Physics @ UIC

Information

Qualifying Examination

2008 Spring UIC Ph.D. Physics Qualifying Exam

Written Exam
January 3 (Thu), 4 (Fri), 7 (Mon), 8 (Tue) 2008

All 1st year students, and 2nd year students who have yet to pass the exam, should register with Melanie by November 9, 2007.

Please note all students, regardless of their academic standing, are eligible to take the qualifying exam.

The Doctoral Qualifying Examination is designed to determine whether students are qualified to study towards a Ph.D. degree. All Ph.D students must take and pass the examination.

There will be four written examinations covering the following topics:

Thursday	01/03/2008	9 am - noon	Quantum Mechanics
Friday	01/04/2008	9 pm - noon	Classical Mechanics
Monday	01/07/2008	9 am - noon	Electromagnetism
Tuesday	01/08/2008	9 am - noon	Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

Each written examination will last three hours. Candidates must answer 4 of 5 questions in each exam. There is no longer a separate exam on Modern Physics. Material related to Modern Physics may be incorporated at the level of approximately 20% in each written exam of (1) Mechanics, (2) Quantum Mechanics, (3) Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics.

Relativity may appear in Mechanics.

High Energy Particle and Nuclear Physics may appear in Quantum Mechnaics.

Condensed Matter Physics may appear in Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics, or in Quantum Mechanics, depending on the nature of the problem.

The qualifying exam is at the level of advanced undergraduate courses. Students are encouraged to review previous years' exams and the syllabi of the corresponding 400-level courses.

Oral Examination

The oral part of the qualifying examination may be given shortly after grading of the written exam is completed. This examination will only be offered to borderline cases as determined by the performance on the written examination. Oral exams are not to serve as an alternative pass for any of the four individual exams, but only as a part of the pass decision for the entire qualifying exam. Oral examinations will be administered by committee members and could be supplemented by other faculty members.

Conditional qualifying exam passes may be allowed as a rare outcome. The student may be granted a conditional pass on only one exam, in which case he/she is expected to complete the appropriate course with a grade of A or B. In case of a lower grade, the student is considered to have failed the exam.

Schedule

Qualifying examinations will be offered once a year, before the beginning of the Spring semester. A student wishing to take the examination will be required to sign up for it (with the graduate advisor) at least one month before the end of the preceding Fall semester.

Rules

The Qualifying examination may be repeated once but must be passed no later than the beginning of the student's third year in residence. If the decision for the entire qualifying exam is a failing grade, partial credit for individual exams may be awarded. Credit may be given to students who have achieved passing grades in some of the individual exams. Candidates are not required to take the passed exams in the second attempt. A third attempt to pass the examination will not be permitted.

Previous sample exams are available in the main office. You can also find the problems and solutions of the last three exams by clicking on the links below.

Recommended Study Material

The following list of text books should give you an indication of the minimum level at which you should prepare yourself for the qualifying exam. Remember that qualifying problems are typically at the level of the more difficult homework problems of our 400-level courses offered at UIC. To be successful at the qualifying exam both a solid understanding of the material and analytical skills are necessary. The latter requires basic mathematics and practicing problem solving.

Mechanics
Fowles, Analytical Mechanics
Marion and Thornton, Classical Dynamics and Systems
R. Becker, Introduction to Theoretical Mechanics
Electromagnetism
Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics
Reitz, Milford and Christie, Foundations of Electromagnetic Theory
Quantum Mechanics
Griffiths, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
Amit Goswami, Quantum Mechanics
Stephen Gasiorowicz, Quantum Physics
N. Zettili, Quantum Mechanics
Liboff, Introductory Quantum Mechanics
Thermodynamics, Statistical Mechanics
Adkins, Equilibrium Thermodynamics
Daniel Schroeder, An Introduction to Thermal Physics
Reif, Statistical Mechanics
Kroemer and Kittel, Thermal Physics
Modern Physics
(not a separate written exam, but included in written exams of Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynmaics and Statiscal Mechanics)
Eisberg and Resnik, Quantum Physics
Taylor, Zafiratos and Dubson, Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers