Graduate
PhD Curriculum
PROGRAM INFORMATION
This program emphasizes the practical, engineering applications of theoretical and
fundamental physical concepts. The program encompasses the areas of laser physics,
materials physics, computational physics, biophysics, as well as biomedical physics
and imaging science.
Accreditation:
Accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of College and
Schools.
DEGREE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
The program requires a total 72 credit hours.
| Core courses | 12 Credit Hours |
| Electives | 18 Credit Hours |
| Industrial Practicum | 3 Credit Hours |
| Other Courses | 15 Credit Hours |
| Dissertation Research | 24 Credit Hours |
Master's students can transfer up to two core courses completed at a different institution and not used for their MS degree, pending review and approval of course material and grade by the graduate director. However, students can only apply for transfer after completing their first semester at USF. In addition, transfer of credit for core courses does not reduce the total number of 24 credit hours (8 courses) completed at USF from the combination of core courses and electives. This process is completed by submitting a Graduate Course Transfer form along with official transcripts. International transcripts must be evaluated by World Education Services (WES). Current Physics graduate students wishing to transfer in previous coursework should contact the department's Academic Program Specialist.
- Core courses (12 credit hours, all 4 required)
Physics Graduate Programs & Requirements from the 2024/2025 Graduate Catalog
- PHZ 5115 Mathematical Methods I 3
- PHY 6346 Electricity and Magnetism I 3
- PHY 6645 Quantum Mechanics I 3
- PHY 6536 Statistical Mechanics 3
- Electives (18 credit hours)
At least an additional 6 graduate‐level classes should be taken, of which at least 5 are in the physics department. Any graduate course taken outside the department for credit towards the electives requires prior approval by the graduate director. For students entering Spring 2024 or later: Students may only take 1 cross-listed course over the duration of the program. - Industrial Practicum (3 credit hours, required)
- PHZ 7940 - Industrial Practicum
- Students seek an internship with a company or national lab (typically 1-2 months, 2 weeks minimum) to pursue a project that allows them to apply their skills to a real-life problem.
- Limited departmental funding for industrial practicum: For non local companies, a letter from the host is required which specifically states the duration of the practicum and the level of support provided by the host. For the funds requested from the department, justification on how the funds will be used is needed. Travel should be budgeted within USF guidelines. For local companies, students may request up to $300 be provided by the department and justification is required. There will be no funding provided for an online practicum. Online practicums are discouraged. Funds for the industrial practicum are limited. Students are encouraged to plan ahead as funds may run out in a given year. Requests from students graduating in the following semester will be prioritized.
- Students in the medical physics concentration can substitute Radiotherapy Physics
Clinical Practicum (PHZ 6938, 3 Credit hours) for the Industrial Practicum.
- Other Courses (15 credit hours)
The remaining course work (up to 15 hours) can be covered by additional physics electives or by directed research hours (PHY 7910) performed with their thesis mentor. - Doctoral Research (24 credit hours)
Students need to complete at least 24 hours of doctoral research (PHY 7980). Students can only register for doctoral dissertation hours, after they become "doctoral candidates" by completing the qualifying examinations (see below). Be aware that you can't proceed to doctoral candidacy and enroll in doctoral dissertation hours until you have completed the qualifying examinations in the preceding semester (watch the deadlines). If it was not used to cover the "other courses" requirements (see above), students can apply a maximum of 12 credit hours of directed research (PHY 7910) towards the 24 credit hours of doctoral research.
Qualifying Examination:
The Doctoral Qualifying Examination consists of two parts: the Credentials Certification and the Dissertation Proposal. Following successful completion of these two parts, the student may submit the paperwork to advance for doctoral candidacy. The student's presentation of the Dissertation Proposal may occur at any time after successful completion of the Credentials Certification.- Credentials Certification– The student, in consultation with his/her research advisor,
will assemble a supervisory committee consistent with the rules of the Office of Graduate
Studies. It is the responsibility of the supervisory committee to evaluate the student's
academic and research accomplishments and potential according to departmental standards
and, if these are met, to certify that the student may proceed to the next step. View
the Current Details of the Credentials Certification (PDF). Here is an example of a proper Credentials Check report from one of our current students.
- Dissertation Proposal- To become a PhD Candidate, the student must present a written
dissertation proposal and successfully defend that proposal to the supervisory committee.
View the General Guidelines for Dissertation Proposal (PDF).
- Credentials Certification– The student, in consultation with his/her research advisor,
will assemble a supervisory committee consistent with the rules of the Office of Graduate
Studies. It is the responsibility of the supervisory committee to evaluate the student's
academic and research accomplishments and potential according to departmental standards
and, if these are met, to certify that the student may proceed to the next step. View
the Current Details of the Credentials Certification (PDF). Here is an example of a proper Credentials Check report from one of our current students.
- Dissertation:
The candidate will conduct original and significant research, describe that research and the results in a doctoral dissertation and defend that dissertation in an oral presentation to the supervisory committee. Typically, the student will be expected to have published at least part of his findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals prior to the defense. The defense is open to the public and must be scheduled according to the regulations of the Graduate School.
Master's Along the Way
Students in the Ph.D. program have the option of earning a Master’s Along the Way. One important thing to understand about the Master’s Along the Way is that credit hours used towards the Master’s cannot be used towards the Ph.D. The Master’s requires 30 hours while the Ph.D. requires 72. So, students would essentially need to earn at least 102 total hours to complete both degrees. However, this is typically not a problem, as most students have earned well over 100 hours by the time they complete their Ph.D.
Students will need to decide if they want to pursue a thesis-based or non-thesis Master’s. For non-thesis, the paper/presentation used for the PhD Credential Check cannot also count towards the Comprehensive Exam for the Master’s requirement. This would essentially need to be done twice. So, one paper/presentation for the Master’s, and then a second, completely different paper/presentation for the PhD Credential Check. The paper/presentation is reviewed by the student's major professor to verify that all requirements for a Master's degree have been met.
Students wishing to pursue a thesis-based Master’s need to register for Master’s Thesis hours. This includes a thesis defense just like a dissertation defense. A thesis committee would need to be organized to sit for the defense. In addition, the thesis work would need to be completely separate from the PhD dissertation. So, no material could show up on both.
| Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
|---|---|
| PHY 6645 - Quantum Mechanics I (Core) | PHY 6346 - Electricity & Magnetism I (Core) |
| PHZ 5115 - Methods of Theoretical Physics I (Core) | PHY 6536 - Statistical Mechanics I (Core) |
| PHY 6938 - STEM Professional Development (Elective) |
PHY 6938 - Experimental Materials Physics (Elective) |
| PHY 6938 - Statistical Mechanics II (Elective) |
PHZ 5156C - Computational Physics I (Elective) |
| PHY 6938 - Intro to Solid State Physics (Elective) |
PHY 5937 - Quantum Optics (Elective) |
| Fall 2025 (Tentative) | Spring 2026 (Tentative) |
|---|---|
| PHY 6645 - Quantum Mechanics I (Core) | PHY 6346 - Electricity & Magnetism I (Core) |
| PHZ 5115 - Methods of Theoretical Physics I (Core) | PHY 6536 - Statistical Mechanics I (Core) |
| Intro to Solid State (Elective) | Advanced Quantum Materials (Elective) |
| Intro to Group Theory (Elective) | Biophysics (Elective) |
| Machine Learning (Elective) | Topology for Physicists (Elective) |
Search current course offerings.
Roadmap to Success:
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courses | 4 Core Courses, 2 Electives | 4 Electives, Directed Research | ||||
| Research | Join a Lab | Start research toward PhD | ||||
| Industrial Practicum | Industrial or Clinical Practicum | |||||
| Exams | Credential Check | Candidacy | Defense and Graduation | |||
Other Relevant Forms
Follow this link for information on the Ph.D. in Applied Physics with Emphasis in Medical Physics.