Ph.D. Program Schedule and Milestones

Year 1

Fall

PHYS 601 Mathematical Methods of Phys I

PHYS 604 Classical Electrodynamics I

PHYS 621 Quantum Mechanics I

Spring

PHYS 602 Mathematical Methods of Phys II

PHYS 603 Classical Mechanics

PHYS 804 Classical Electrodynamics II

PHYS 821 Quantum Mechanics II

Also attend all colloquia (mandatory), usually Tuesdays 3-4 p.m. during both Fall and Spring Semesters.

Finding a research mentor. During Spring Semester, you should also start seeking out a research group where you can start on your dissertation research. To this end, make sure you talk to your professors (and others in the department) and attend the “faculty research showcase” which is typically held during the colloquium time slot 

in late February/early March. Students are expected to establish a research mentorship with a faculty advisor no later than the Summer semester of their first year. This process is intended to occur organically, with students taking the initiative to engage faculty members in discussions about their research interests. If a mentorship has not been secured by the midpoint of the Spring semester, the student is expected to seek assistance from the Graduate Program Director (GPD).

Written PhD Qualifying Examination (late May of the first year). You can prepare by solving problems from previous qualifiers (archive available) and by taking your class work seriously.

Summer

PHYS 898 Research guided by your research advisor, see above

Form a Ph.D. committee. Within three months upon successful completion of the written Ph.D. qualifying examination, students must establish a Ph.D. committee by securing a PhD advisor (either your summer research advisor or another faculty member) and committee members in accordance with the Policy Manual, and by submitting a completed D2 form. 

Year 2

Fall

PHYS 811 Computational Physics

PHYS 898 Research and/or (an) elective(s)

Written Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Retake (early January).

The maximum number of attempts at passing the Written PhD Qualifying Examination is two. Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination, students must establish a Ph.D. committee by securing a Ph.D. advisor and committee members in accordance with the Policy Manual, and by submitting a completed D2 form, see above.

Spring

PHYS 807 Statistical Mechanics

PHYS 891 Seminar I

PHYS 898 Research and/or an elective

Oral Ph.D. Qualifier must be passed within a year of passing the written PhD qualifier.

Students are required to file a D3 form. The qualifier will be administered by the dissertation committee minus the member from outside the department.

Prospectus must be accepted at the time of the Ph.D. qualifier.

Students are required to file a D3 form.

Summer

PHYS 898 Research

Claim your M.S. Degree. Students are required to file forms M2 and G2. 

Year 3 and Beyond

An Annual Progress Report must be presented to the entire dissertation committee each year. The first report is due within 12 months following the Oral Ph.D. Qualifying Exam (typically in Year 3), and each subsequent report must be completed within 12 months of the preceding report. Students are required to file a G10-RA form, which is available from the front office.

All But Dissertation (ABD) status is reached when a student accumulates 75 graduate credits. Students are required to file a D9 form.

Ph.D. Dissertation

1. Ph.D. Defense: The student is responsible for scheduling the Ph.D. defense, including reserving a room and ensuring that all committee members are available to attend, either in person or virtually. The physics front office must be notified in advance and provided with the dissertation title, abstract, and Zoom link (if applicable).
2. Forms: Following a successful defense, forms D3 and D5 must be completed and signed.
3. Submission to the GPD: After incorporating all required revisions to the defended dissertation, the student must submit a draft to the Graduate Program Director (GPD) for review of formatting and typesetting. The dissertation must conform to the official ODU dissertation guidelines.
4. Submission to the College of Sciences (CoS): The signed D3 and D5 forms, along with the GPD checklist (provided by the GPD) and the finalized, GPD-approved dissertation, must be submitted to the College of Sciences for a final typesetting review.
5. Final Step: The final, approved dissertation must be submitted to ProQuest in accordance with ODU dissertation guidelines.
6. Deadlines: To graduate in a given semester, all applicable deadlines—including those for the defense, submission to the College of Sciences, and submission to ProQuest—must be met. Students should consult the GPD for specific dates, as these are announced each semester by the College of Sciences.

Other

1. Funding Eligibility: To be eligible for funding, a PhD student must be enrolled full-time and maintain good academic standing (GPA ≥ 3.0).
2. Full-Time Status for GTAs: A Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) who has not attained All But Dissertation (ABD) status must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 credit hours during the Fall and Spring semesters and 3 credit hours during the Summer semester to be considered full-time.
3. Full-Time Status for GRAs: A Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) who has not attained All But Dissertation (ABD) status must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours during the Fall and Spring semesters and 3 credit hours during the Summer semester to be considered full-time.
4. All But Dissertation (ABD) Status: A student attains All But Dissertation (ABD) status upon completion of 75 graduate credit hours. At that time, the student is required to submit a D9 form and, thereafter, enroll only in the 1-credit PHYS 899 Dissertation course for the remainder of their time in the program.
5. Graduate Forms: Access additional graduate forms.