Berkeley Physics Mechanics Pdf
Tarja Hempton
Graduate students are required to take a minimum of 38 units of approved upper division or graduate elective courses (excluding any upper division courses required for the undergraduate major). The department requires that students take the following courses which total 19 units: Physics 209 (Classical Electromagnetism), Physics 211 (Equilibrium Statistical Physics) and Physics 221A-221B (Quantum Mechanics). Thus, the normative program includes an additional 19 units (five semester courses) of approved upper division or graduate elective courses. At least 11 units must be in the 200 series courses. Some of the 19 elective units could include courses in mathematics, biophysics, astrophysics, or from other science and engineering departments. Physics 290, 295, 299, 301, and 602 are excluded from the 19 elective units. Physics 209, 211 and 221A-221B must be completed for a letter grade (with a minimum average grade of B). No more than one-third of the 19 elective units may be fulfilled by courses graded Satisfactory, and then only with the approval of the Department. Entering students are required to enroll in Physics 209 and 221A in the fall semester of their first year and Physics 211 and 221B in the spring semester of their first year. Exceptions to this requirement are made for 1) students who do not have sufficient background to enroll in these courses and have a written recommendation from their faculty mentor and approval from the head graduate adviser to delay enrollment to take preparatory classes, 2) students who have taken the equivalent of these courses elsewhere and receive written approval from the Department to be exempted.
If a student has taken courses equivalent to Physics 209, 211 or 221A-221B, then subject credit may be granted for each of these course requirements. A faculty committee will review your course syllabi and transcript. A waiver form can be obtained in 378 Physics North from the Student Affairs Officer detailing all required documents. If the committee agrees that the student has satisfied the course requirement at another institution, the student must secure the Head Graduate Adviser's approval. The student must also take and pass the associated section of the preliminary exam. Please note that official course waiver approval will not be granted until after the preliminary exam results have been announced. If course waivers are approved, units for the waived required courses do not have to be replaced for PhD course requirements. If a student has satisfied all first year required graduate courses elsewhere, they are only required to take an additional 19 units to satisfy remaining PhD course requirements. (Note that units for required courses must be replaced for MA degree course requirements even if the courses themselves are waived; for more information please see MA degree requirements).
In exceptional cases, students transferring from other graduate programs may request a partial waiver of the 19 elective unit requirement. Such requests must be made at the time of application for admission to the Department.
The majority of first year graduate students are Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) with a 20 hour per week load (teaching, grading, and preparation). A typical first year program for an entering graduate student who is teaching is:
Students who have fellowships and will not be teaching, or who have covered some of the material in the first year courses material as undergraduates may choose to take an additional course in one or both semesters of their first year.
Many students complete their course requirements by the end of the second year. In general, students are expected to complete their course requirements by the end of the third year. An exception to this expectation is that students who elect (with the approval of their mentor and the head graduate adviser) to fill gaps in their undergraduate background during their first year at Berkeley often need one or two additional semesters to complete their course work.
Incoming graduate students are each assigned a faculty mentor. In general, mentors and students are matched according to the student's research interest. If a student's research interests change, or if (s)he feels there is another faculty member who can better serve as a mentor, the student is free to request a change of assignment.
In order to most benefit from graduate work, incoming students need to have a solid foundation in undergraduate physics, including mechanics, electricity and magnetism, optics, special relativity, thermal and statistical physics and quantum mechanics, and to be able to make order-of-magnitude estimates and analyze physical situations by application of general principles. These are the topics typically included, and at the level usually taught, within a Bachelor's degree program in Physics at most universities. As a part of this foundation, the students should also have formed a well-integrated overall picture of the fields studied. The preliminary exam is meant to assess the students' background, so that any missing pieces can be made up as soon as possible. The exam is made up of four sections. Each section is administered twice a year, at the start of each semester.
Departmental expectations are that experimental research students begin work in a research group by the summer after the first year; this is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Students doing theoretical research are similarly encouraged to identify a research direction, but often need to complete a year of classes in their chosen specialty before it is possible for them to begin research. Students intending to become theory students and have to take the required first year classes may not be able to start research until the summer after their second year. Such students are encouraged to attend theory seminars and maintain contact with faculty in their chosen area of research even before they can begin a formal research program.
If a student chooses dissertation research with a supervisor who is not in the department, he or she must find an appropriate Physics faculty member who agrees to serve as the departmental research supervisor of record and as co-adviser. This faculty member is expected to monitor the student's progress towards the degree and serve on the student's qualifying and dissertation committees. The student will enroll in Physics 299 (research) in the co-adviser's section. The student must file the Outside Research Proposal for approval; petitions are available in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.
Students who have not found a research adviser by the end of the second year will be asked to meet with their faculty mentor to develop a plan for identifying an adviser and research group. Students who have not found a research adviser by Spring of the third year are not making adequate progress towards the PhD. These students will be asked to provide written documentation to the department explaining their situation and their plans to begin research. Based on their academic record and the documentation they provide, such students may be warned by the department that they are not making adequate progress, and will be formally asked to find an adviser. The record of any student who has not identified an adviser by the end of Spring of the fourth year will be evaluated by a faculty committee and the student may be asked to leave the program.
Please see the Department website for a description of the Qualifying Exam and its Committee. Note: You must login with your Calnet ID to access QE information. Passing the Qualifying Exam, along with a few other requirements described on the department website, will lead to Advancement to Candidacy. Qualifying exam scheduling forms can be picked up in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.
Before passing the Qualifying Exam, the annual progress report (obtained from the Physics Student Affairs Office in 378 Physics North) is completed by the student and either his/her faculty mentor or his/her research adviser, depending on whether or not the student has yet begun research (see above). This form includes a statement of intended timelines to take the Qualifying Exam, which is expected to be within 2-3 semesters of starting research.
After passing the Qualifying Examination, the next step in the student's career is to advance to candidacy as soon as possible. Advancement to candidacy is the academic stage when a student has completed all requirements except completion of the dissertation. Students are still required to enroll in 12 units per semester; these in general are expected to be seminars and research units. Besides passing the Qualifying Exam, there are a few other requirements described in the Graduate Program Booklet. Doctoral candidacy application forms can be picked up in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.
The expected time for completion of the PhD program is six years. While the Department recognizes that research time scales can be unpredictable, it strongly encourages students and advisers to develop dissertation proposals consistent with these expectations. The Berkeley Physics Department does not have dissertation defense exams, but encourages students and their advisers to ensure that students learn the important skill of effective research presentations, including a presentation of their dissertation work to their peers and interested faculty and researchers.
Completing Advanced Placement courses or exams in physics is not considered sufficient preparation for upper division work in physics; therefore, the Department does not waive the Physics 5 or 7 series requirement. The Physics 5 Series (5A, 5B/BL, 5C/5CL) is considered the honors series, and is recommended for students who have completed the Math 1A and Math 1B requirement and have high school Physics experience. The Physics 7 Series (7A, 7B, 7C) sequence also prepares students for upper division coursework, and is recommended for students who did not have calculus and physics exposure during high school.
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