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Biological Sciences Biotechnology Chemistry Environmental Science Physics & Physical Sciences Collaborative UHCL/UH Physics Ph.D. Program
Overview of the Collaborative Program Physics Candidacy Certificate Benefits of the Program Degree Requirements Admissions FAQ Overview of the Collaborative Program This program establishes a new collaboration between the Physics Departments at UH and UHCL for the mutual benefit of both universities, their students, and the Clear Lake Community. This joint effort unites the Master’s program at UHCL with the PhD program at UH. UH will award the PhD; UHCL supports the effort with its courses and research opportunities. Select faculty at UH and UHCL hold joint appointments. This allows them to ensure their students a smooth transition from the MS to the PhD program. In addition, a Joint Admission Committee will advise students on all phases of their transition.
UHCL Physics students pursuing a PhD can do so through the Collaborative UH/UHCL Physics PhD program. Six UHCL Physics courses and their corresponding recitations PHYS 5311/5331: Electrodynamics I, PHYS 5411/5431: Classical Mechanics, PHYS 5511/5531: Mathematical Methods in Physics I, PHYS 5611/5631 and 5612/5632: Quantum Mechanics I and II, and PHYS 5711/5731: Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics will count towards PhD candidacy at UH. A candidate must earn a grade of B or better in the class and on the final exam. Students exploring this option must apply for PhD candidacy through the UH/UHCL Physics Joint Admissions Committee. Students accepted into the collaborative PhD program will be subject to the same requirements as other PhD candidates in the UH Physics program. They will complete their PhD Thesis under the advisement of a UH and UHCL faculty committee.
Physics Candidacy Certificate Students completing the candidacy requirements for the Collaborative UHCL/UH Physics Ph.D. Program are eligible to receive a physics candidacy certificate. This certificate can be awarded to students independently of the Physics Master’s Degree. A student pursuing a certificate has the option of switching to the Physics MS degree program at anytime during their enrollment in the certificate program and can apply all physics course-work taken towards the certificate to the MS degree. Qualified students pursuing the Physics MS degree have the option of applying for the certificate once the candidacy requirements are satisfied.
Benefits of the program
Benefits to UHCL: - Supports UHCL’s mission by serving the needs of the local aerospace and petrochemical firms
- Increased research productivity
- Access to PhD Students for Research Projects
- Access to UH faculty collaborators
- UH faculty to mentor UHCL MS student research
- Better student-to-faculty ratio
- Less dependence on adjunct faculty
- UH faculty available to teach advanced UHCL Physics courses
- Access to UH facilities and resources
- Increased enrollment due to expanded opportunities
- Improved research facilities and resources
- More opportunities for professional development for UHCL Physics faculty
- Flagship PhD with possible duplication in Chemistry, Biology, Math, Computer Science, etc.
Benefits to UH: - Opportunity to serve the aerospace and petrochemical industries
- Access to high-quality, mature students
- Increase in total graduate student enrollment
- More money from PhD SCHs through formula funding
- Access to faculty collaborators at UHCL
- More potential faculty collaboration
- Synergy through contact with UHCL and JSC
Benefits to Students:- The first local PhD program available to full-time and part-time students
- Advanced training in Physics increases work-related proficiency for students
- Increased knowledge base improves job satisfaction
- Intellectual challenge for students
Benefits to the Clear Lake Community: - Accessibility of pertinent courses for JSC and petrochemical communities
- More PhDs available to local industry and JSC
- Connection to UH System for advanced research projects of benefit to the community
- Local PhD opportunities helps private and public institutions retain employees
Degree Requirements
Application to the Joint Admissions Committee To be admitted into the program, students must apply to the joint admissions committee for guidance on the transition into the PhD program at UH.
Core Requirements at UHCL- PHYS 5311/5331 Electrodynamics I
- PHYS 5411/5431 Classical Mechanics
- PHYS 5511/5531 Mathematical Methods in Physics I
- PHYS 5611/5631 Quantum Mechanics I
- PHYS 5612/5632 Quantum Mechanics II
- PHYS 5711/5731 Statistical Mechanics & Thermodynamics
Advanced ElectivesStudents select advanced UHCL and UH courses to meet their professional goals in consultation with their advisor. The Joint Admissions Committee reviews each application to help them choose Advanced Electives.
UHCL MS Capstone At this point, some students may finish the requirements of the UHCL MS program, while others may choose to move directly into the UH PhD program without completing the MS. The choice of whether or not to make the transition depends on several factors. The Joint Admissions Committee will advise each student of their individual options. For example, students who move into the PhD program at UH should complete their degree within 100 credit hours of entering the program. Therefore, students who complete the MS degree will have more time to complete their PhD. However, the program requires a minimum of 48 credit hours to complete a PhD in Physics at UH; students who complete the MS may not be able to finish the degree as quickly.
PhD Work at UHStudents must complete all work at this level according to the standard rules of the UH Physics Department. Visit
http://www.phys.uh.edu/phdreq.htm. for a full description of these requirements.
Students in the program should be continuously enrolled at UH each long semester until they complete the degree. After making the transition into the PhD program, all students should select a research advisor and dissertation committee. The student and advisor must jointly select the dissertation committee. The student must then submit an oral presentation and research plan to the dissertation committee. The student must also send annual progress reports to the dissertation committee. The student must present an acceptable dissertation based on original research in Physics and defend it orally before the dissertation committee. In addition, to complete the PhD, students may be required to take additional courses under the request of their thesis advisor. They may take these courses at UH or UHCL.
Admissions UH and UHCL faculty with appointments at both universities will form a joint admissions committee. Their primary purpose will be to facilitate the process of guiding students through the transition from the Masters Program at UHCL to the PhD program at UH. Students in the UHCL MS Program who wish to move into to the PhD program should apply to the committee. The application standards of this committee will be the same as those of the UH PhD admissions committee (visit
http://www.phys.uh.edu/gradmain.htm for details). This committee will then offer students recommendations for preparing for PhD-level study at UH and give select students access to UH courses, library, labs, and other resources needed to successfully make the transition into the PhD program. This website will display application materials as soon as they are available.
FAQ The frequently asked questions dynamically expands the answer when clicked on.
High student and community demand. Between 2002 and 2004, the Physics program at UHCL conducted four needs-assessment surveys. These surveys focused primarily on establishing a Masters Degree in Physics at UHCL, but received dozens of unsolicited requests to establish a Physics PhD program. In response to these requests. The department conducted a fifth needs-assessment survey in the fall of 2006. The results of this survey showed an overwhelming demand for the program.
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Plan on spending 10-20 hours per week on each three credit-hour graduate class. This program is designed for both full-time (nine credit hours per semester) and part-time (fewer than nine credit hours per semester) students.
In addition to the five core courses required for the MS, a PhD candidacy also demands a sixth course PHYS 5632 Quantum Mechanics II. Each core course (and its final exam) will count toward PhD candidacy in the UH Physics program with a passing grade of B or better. Candidates can transfer some UHCL advanced courses to UH for PhD credit. In addition, some UH faculty will offer courses at UHCL.
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If you choose to complete the MS at UHCL and not continue on with the PhD, nothing will change. If you want to complete the PhD, you must pass the final exams in each core course with a grade of B or better and apply for admissions to the program through the Joint Admissions Committee.
Students in this program can pursue research related to the scholarly interests of any Physics faculty member at UHCL or UH.
UHCL students may apply for Financial Aid. In addition, a faculty grant funding program offers some teaching and research assistantships.
We do not currently offer any courses online. However, we do offer evening courses. Faculty members occasionally teach daytime courses off campus.
This can vary, depending on whether a student completes the program part-time or full-time. Typically, it takes two to three years to complete the MS (at UHCL), and another four to six years to complete the PhD (at UH).
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