Only after the oral examination is passed will the student be considered a bona fide candidate for the Ph.D. degree in physics. If the oral examination is not passed, the student is deemed to have failed the Candidacy Examination and will not be allowed to progress toward the Ph.D. degree in physics at Old Dominion University. The student may, however, still have the opportunity to satisfy the requirements for the M.S. degree in physics at Old Dominion University. The comprehensive written examination tests the broad areas of physics covered in undergraduate core courses and in typical first-year graduate core courses. The exam is administered on three days of an announced examination week.
Subjects covered are mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermal physics, and modern physics.
The level of this examination is typically that of undergraduate physics courses in these subjects at Old Dominion University. The second and third days are devoted to the advanced topics of classical mechanics, classical electrodynamics, and quantum mechanics. The advanced portion of the examination consists of a four-hour examination in each of these topics. The level of the advanced examination is typically that of core graduate physics courses at Old Dominion University. The written examination is graded by the faculty of the Department of Physics.