Graduate Courses in Physics
Core Courses
The standard graduate coursework in physics includes the following six graduate-level courses typically taken in a time span of two to three years:
Phys 501 Quantum Mechanics I,
Phys 502 Quantum Mechanics II,
Phys 503 Electromagnetic Theory I,
Phys 504 Electromagnetic Theory II,
Phys 505 Classical Mechanics I,
Phys 507 Statistical Mechanics I.
Electives
Graduate students may choose to take additional courses, as appropriate to their preparation, interests, and research areas. Most of these elective courses are upper level undergraduate courses, supplemented by additional work for graduate students. Courses with 500-level, 600-level, or dual 300/500-level course numbers may be taken without restriction. For courses with a 300-level course number only, a maximum of two may be taken for graduate credit. Some examples of electives we have offered include the following:
Phys 325 General Relativity,
Phys 322/522 Solid State Physics,
Phys 328/528 Galactic Dynamics & Advanced Classical Mechanics,
Phys 622 Atomic and Molecular Physics.
Supervised Research
Students conducting graduate level research under the supervision of a faculty member, including the writing of an MA thesis or Ph.D. dissertation, enroll in
Phys 701 Supervised Work.
Entering Ph.D. students are offered the opportunity to spend a semester rotating through each of the faculty labs in the physics department. Students who opt to do a lab rotation also register for Phys 701 Supervised Work.
University of Pennsylvania
When appropriate, students may enroll in core or elective courses at the University of Pennsylvania. Some examples of courses taken at University of Pennsylvania by our graduate students include graduate level quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, cosmology, math methods, and programming courses.
Course Descriptions (Core Courses)
This course is the first semester of a year-long standard sequence on quantum mechanics. The year-long course will cover: the mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics, quantum dynamics, the theory of angular momentum, symmetry in quantum mechanics, approximation methods, identical particles, scattering theory, relativistic quantum mechanics. This course is taught in a seminar format, in which students are responsible for presenting much of the course material in class meetings.
This course is the second semester of a year-long standard sequence on quantum mechanics. The year-long course will cover: the mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics, quantum dynamics, the theory of angular momentum, symmetry in quantum mechanics, approximation methods, identical particles, scattering theory, relativistic quantum mechanics. This course is taught in a seminar format, in which students are responsible for presenting much of the course material in class meetings.
Phys 503 Electromagnetic Theory I
This course is the first semester of a year-long standard sequence on electromagnetism. This semester begins with topics in electrostatics, including Coulomb's and Gauss's Laws, Green functions, the method of images, expansions in orthogonal functions, boundary-value problems, and dielectric materials. The focus then shifts to magnetic phenomena, including the magnetic fields of localized currents, boundary-value problems in magnetostatics, and the interactions of fields and magnetic materials. The last portion of the course treats Maxwell's equations, transformation properties of electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic waves and their propagation and, time permitting, the basics of waveguides. This course is taught in a seminar format, in which students are responsible for presenting much of the course material in class meetings.
Phys 504 Electromagnetic Theory II
This course is the second semester of a two semester graduate level sequence on electromagnetic theory. Topics include electromagnetic radiation, multiple fields, scattering and diffraction theory, special relativity, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian descriptions, radiation from point particle motion, Lienard-Wiechert potentials, classical electron theory and radiation reaction. Additional topics may be included at the discretion of the instructor. This course is taught in a seminar format, in which students are responsible for presenting much of the course material in class meetings.
Phys 505 Classical Mechanics I
This course will cover mechanics topics familiar from the undergraduate curriculum, but from deeper theoretical and mathematical perspectives. Topics will include Lagrange & Hamilton methods, the central force problem, rigid body motion, oscillations, and canonical transformations. Time permitting, other topics that might be explored include chaos theory, special relativity, and the application of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods to continuous systems. This course is taught in a seminar format, in which students are responsible for presenting much of the course material in class meetings.
Phys 507 Statistical Mechanics I
Review of Thermodynamics; Equilibrium statistical mechanics—microcanonical and canonical ensembles; Ideal gases, photons, electrons in metals; Phase transitions; Monte Carlo techniques; Classical fluids, Non-equilibrium statistical mechanics.