These courses must be at or above the 600 level and be in physics or physics-related areas. The preliminary exam based on several general physics texts is given twice a year in September and February. It must be taken by all students immediately after entry into the program and passed before the beginning of their second semester. The qualifying examination, which is based on a core of graduate-level courses, is given twice per year, in late August and in early February. The Ph.D. candidate must pass this examination within three and a half years after arriving at Delaware.
Most students take the examination for the first time at the end of their second year.
Upon successful completion of a research program, the candidate is required to pass a final oral examination that includes the defense of the dissertation and discussion of relevant material. Progress of a student through the graduate program is reviewed regularly by a departmental review committee. The research content of the M.S. and Ph.D. program can be chosen from among current faculty research activities within astronomy, astrophysics, atomic and molecular physics, biophysics, condensed matter and materials physics, cosmic ray physics, nuclear and elementary particle physics, and solar and space physics. More detailed information on research areas and facilities is contained in a departmental brochure available upon request.