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    What Every Successful Physics Graduate Student Should Know
    What Every Successful Physics Graduate Student Should Know
    What Every Successful Physics Graduate Student Should Know
    Ebook75 pages32 minutes

    What Every Successful Physics Graduate Student Should Know

    By David Garrison

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    About this ebook

    This guide is intended for students who are considering pursuing a graduate school program in physics. I chose the title, “What Every Successful Physics Graduate Student Should Know” because I honestly believe that if you want to be successful in a graduate physics program, the information contained in these pages will be of great value to you. The motivation for the creation of this guide originated with a suggestion from one of my students who felt that this could provide a useful aid to people who are interested in pursuing a graduate-level physics degree. It is written in such a way that it applies to graduate physics programs in general and not only the University of Houston Clear Lake (UHCL) Physics program.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDavid Garrison
    Release dateJun 15, 2013
    ISBN9781301871698
    What Every Successful Physics Graduate Student Should Know
    Author

    David Garrison

    David Garrison Associate Professor and Chair of Physics, University of Houston – Clear Lake http://sce.uhcl.edu/garrison David Garrison began his academic career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned his B.S. in Physics in 1997. During his course of study, he minored in Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Science and completed a concentration in Political Science. He then moved on to The Pennsylvania State University where he completed a Ph.D. in Physics in 2002. Upon matriculation, he accepted a position as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Houston – Clear Lake. After serving as a visiting faculty member for one year, he was promoted to tenure-track. During his time in academia, Dr. Garrison earned several awards from organizations including NASA, the Institute for Space Systems Operations, The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Council of Graduate Schools and the Texas Educational Grid Project in addition to several internal grants and scholarships. During his time on the faculty of UHCL, Dr. Garrison served as Chair of the Physical Science and Physics Programs and successfully developed and oversaw the approval of a revised Bachelors Degree in Physical Science, a Bachelors Degree in Physics, a Masters Degree in Physics, a Professional Masters of Physics sub-plan in Technical Management and a Collaborative Ph.D. Program in Physics. His research in computational and theoretical physics consists of work in Numerical Relativity and Cosmology. David brings his talents as a teacher, administrator, problem solver and entrepreneur to many organizations, not just UHCL. As a teacher, he has changed the lives of hundreds of students by opening doors for them that they never thought possible. As an administrator, he works tirelessly to develop and run new programs such as the Physics BS, MS, PSM and Collaborative Ph.D. As a problem solver, he successfully navigates the roadblocks of bureaucracy and lack of resources in order to grow any organization of which he is a part. Finally as an entrepreneur, he developed Fast Financial Analysis.com and the UHCL Physics Department as start-ups using his hard work and imagination. He also serves on several advisory boards including: Latin Deaf Services, Inc., Space Center Houston and the investment board of the AUM Clean Energy Growth Fund.

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      Book preview

      What Every Successful Physics Graduate Student Should Know - David Garrison

      Introduction

      This guide is intended for students who are considering pursuing a graduate school program in physics. I chose the title, What Every Successful Physics Graduate Student Should Know because I honestly believe that if you want to be successful in a graduate physics program, the information contained in these pages will be of great value to you. The motivation for the creation of this guide originated with a suggestion from one of my students who felt that this could provide a useful aid to people who are interested in pursuing a graduate-level physics degree. It is written in such a way that it applies to graduate physics programs in general and not only the University of Houston Clear Lake (UHCL) Physics program.

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      Chapter One: Preparing for Grad School

      Basic Preparation

      Before you begin to consider applying for admission to graduate school in Physics, or any other field, you need to know the basic requirements and how flexible these requirements are for joining the program. While some graduate schools require that you have an undergraduate degree in physics, the UHCL program requires specific classes to prepare you for the program. These courses are:

      University Physics I & II (Calculus-Based Physics) with Laboratory

      Modern Physics with Laboratory

      Calculus I, II & III

      Differential Equations

      Complex Variables

      Linear Algebra

      Probability and Statistics

      Advanced Undergraduate Mechanics

      Advanced Undergraduate Electromagnetism

      Advanced Undergraduate Quantum Mechanics

      Advanced Undergraduate Thermodynamics

      Some schools, like UHCL, offer an undergraduate Mathematical Methods sequence that can replace Differential Equations, Complex Variables, Linear Algebra and Probability & Statistics. I find a student’s mathematics background is the most important part of this preparation. Some graduate schools admit students who have not completed all the basic preparation courses and allow them to take these courses as a graduate student. You should always check with the program for their specific requirements. Also note that the courses listed above make up the core of most undergraduate physics programs and are lower-level versions of the core graduate-level physics courses. In addition to coursework, many Ph.D. programs consider the research interests of a candidate when making admissions decisions. Research experience as an undergraduate is also important.

      Additional requirements may consist of the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) and the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE) for students whose undergraduate degree came from an institution whose primary instruction language is not English. Every graduate level physics program at an accredited institution requires at least the general GRE exam. Most, if not all, Ph.D. Physics programs also require the Physics GRE subject test (score requirements vary widely) and test scores of at least 300 (Quantitative + Verbal) on the general GRE exam. These test requirements may be waived under certain circumstances. An acceptable grade or score depends on the department. Some programs may also require a statement of interest, letters of support and an interview as part of their admissions process. I suggest that you contact the faculty in the programs to which you are considering applying prior to submitting an application in order to discuss their requirements and your preparation.

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      Admissions

      Every graduate school and physics program has a clearly defined admissions policy. You should ALWAYS check

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