will be supported directly and indirectly by public funds.

Therefore it is expected that your efforts while in graduate school will be driven not only by your passion for Physics and research more generally, but also by your commitment to ethical principles, and mindful of your contribution to the public trust being placed on you. During your graduate career, you will undergo a quick transition between an academic life dominated by externalities such as assignments, grades, exams, and deadlines, to a research phase which is largely self-motivated and driven by your own interests and efforts. In this new phase, a professional conduct of research involves strict adherence to ethical principles, and your participation in the shared commitment to progress by all of us at the University.

During the Introduction to Research seminar in your first year, a few of these topics will be covered explicitly. However, we suggest that you also consult the American Physical Society Guidelines for Professional Conduct, the article American Association for the Advancement of Science, Social Responsibility and Research Ethics, and other related publications. Conversations with your adviser and with your graduate school peers are also good ways to develop a life long appreciation of the ethical principles that underpin modern research.

The School conducts a large number of events and activities, and also sponsors two graduate student groups that organize their own set of activities, ∇Φ (Grad Phi) and W+iPA.

The most important activity of academic nature is the weekly Physics and Astronomy Colloquium. Invited speakers talk about state-of-the-art research in their field at an introductory level appropriate for beginning graduate students. The Colloquium is followed by refreshments to offer an informal setting for students to meet the speaker and other faculty members.

Once a year the School hosts two public lectures: the Van Vleck Lecture and the Misel Family Lecture. Both feature a speaker who has made a significant contribution to the progress of science. The level of the lecture is accessible the lay public. Students have an opportunity to meet with the speaker in an informal setting.

Every week there are several topical seminars hosted by the various subgroups. An important part of your graduate education is to attend these seminars as they offer the opportunity to listen to, and sometimes present, cutting edge research ideas and results.

One graduate student led organization, ∇Φ (Grad Phi) both organizes social events, and provides a forum for the discussion of topics of interest to our graduate students. All graduate students are encouraged to get involved. In addition, ∇Φ nominates graduate students to serve on some of the faculty committees which develop the policies that govern the School.

The organization Women in Physics and Astronomy W+iPA group was established to specifically focus on gender minority issues in the school. They generally pursue the goals of improving the School climate, and of increasing graduate level enrollment, retention, and graduation rates.

A physics degree opens many doors in academia, industry, and in government laboratories. One year before graduation, students should discuss possible job options with their advisers. In a survey of 106 recent graduates, we found 35% went into research at an academic institution (postdoc), 27% worked in industry, 6% worked in government laboratories, 24% went into teaching positions at colleges and universities, while 6% went into the financial industry. The type of job you seek depends on your own goals and aspirations as well as the experience you have gained as a graduate student.

The School of Physics and Astronomy has a career development effort, and the College of Science and Engineering maintains a Career Center at 105 Lind Hall (612 624-4090). If you are interested in an industrial position at either the M.S. or the Ph.D. level, you should register with their Placement Office. They are continually visited by recruiters from high technology companies (and others) both locally and nationally.