Course Requirements
The candidate must complete an individual program of courses approved by the Department. This program depends on the candidate’s preparation and special interests, but, assuming proficiency in the master’s level courses, will include:
Dissertation Requirement
The candidate must perform research, which is an original and substantial contribution. The dissertation must be approved by a faculty committee and successfully defended in a public oral examination.
Qualifying Exam Requirement
The candidate must take the Ph.D. qualifying exam. This exam deals with the undergraduate material, the content of the first-year graduate courses and colloquia. There are two possible outcomes of the qualifying exam: pass or not pass at the Ph.D. level. A student is granted two attempts to pass the qualifying examination; further attempts may be allowed by the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee on the basis of a petition by the candidate.
Language Requirement
All graduate students who were required to take the TOEFL exam for admission will also be required to take courses on written or spoken English (listed as GRAD in the Graduate Course Catalog) as recommended by the Graduate Center. A student and his/her adviser can jointly petition the Graduate Studies Committee to waive this requirement.
There is no foreign language requirement for native English-speakers.
Teaching Requirement
Teaching is an integral part of the educational process for those who seek an advanced degree, and therefore degree candidates will be assigned teaching duties for at least two semesters and are expected to register for at least two semesters of PHYS 651 Teaching Physics in conjunction with their teaching assignment. There will be an evaluation upon completion of the assignment, and the grade for this course is based on their performance of their teaching duties.
Satisfactory Progress
Satisfactory progress is measured in different ways depending on the student’s standing in the program.
For students who have not passed the qualifying examination, satisfactory progress consists of achieving at least a B (3.0/4.0) average in course work and satisfactory teaching (or, if appropriate, research) evaluations.
Starting from the second year of graduate study, the student is required to have an annual review every academic year. The review committee will consist of the advisor and at least two other physics faculty members. This review will normally consist of a presentation of recent progress by the student followed by discussion with the committee.
To be eligible to graduate, all students must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all courses undertaken for graduate credit at William & Mary after admission to a degree program. No credit toward a degree will be allowed for a course in which a student receives a grade below C (grade point = 2.0).
