DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
Master’s and PhD Programs
Goals and Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes
The Department of Physics at The Catholic University of America offers graduate programs
leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. These degrees prepare
students for careers in research, technology and teaching. The department’s research specialties
include materials science; astrophysics; and nuclear, condensed matter, and vitreous state
physics. Graduate students may also arrange cooperative research projects in nearby
governmental laboratories, such as NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the Naval Research
Laboratory, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Master of Science in Physics
I. Program Description
The Master of Science program in Physics prepares students for employment in government,
academic research or industry or further graduate study in physics or related fields. The program
accepts students who majored in Physics at the undergraduate level on the basis of their
undergraduate grades and curriculum, letters of recommendation, and Graduate Record
Examination scores. Typically an undergraduate GPA of 3.2 and a mathematical GRE score of
650 are expected, although exceptions can be granted on an individual basis. In exceptional
cases, the program accepts students who did not complete their undergraduate degrees in physics
with the understanding that they must satisfactorily complete 500-level course work in the areas
in which they are not well prepared before taking the corresponding 600-level course.
The M.S. degree requires satisfactory completion of at least 30 semester hours of graduate work
in residence. Currently, the M.S. program offers only the non-thesis option, which requires that
students take at least 24 semester hours in physics with no more than nine of these hours in
courses below the 600-level. It is expected that the courses taken to satisfy this requirement be
chosen from among the following:
525
Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
611-612
Mathematical Methods of Theoretical Physics I and II
615-616
Advanced Mechanics I and II
621-622
Statistical Mechanics I and II
623-624
Advanced Electromagnetic Theory I and II
659-660
Advanced Quantum Theory I and II
although exceptions can be approved in individual cases. (Acceptable courses outside the
Physics Department could be in biology, chemistry, computer science, education, engineering or
mathematics.)
Students must also satisfactorily pass a written M.S. Comprehensive Examination, which is
described below.
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Students in the Ph.D. program who pass the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination can apply to
receive the M.S. degree retroactively, as an intermediate step toward the Ph.D.
Students in the M.S. program are encouraged (but not required) to participate in the research
activities of the Department. Summer research assistantships are available for most students, and
academic-year research assistantships are possible for the best-qualified. Unpaid research
participation is available to all, and may be awarded course credit. All full-time graduate
students are assigned office space in Hannan Hall (or at the Goddard Space Flight Center for
those performing research there,) and students are encouraged to participate in the Graduate
Students Association and other campus activities.
Most M.S. degrees in Physics are awarded as an intermediate step for students continuing their
studies toward the Ph.D. at CUA. Recent students for whom the M.S. was the terminal degree
have gone on to careers in
Research at the Naval Surface Weapons Center
Science teaching in private secondary schools
Information science and data processing
Homeland security
II. Goals for Student Learning
Students who graduate with a Master of Science in Physics will have demonstrated mastery of
classical and modern physics at in all of the following areas: classical mechanics, electricity and
magnetism, thermodynamics and statistical physics, quantum theory and early modern physics.
This mastery must be
a) at least at the intermediate level in all of these areas. (“Intermediate” means the level
at which advanced undergraduate physics majors study these subjects in their third and
fourth years.)
b) at the advanced level in at least two of the following areas: classical mechanics,
electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics and statistical physics, and quantum theory.
(Advanced” means the level expected in course work restricted to graduate students and
presuming prior mastery of the corresponding subject at the undergraduate level.)
III. Student Outcome Assessment Measures
1. Admission: For acceptance into the M.S. program in Physics, applicants should have the
B.A. or B.S. in Physics, preferably with a minimum grade point average of 3.2, and Graduate
Record Examination scores, preferably with a minimum mathematical score of 650. In
exceptional cases, the program accepts students who did not complete their undergraduate
degrees in physics with the understanding that they must satisfactorily complete 500-level
course work in the areas in which they are not well prepared before taking the corresponding
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600-level course. Sometimes, the department accepts promising students whose
undergraduate work or GRE scores are questionable into the M.S. program, instead of the
Ph.D. program, with the understanding that successful completion of the M.S. degree will
qualify them for admission to the Ph.D. program.
2. Placement: At the beginning of the first semester of residence, every incoming student must
take a preliminary examination at the advanced undergraduate level. The exam serves as a
diagnostic tool for course placement. For a student who arrives with prior graduate study,
this examination is used in conjunction with the existing graduate transcript to decide on an
appropriate course schedule.
3. Course work: Students are expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA. If the semester average is below
3.0 for two consecutive semesters, the student is subject to dismissal.
4. Ongoing faculty evaluations: With the small sizes of our graduate physics classes, faculty
members have ample opportunity to observe student performance in homework assignments
and examinations and offer extra mentoring for students who appear to be having difficulties.
At the end of each semester, the faculty of the department meets to discuss the status of all
graduate students and make recommendations for their future coursework and the scheduling
of examinations. A 3.0 GPA is normally required to maintain good standing. A student who
fails to meet that level is urged to schedule remedial meetings with faculty during the
following semester. A student who falls below 3.0 in two consecutive semesters is urged to
consider resigning from the program.
5. Course evaluations: Students are asked to fill out course and instructor evaluation forms in
each physics course that they take. For 500-level courses, the CUA course evaluation system
is used. For 600-level courses, or courses with very small enrollments, the Physics
Department distributes and tabulates equivalent evaluation forms. Space is provided for
comments and suggestions.
6. M.S. Comprehensive examination: This capstone examination consists of eight problems,
two in each of four subject areas, which a committee of faculty members prepares and grades
each semester. Students take these exams distributed over two days as follows: Day 1
morning: Classical mechanics; Day 1 afternoon: Electricity and magnetism; Day 2 morning:
Thermodynamics and statistical physics and Day 2 afternoon: Quantum theory. In each area,
students have choices between solving problems at the 500- (intermediate) or 600-course
(advanced) levels. Students must answer at least two of 8 problems at the 600 level. The
committee reports the results (scores for individual problems, each graded independently by
two committee members) to the entire faculty, which then makes the decision whether to
pass or fail. An overall grade of 70% is considered passing. Individual problems are graded
according to the following guidelines:
80-100 Mastery of the concepts and techniques required.
60-79 Understanding of the physical basis of the problem, but errors in execution.
40-59 Serious lack of understanding of some of the concepts and/or methods needed
0-39 Little or no competence demonstrated.
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Students who fail the examination have the opportunity to take it a second time in a
subsequent semester. The entire examination must be re-taken: re-examination in the
individual subject areas is not permitted.
7. Exit questionnaire: Graduating students are asked to fill out an exit questionnaire about the
following aspects of the M.S. program:
1) Appropriateness of course requirements.
2) Quality of teaching and grading.
3) Advising and mentoring by faculty.
4) Relation of comprehensive examination to curriculum.
5) Opportunity to gain research experience.
6) Preparation for the job market or further professional training.
IV. Use of Results
1. At the end of each academic year, the Department faculty meets to discuss the status of all
current graduate students with respect to courses taken, grades, and readiness for the
Comprehensive Examination.
2. Course evaluations for each semester are read and summarized by the Chair, and discussed by
the faculty.
3. After each M.S. Comprehensive Examination, the Department discusses the success of the
examination in measuring student knowledge and capabilities, and makes suggestions for future
examination contents.
4. Exit questionnaires submitted by graduating M.S. students are discussed by the faculty.
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*****
Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
I. Program Description
The Doctoral program in Physics prepares students for employment in academia, government or
industry at a higher level than holders of the Master’s degree. The program accepts students who
majored in Physics at the undergraduate level or have earned a Master of Science degree on the
basis of their grades and curriculum, letters of recommendation, and Graduate Record
Examination scores. Typically an undergraduate GPA of 3.4 and a mathematical GRE score of
680 are expected, although exceptions can be granted on an individual basis. In exceptional
cases, the program accepts students who did not complete their undergraduate degrees in physics
with the understanding that they must satisfactorily complete 500-level course work in the areas
in which they are not well prepared before taking the corresponding 600-level courses.
Sometimes, the department accepts applicants whose undergraduate work or GRE scores are
questionable into the M.S. program with the understanding that successful completion of the
M.S. degree will qualify them for admission to the Ph.D. program. For well-qualified students,
the preferred route is to go directly from the B.A. or B.S. to the Ph.D.
Students pursuing the Ph.D. in physics complete 53 semester hours, of which 35 must be in
physics and only a maximum nine semester hours may be for courses below the 600 level.
(Acceptable courses outside the Physics Department could be in biology, chemistry, computer
science, education, engineering or mathematics.) There are no specific residence requirement
beyond that of the university. Up to 24 semester hours of graduate work at another accredited
institution for which the student earned a grade of B or better may applied to these requirements
with the approval of the Department and the Dean. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in their
physics courses.
All Ph.D. students must master the material presented in the following physics courses:
525
Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
611-612
Mathematical Methods of Theoretical Physics I and II
615
Advanced Mechanics I
621-622
Statistical Mechanics I and II
623-624
Advanced Electromagnetic Theory I and II
659-660
Advanced Quantum Theory I and II
The additional course work is chosen according to the student’s research interests and
preferences.
Ph.D. students must also pass a comprehensive examination, which includes both written and
oral parts, after the equivalent of two full years of study, and present and defend a satisfactory
dissertation.
Students in the Ph.D. program are eligible to hold teaching assistantships and research
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assistantships, which are awarded according to merit so far as funding is available. All Ph.D.
students are expected to participate in the research activities of the Department as early as
possible. Summer research assistantships are available for most students. Unpaid research
participation is available to all, and may be awarded course credit. All full-time graduate
students are assigned office space in Hannan Hall (or at the Goddard Space Flight Center for
those performing research there,) and students are encouraged to participate in the Graduate
Students Association and other campus activities.
Recent graduates of the Ph.D. program have gone on to employment in the following areas:
Postdoctoral research assistantships in condensed matter physics
Postdoctoral research assistantships in astrophysics
Homeland security
Information science and data processing
Science teaching in private schools
II. Goals for Student Learning
Students who graduate with a Doctor of Philosophy in Physics will:
1. Have demonstrated mastery of classical and modern physics at the advanced level in all of
the following areas: Classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics and
statistical physics, and quantum theory. (“Advanced level” is defined as course work
restricted to graduate students and presumes prior mastery of the corresponding subject at the
undergraduate level.)
2. Have conducted original research that is the basis for a doctoral dissertation, and written and
defended an acceptable dissertation.
III. Student Outcome Assessment Measures
1. Admissions: For acceptance into the Ph.D. program in physics, students must have majored
in physics at the undergraduate level or have earned a Master of Science degree in physics or
a related field. It is expected that the student have a minimum grade point average of 3.4 and
Graduate Record Examination mathematical score of 680. In exceptional cases, the program
accepts promising students who did not complete their undergraduate degrees in physics with
the understanding that they must satisfactorily complete 500-level course work in the areas in
which they are not well prepared before taking the corresponding 600-level courses.
2. Placement: At the beginning of the first semester of residence, every incoming student must
take a preliminary examination at the advanced undergraduate level. The exam serves as a
diagnostic tool for course placement. For a student who arrives with a prior master’s degree
or other graduate study, this examination is used in conjunction with the existing graduate
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transcript to decide on an appropriate course schedule.
3. Course work: Ph.D. students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in their physics courses. If the
semester average is below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters, the student is subject to
dismissal. Core courses in which a grade of C or below is received may be repeated with
permission of the Chair.
4. Ongoing faculty evaluations: With the small sizes of our graduate physics classes, faculty
members have ample opportunity to observe student performance in homework assignments
and examinations and offer extra mentoring for students who appear to be having difficulties.
At the end of each semester, the faculty of the department meets to discuss the status of all
graduate students and make recommendations for their future coursework and the scheduling
of examinations. A 3.0 GPA is normally required to maintain good standing. A student who
fails to meet that level is urged to schedule remedial meetings with faculty during the
following semester. A student who falls below 3.0 in two consecutive semesters is urged to
consider resigning from the program.
5. Course evaluations: Students complete course and faculty evaluations for every physics
course. For small classes the evaluation forms are prepared, distributed and tabulated within
the Department, but so far as possible they include questions similar to those on the official
CUA course evaluation forms. Space is provided for comments and suggestions.
6. Doctoral Comprehensive examination: Ph.D. students must pass a two-part Comprehensive
Examination, consisting of both written and oral parts.
 The written examination, which is prepared and graded by a committee of faculty
members each semester, consists of 10 questions at the advanced (600-course) level in
four subject areas, distributed over two days as follows: Day 1 morning: Classical
mechanics (2 questions); Day 1 afternoon: Electricity and magnetism (3 questions); Day
2 morning: Thermodynamics and statistical physics (2 questions) and Day 2 afternoon:
Quantum theory (3 questions). Each problem is graded independently by two committee
members) according to the following guidelines (a grade of 70 is considered passing):
80-100 Mastery of the concepts and techniques required.
60-79 Understanding of the physical basis of the problem, but errors in execution.
40-59 Serious lack of understanding of some of the concepts and/or methods needed
0-39 No competence demonstrated.
 The oral comprehensive examination, lasting at least 90 minutes, is scheduled for each
student by the Chair during the week following the written comprehensive examination.
Each student is examined by a panel or three or four faculty members, at least two of
whom are members of the examination committee. Questions may be asked about any
area of physics, but some of the questions are chosen so as to give the student a second
chance to show competence in areas in which his work on the written examination was
marginal or unsatisfactory. The panel awards a numerical grade between 0 and 100 for
oral examination, with 70 considered a passing grade. 
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The overall Comprehensive Examination grade is obtained by combining the written and oral
examination grades with weighting factors of 75 % and 25% respectively. An overall grade
of 70% is considered passing. The committee reports the complete set of results (graders’
scores for individual problems and for the oral examination) to the entire faculty, which then
makes the decision whether to pass or fail.
Students who fail the Comprehensive Examination have the opportunity to take it a second
time in a subsequent semester. The entire examination must be re-taken: re-examination in
the individual subject areas is not permitted.
7. Admission to Candidacy: After passing the Comprehensive Examination, the student applies
for admission to candidacy, which takes effect at the start of the following semester.
8. Dissertation research proposal: After being admitted to candidacy, the student, in
consultation with his major professor, must prepare a dissertation research proposal which
conforms to the rules of the School of Arts and Sciences and of the University. The proposal
lists the student’s proposed dissertation committee, and describes the work to be done and the
methodology to be used. The dissertation committee consists of the student’s major
professor and at least two readers, at least one of whom must be a faculty member. This
proposal is circulated to the faculty of the Department for comments and corrections; faculty
members who do not respond within two weeks are assumed to be giving their approval. If
substantial changes are requested by faculty members, the proposal must be circulated again.
After unanimous approval by the Physics faculty, the proposal is submitted to the Dean.
9. The doctoral oral dissertation defense: To schedule this final oral examination, all members
of the student’s dissertation committee must sign a form indicating that the dissertation is
complete and of acceptable quality. An examination committee comprised of the student’s
dissertation committee plus members from two other academic departments administers the
oral defense of the dissertation. The student begins by giving a public lecture describing the
dissertation research, followed by answering a period of questions from the general audience.
The student’s responses to these questions may be taken into account as part of the student’s
performance by the examination committee. Then the examination continues in closed
session with only the student and the examination committee present, normally for an
additional 60 to 90 minutes. Once the questioning is complete, the committee awards a grade
of Pass or Fail. In either case, the committee may also submit a list of required modifications
that the students must make to the dissertation before its final approval. If the student fails
the examination, the student will be permitted to schedule a second oral defense after
consulting individually with all the dissertation committee members and obtaining their
approval.
10. Approval of dissertation: After passing the oral defense, students make the required changes
to their dissertations and obtain the final signatures of the major professor and readers, before
they can deposit the dissertation with the University for completion of the Ph.D. degree.
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11. Exit questionnaire: Graduating students are asked to fill out an exit questionnaire about the
following aspects of the M.S. program:
1) Appropriateness of course requirements.
2) Quality of teaching and grading.
3) Advising and mentoring by faculty.
4) Relation of Comprehensive Examination to curriculum.
5) Opportunity to gain research experience.
6) Preparation for the job market or further professional training.
IV. Use of Results
1. At the end of each academic year, the Department faculty meets to discuss the status of all
current graduate students with respect to courses taken, grades, and readiness for the
Comprehensive Examination.
2. Course evaluations for each semester are read and summarized by the Chair, and discussed by
the faculty.
3. After each Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination, the Department discusses the success of the
examination in measuring student knowledge and capabilities, and makes suggestions for future
examination contents.
4. After each doctoral oral dissertation defense, the faculty discusses the performance of the
student and his preparation for the examination, and suggests possible curriculum changes.
5. Exit questionnaires submitted by graduating Ph,D. students are discussed by the faculty.
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