These examinations are designed to test a student's mastery of undergraduate physics. The preliminary exams are written and graded by faculty members of the Department. In order to maintain uniformity each exam is read and checked by the four faculty members of the Graduate Program Committee, before it is given. The Graduate Program Committee has altogether seven members (4 faculty, 3 graduate students). A student has three chances to pass each examination: - first time given after entering the graduate program (Quantum Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism in September; Theoretical Mechanics and Statistical Physics and Thermodynamics in January); the Faculty considers this attempt as diagnostic: a passing grade fulfills the requirement, but failures (or no show) are not recorded;
- two more chances as follows:
-All four subjects in May of the student's first year
-In September (Quantum Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism) and in January (Mechanics and Statistical Physics & Thermodynamics) of the student's second year in the program. No show is recorded as a failed exam.
If a student fails any of the four written exams twice, he or she is asked to leave the program. If a student fails the second time but comes close to passing, the Faculty retains the option of offering the student an oral examination on the subject(s) in question. - Electricity & Magnetism
- Quantum Mechanics
- Theoretical Mechanics
- Statistical Physics & Thermodynamics
- Electricity & Magnetism
- Theoretical Mechanics
- Statistical Physics & Thermodynamics
- Quantum Mechanics
The Preliminary Oral Examination is designed to test knowledge of basic physics, with an emphasis on order of magnitude estimates and physical reasoning. The subject matter should include, but not be limited to, undergraduate physics, including modern physics. The Preliminary Oral Exam (POE) can be taken during any semester, including summer and intersession. The POE should be taken as soon as possible after all four preliminary written exam requirements have been met and must be completed by the end of January of the third year of residence. Note: Students should contact the Academic Affairs Administrative Coordinator approximately four weeks prior to the desired exam date for scheduling. The Examination Committee consists of two faculty from the Department of Physics and Astronomy representing a broad range of interests. Grades of Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor and Fail are given. The grade is for department records only. A student has two chances to pass this examination. If a student fails to pass, he or she leaves the program. Occasionally a student will receive a "Conditional Pass." In this case the Committee will make suggestions to the student to take a course (or read a book) to strengthen a weak spot. The Committee will meet again to see whether the condition has been satisfied.
This is the University's official Graduate Board Examination. The purpose of the exam is to: - Test the depth and breadth of the student's knowledge in physics and astronomy and his/her reasoning ability.
- Determine the student's readiness to embark on PhD level research and the student's preliminary understanding of the field of the proposed dissertation topic.
To achieve these goals the Department of Physics and Astronomy requires the student to prepare a thesis proposal (about 3-5 pages long), which should be provided to members of the GBO committee at least one week in advance of the exam. The exam starts with an approximately twenty minute presentation by the student on the proposal. (While the student's PhD thesis will usually focus on the proposed or a related subject, this is not a requirement. The student is not expected to have an experts detailed knowledge in the proposed thesis subject.) The exam is normally taken no later than the end of the student's third year of studies, soon after the student has chosen an area of research and has been accepted by an adviser. The exam should be taken during either the fall or spring semesters. Students should contact the Academic Affairs Administrative Coordinator approximately six weeks prior to the desired exam date for scheduling. The grade for the exam is Pass or Fail and is documented on a form signed by all committee members. If the student fails the exam, he or she can take a second Graduate Board Oral. The faculty from the first GBO can do the second GBO, or recommend that a new committee be formed. If a student fails the GBO twice, he/she cannot continue on to a Ph.D. The five members of the GBO examination committee are selected, according to the rules of the Graduate Board, by the Department of Physics and Astronomy: - two Faculty members from the Department of Physics and Astronomy (one of them being the formal JHU adviser),
- two Faculty members from other science Departments in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences or the Whiting School of Engineering,
- the fifth member could be either from Physics and Astronomy or the science departments of the Krieger and Whiting Schools except in case the adviser is not from the Department of Physics and Astronomy. In this case the thesis adviser is the fifth member of the GBO Committee and can also be a scientist from outside the University.
The chair of the GBO Committee can be neither a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy nor the thesis adviser.
The Thesis Defense focuses on the student's dissertation. The Defense Committee consists of five member - two who are experts in the field of the thesis topic (at least one of them must be a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy (P&A));
- one who is a faculty member in P&A with expertise in an unrelated field;
- two who are usually chosen from other departments of the University, however, they could be affiliated with other institutions of higher education or research.
Scheduling of the thesis defense can be during fall and spring semesters, as well as the summer months. Note: Students should contact the Academic Affairs Administrative Coordinator approximately six weeks prior to the desired exam date for scheduling. Every member of the Committee must receive a copy of the thesis at least two weeks prior to the scheduled defense date. The thesis defense usually begins with the student presenting his or her dissertation for 20-30 minutes. The Committee is free to ask questions during or after the presentation. They can also recommend changes to the thesis. After successful completion of this Final Thesis Defense, the Committee documents by signatures that the student has passed. The Academic Affairs Administrative Coordinator forwards the appropriate forms to the Graduate Board notifying them of the newest Ph.D. in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. If the student fails the defense, thesis modifications can be made and the student can be re-examined. | 
