The Qualifying Examination is administered under the rules and regulations of the Department of Physics as set forth below. The Graduate School recognizes the sole jurisdiction of the department in such examinations, and the results of the Qualifying Examination for a student are not reported to the Graduate School.
All students in the Physics graduate program are required to pass the Qualifying Examination within three years of full-time equivalent study from the start of their enrollment. They must have a GPA of 3.0 or better in their graduate physics courses and not be on probation in the Graduate School in order to be eligible for this examination. Beginning in winter of 1996, in the case of failure to pass at the Ph.D. level, this exam can be repeated as many times as necessary during the first three years of study. A student who has received 3 full years of full-time financial support and has not passed the Qualifying Examination at the Ph.D. level will not be eligible for further financial support from any departmental source until that student has passed the qualifying examination at the Ph.D. level. Students who began their studies before the Winter of 1996 may opt for the "old system" which allows 2 attempts at the examination without any specific restriction on period of time.
The Qualifying Examination is a written comprehensive examination covering the entire field of physics. The exam will test whether a student understands the more important general principles in physics and whether she/he can apply these principles to the solution of a broad spectrum of problems. Preparation for the Qualifying Examination should serve to increase the depth of understanding of basic physics by giving students the opportunity to organize their knowledge of the various subfields into a coherent form. It is assumed that the problems and final examinations in formal courses have provided a reliable calibration of the student's knowledge and abilities in the specific areas covered. However, the questions on the Qualifying Examination will be broader than those used for final examinations in the sense that they may span two or more recognized areas. Questions may not be directly related to one specific course or sequence of courses.
The Qualifying Examination will be given in Summer and Winter quarters. It will be given on two days, with five hours of examination on each day. Students will choose two of three problems in each of the following areas: theoretical mechanics, quantum mechanics, statistical and thermal physics, and electricity and magnetism. Copies of previous Qualifying Examinations can be obtained from members of the Physics Graduate Student Committee (Appendix D).
The departmental Graduate Examinations Committee (Appendix C) is charged with selling the problems and grading the examination. Students are assigned a code number and remain anonymous until the passing grades are determined. Every problem is graded independently by two different members of the committee. The graded examinations are not returned to the students, but statistical information may be available at the discretion of the Examinations Committee. A student can pass at the Ph. D. level, and proceed to the General Examination, or can pass at the M.S. level in which case the Examination is considered to be the written portion of the Master's Examination. As of Winter, 1996, the maximum cutoff percentage for the Ph.D. is 60% and the maximum cutoff level for the M.S. is 40%.