Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
Hampton, USA
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
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Introduction
The goals of the Ph.D. program in Physics at Hampton University are (1) to establish a research-oriented environment in which students may study advanced topics in physics beyond the master’s level, participate in state-of-the-art-research and pursue original ideas and concepts that contribute to the body of knowledge in physics; (2) to provide a source of scientifically and technologically trained personnel for local, state and national needs; and (3) to significantly impact the number of underrepresented minorities with advanced degrees in physics. High energy, medical, nuclear, optical, and plasma physics are the areas of research emphasis for the degree. Core requirements are the same for all tracks. Students are able to select the desired track by pursuing advanced courses and a dissertation in one of these areas. In all cases, the degree awarded is the Doctor of Philosophy.
Department of Physics Research Areas
Intermediate Energy Nuclear Physics
Jefferson Lab
The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science with strong support from the City of Newport News and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Minerva
MINERvA seeks to measure low-energy neutrino interactions both in support of neutrino oscillation experiments and also to study the strong dynamics of the nucleon and nucleus that affect these interactions.
Olympus
OLYMPUS at DESY (Deutsches Elektronensynchrotron) in Hamburg, Germany aims to measure the effect of a two-photon exchange by comparison of positron-proton and electron-proton elastic scattering.
TREK
TREK (Time Reversal Experiment with Kaons) aims to discover the violation of time reversal invariance beyond the Standard Model in the decay of positive kaons.
Optical Sciences
Advanced Center for Laser Science and Spectroscopy (ACLASS)
ACLASS merges traditionally separate disciplines by advancing the fundamental understanding of selected problems at the forefront of science and technology using laser spectroscopy as the common unifying theme.
Accelerator Physics
Low Energy Linear Accelerator (LELIA)
A new Accelerator Physics program is under development within the Physics Department and will be centered on on-campus research that will utilize a 500 keV electron linac modeled after the CEBAF injector at Jefferson Lab.
Admissions
Curriculum
Degree Requirements
The Physics Ph.D. program at Hampton University requires a minimum of 74 credit hours of coursework beyond the baccalaureate level. The student is required to pass the doctoral qualifying examination (1 credit hour), a minimum of 24 credit hours of core physics courses (a grade of “B” or better is required in each core course), a minimum of 36 hours of dissertation research, 12 credit hours of approved 700 level courses, completion of a written dissertation and oral defense of that work (1 credit hour). There are no departmental foreign language requirements for the doctoral degree. A residency of two consecutive years of full-time study is required. All students must complete a minimum of one course as a supervised teaching assistant. Students must complete all requirements for the Ph.D. within seven (7) years after successfully passing the Doctoral Qualifying Examination.
Curriculum
- Theoretical Mechanics
- Electromagnetic Theory I – II
- Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
- Quantum Theory I – II
- Ph.D. Qualifying Examination
- Advanced Elective Courses
- Dissertation Research
- Final Comprehensive Examination
Total: 74
The Doctoral Qualifying Examination
The student must be enrolled in Physics 703, have permission from the Department and the Graduate College, and be in good standing to take the Doctoral Qualifying Examination. A Qualifying Examination Committee, selected from the graduate physics faculty, is charged with monitoring the construction, implementation, and grading of the Qualifying Examination. The examination is given in four parts. These cover (1) Classical Mechanics, (2) Electricity and Magnetism, (3) Quantum Mechanics, and (4) Thermodynamics, Statistical Physics, and Mathematical Physics. The examination covers graduate (500 and 600) level work in these areas. The examination is administered twice per year (January-September). All required parts of the test must be taken during the first administration of the examination. Each part of the test will be approximately two to four hours in length. Grading will be conducted by members of the Qualifying Examination Committee and other physics graduate faculty. Each part of the examination will be scored separately; therefore, it will be possible to satisfactorily complete only parts of the test.
A student will be permitted to take the examination twice. A student who enters the program without an appropriate master’s degree must take the examination by the end of his/her second year in the doctoral program and must satisfactorily complete the examination no later than the end of the third year. A student who enters the program with an appropriate master’s degree must pass the examination by the end of the first year of residence. Students who do not successfully pass the doctoral qualifying examination may transfer to the master’s degree program and receive a master’s degree after completing the master’s thesis. If a student already has a master’s degree in physics, this option does not apply.
Transfer Credit Limitations
A student who enters the doctoral program and already holds an appropriate master’s degree may have up to 27 credit hours of the doctoral degree-required core courses waived at the discretion of the Department. A student who enters the doctoral program with prior graduate work, but who does not hold a master’s degree, may transfer up to nine (9) credit hours of core courses toward the doctoral degree requirements. The program is designed to be flexible enough to be adjusted to the appropriate needs of the students. Doctoral physics students may be eligible to take certain courses in the Virginia Physics Consortium (VPC). The VPC is an ongoing partnership between Virginia institutions and the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Students wishing to take courses through the VPC must receive approval from both the Physics Department Chairperson and the Dean of the Graduate College.
The Doctoral Dissertation
Each student is required to plan and carry out an extended plan of original research that leads to a doctoral dissertation and then defend the dissertation. The oral defense of the dissertation is also a test of the student’s knowledge of physics in the area of specialization. The dissertation committee (appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College upon recommendation by the Department) consists of a minimum of 4 members, at least one of whom will be outside of the Department. The Dissertation Committee will have the responsibility of administering the Final Comprehensive Examination as part of the oral defense and may specify additional requirements that the student must meet in order to satisfy the requirements for the degree. If the student fails to satisfactorily complete this oral examination, it may be retaken once at the discretion of the Dissertation Committee.
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English Language Requirements
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