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Note: This page provides a general overview. For complete and accurate information, please consult with your advisor. For current course offerings and information, refer to the Cornell University Registrar: Courses of Study.
Degree Requirements
The course of study leading to a doctorate in applied physics is flexible, individualized, and limited only by a student’s interests. Thus, the specific requirements for the Ph.D. degree are minimal. The fundamental requirement is to form a Special Committee of at least three Cornell faculty members. The chair of the committee is your thesis advisor.
To earn the Applied Physics Ph.D. degree, a student must fulfill the following requirements:
- Demonstrate a competency in a common core of physics subjects prior to proceeding to your A Exam. These subjects and recommended courses are Quantum Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Statistical Mechanics, and advanced laboratory techniques. This requirement can be satisfied by taking one course from each subject, usually in the first year, followed by the PHYS6510 Advanced Laboratory class the following year, and obtain a grade of B- or better in all. All classes must be completed by the end of the second year.
- Pass the comprehensive Admission to Candidacy examination (“A Exam”) with the Special Committee before the beginning of the seventh semester of study
- Successfully complete the course work required by your Special Committee and the Applied Physics Ph.D. program.
- Conduct original research that will have lasting value, and write a dissertation recording that work
- Pass the final examination (“B Exam”) defending the dissertation with the Special Committee
- Have a minimum of six academic terms of full-time study
A student is recommended for the Ph.D. degree when their Special Committee members agree that the appropriate level of scholarly achievement has been reached and that the Graduate School’s requirements for assessment have been satisfied.
The total time required to earn a doctorate in applied physics generally ranges from five to six years, depending on a student’s preparation and research topic.
Special Committee
Each student’s progress towards the Ph.D. degree is supervised by a Special Committee composed of Cornell graduate field faculty members chosen by the student. The content of your program is determined jointly with your committee, with a small number of required core courses complemented by graduate level classes in chosen areas of specialization.The supervision of a student’s Ph.D. program by the Special Committee allows for individualized programs tailored to each student’s specific interests that can seamlessly merge traditional disciplines.
For Ph.D. degree candidates, the Special Committee is composed of at least three faculty members: The Ph.D. thesis advisor and two or three other members. Typically. the chair of the committee is the supervisor of the student’s thesis project, the second member is from the student’s major area of study in applied physics, and the third member represents the minor area of study (as does the optional fourth member). With guidance from this faculty committee, the student plans an individualized course of study that will fulfill the core curriculum and minor subject requirements and will provide the groundwork for full-time thesis research in a particular area of specialization.
Curriculum
Students entering the applied physics program begin by taking courses that will meet core requirements. During the first year of study, students choose a major area within applied physics for study and thesis research and a minor area of study that is outside the field of physics or applied physics. Students then choose a Special Committee of three or four faculty members who will supervise their graduate program and monitor the progress of their thesis research.
The content of your program is determined jointly with your Special Committee. It consists of a small number of required core courses complemented by graduate-level classes in chosen areas of specialization. A student’s core curriculum must include courses that provide a basic understanding of experimental physics and that lead to competence in the following five major areas of study: applied mathematics, classical mechanics, electrodynamics, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics. The advanced experimental laboratory course is required of all Ph.D. students. A student normally takes from 16 to 22 credit hours of core coursework to establish the requisite competence, completing the necessary courses usually by the end of the second term of study.
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Core Curriculum Requirements
A student’s core curriculum includes courses that provide a basic understanding of experimental physics and that lead to competence in the following five major areas of study: applied mathematics, classical mechanics, electrodynamics, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics. The advanced experimental laboratory course is required of all Ph.D. students. A student normally takes from 16 to 22 credit hours of core coursework to establish the requisite competence, completing the necessary courses usually by the end of the second term of study.
With permission of their field-appointed advisor, students who need more time to take preparatory classes (such as mathematical physics AEP5100 or AEP5200) can delay this schedule to complete the needed background courses. Students should prepare a plan of study laying out the timeline for their course schedule and have it discussed and approved by their field-appointed advisor by the fourth week of class in their first semester. After discussion with, and with the written permission of their field-appointed advisor, students may also take the final exams of AEP5620, AEP5560, and AEP5230 at the regular exam time for those classes as a place-out option in lieu of taking the full class. However, if a student fails to achieve the equivalent of a B- in any place-out exam, they are not eligible to take any subsequent place-outs exams and must demonstrate competency in all unsatisfied areas by coursework instead.
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Specialty Courses
During the first four terms, students also take classes in another scientific or engineering discipline that is their chosen minor. Additionally, students may take advantage of courses from across the campus to broaden their knowledge, explore areas of interest from other disciplines, and to gain further knowledge to assist in their thesis research. Some students continue to enroll in courses for their entire stay as graduate students, while most begin to concentrate solely on thesis research during their third year in the program.
The interdisciplinary nature of applied physics enables students to enroll in courses offered by departments throughout the university, including physics, chemistry, biological sciences, astronomy, electrical and computer engineering, computer science, mathematics, and materials science. Students who wish to do so may also take courses in a variety of nonscientific topics such as music, business, and foreign languages.
For a complete listing of courses offered at Cornell, please consult the course catalog.
Examinations
In addition to coursework and a project, successful completion of two special exams are required to earn a Ph.D.
The School of Applied and Engineering Physics has replaced their high-stakes written qualifying exam with a core coursework plan, as performance on the written qualifying exam was found to correlate strongly with GRE performance, and was also not correlated with, or a good predictor of, successfully completing the Ph.D. program.
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A Exam
The Admission to Candidacy Exam (A Exam) is an oral exam to prepare for beginning full-time research in a particular area of applied physics as well as ensure competency in the minor area of study. This exam is administered by the student’s special committee. It is typically taken in the second or third year of studies. Students are required to demonstrate a competency in a common core of physics subjects prior to proceeding to the A-exam. Upon successful completion of the A Exam, the student is awarded a master’s degree and formally admitted into the Ph.D. program. The student then undertakes a project of original research and writes a thesis.
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B Exam
The Final Exam (B Exam) is the oral defense of the student’s thesis at a hearing administered by the Special Committee. A successful defense and approval of the written thesis are the final steps in fulfilling the degree requirements for a Ph.D. in applied physics.
Options for Fulfilling Quantum Mechanics Requirement
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PHYS 6572
Quantum Mechanics I (Fall semester) -
CHEM 7930
Quantum Mechanics I (Fall semester
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PHYS 6574
Quantum Mechanics II (Spring Semester)
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AEP 5620
Intermediate Quantum Mechanics (Spring semester)
Options for Fulfilling Electrodynamics Requirement
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AEP 5560
Intermediate Electrodynamics (Fall semester)
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PHYS 6561
Electrodynamics (Fall semester)
Options for Fulfilling Statistical Mechanics Requirement
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AEP 5230
Statistical Thermodynamics (Fall semester)
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PHYS 6562
Statistical Physics I (Spring semester)
Research Topics
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Astrophysics, Fusion and Plasma Physics
Cornell’s research programs in planetary astronomy, infrared astronomy, theoretical astrophysics, and radio astronomy are internationally recognized. Plasma physics is the science of electrically conducting fluids and high-temperature ionized gases. While the best-known research impetus is controlled fusion as a potential source of electric power, plasma physics also underlies many solar, astrophysical, and ionospheric phenomena as well as industrial applications of plasmas.
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Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Nanoscience, the behavior of physical systems when confined to near atomic, nanoscale (100 nm) dimensions together with the physical phenomena that occur at the nanoscale, is currently one of the most dynamic and rapidly developing areas of interdisciplinary research in applied physics.
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Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Research topics in this diverse area range from innovative studies of the basic properties of condensed-matter systems to the nanofabrication and study of advanced electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, and quantum-superconductor devices.
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Energy Systems
The need for future renewable sources of energy and ways to minimize consumption is leading to a growing emphasis on new concepts for the generation, storage, and transportation of energy. Cornell faculty are involved in developing a wide range of energy-related materials, such as photovoltaic materials, thermoelectrics, advanced battery materials and catalysts, membranes and supports for mobile fuel cells. Research is also conducted on materials processing that minimizes environmental impact.
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Biophysics
Biophysics is a broad field, ranging from fundamental studies of macromolecules or cells, through the design of state of the art diagnostic or medical tools.
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Microfluidics and Microsystems
Researchers in this field use their knowledge of microfluidics to create microsystems useful both in research and real-world applications in a variety of fields, including chemistry, biology, agriculture, and biomedical engineering.
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Optical Physics
Photonics researchers focus on the applications of the particle properties of light; optoelectronics has to do with the study and application of effects related to the interaction of light and electronic signals.
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Quantum Information Science
Quantum Information Science research studies the application of quantum physics to information science and technology.
Other Courses to Consider
The following courses are ones that are relevant to graduate students in Applied Physics, but offered by other Cornell schools and departments.
Chemistry
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CHEM 6070
Advanced Inorganic Chemistry III: Solid-State Chemistry
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CHEM 7930
Quantum Mechanics I
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CHEM 7940
Quantum Mechanics II
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CHEM 7960
Statistical Mechanics
Physics
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PHYS 6561
Classical Electrodynamics
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PHYS 6562
Statistical Physics
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PHYS 6572
Quantum Mechanics I
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PHYS 6574
Applications of Quantum Mechanics II
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PHYS 7635
Solid-State Physics I
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PHYS 7636
Solid-State Physics II
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PHYS 7653
Statistical Physics
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PHYS 7680
Computational Physics (also PHYS 4480, ASTRO 7690)
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PHYS 7681
Quantum Information Processing (also PHYS 4481, CS 4812)
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PHYS 7682
Computational Methods for Nonlinear Systems
Biology and Biomedical Engineering
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BIOMG 3310
Principles of Biochemistry: Proteins and Metabolism
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BIOMG 3320
Principles of Biochemistry: Molecular Biology
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BIOMG 3330
Principles of Biochemistry: Proteins, Metabolism, and Molecular Biology
Materials Science
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MSE 5430
Thin-Film Material Science