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Graduate Study

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth offers Ph.D. degrees in Physics and in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

The Department is dedicated to providing graduate students with both a broad background in physics and in-depth training in their field of specialization. As the smallest of the Ivy League institutions, Dartmouth maintains a tradition of close student-faculty interaction, a tradition which is also followed in the Physics and Astronomy graduate program. The department has seventeen full time faculty members and twelve research and adjunct professors. In addition, there are typically ten postdoctoral research associates and visiting faculty in the department at any one time.

Left: Graduate students Israel Owens and Heather Andrews discuss a calculation.

The graduate program in Physics and Astronomy admits eight to ten new Ph.D. students per year, with a total enrollment of approximately 40 students. The program places a strong emphasis on individually guided research and study, and close interaction among all members of the department is maintained through a variety of formal and informal settings.

Right: Graduate students break for tea in the afternoon.

The weekly Colloquium brings distinguished researchers to the campus to speak on a broad array of topics in physics and astronomy. In addition, there are regular seminar series in the specialized disciplines, lunch-time talks designed to allow graduate students to present their work in a relaxed atmosphere, and a twice weekly department tea.


Left: Colloquia represent a vital part of the departmental life, with distinguished researchers reporting on frontier research to a broad audience. Here Prof. David Montgomery discusses recent progress in plasma physics.

Admission Requirements

It is expected that all incoming students will have a solid foundation in physics at the B.A. or B.S. level. Exceptions may be made for individual students with the understanding that they remedy any deficiency within the first year. Admission to the program is based of the applicant's academic record, letters of recommendation, GRE scores (general and advanced exams are required), and statement of goals. The minimum acceptable GRE score is 1200, combined verbal plus quantitative sections. Foreign students must also demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English. You may test with either ETS or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Minimum acceptable scores: ILELTS Band score of 7.0; TWE score of 4.5, and a TOEFL score of 600 [paper-based], 250 [computer-based], or 100 [internet-based]. Official test scores must be submitted by the testing agency.

How to Apply

Financial Aid, Housing, and Health Insurance

Financial support is provided through twelve-month teaching and research assistantships which include a full tuition scholarship. Support is normally for a period of five years, by which time students are expected to have completed or nearly completed their course of study. Qualified students will be encouraged to apply to government and private foundations for prestigious fellowships. The department and the Dean of Graduate Studies will aid in this endeavor.

The College assists graduate students in arranging for appropriate housing, either in College facilities such as the North Park Graduate Housing complex, or in private accommodations in the Hanover area. Married and single students may apply for apartments in Sachem Village, a College student housing complex located two miles south of the campus.

All students are eligible for the Dartmouth Student Group Health Insurance Plan, and for year-round comprehensive ambulatory and infirmary services at the College infirmary.

Degree Requirements

See the Graduate Student Handbook for further details.

Entering Ph.D. students are expected to enroll in Physics 256 (Instruction in Teaching for Graduate Students) fall and winter term, which is taken in addition to three regular course credits.

A student will be admitted as a Ph.D. candidate upon:

1. (a) Physics students: Receiving credit for seven out of the following eight core courses: Physics 76, 91, 100, 101, 103-106.
   
   (b) Astronomy students may receive credit for four of the eight core courses Physics 76, 91, 100, 101, 103-106, and any four of Astronomy 115-118 and Physics 114.
2. Passing the departmental Qualifying Examination.

   Sample qualifying exam - 2006
   Sample qualifying exam - 2007
   

3. Presenting a thesis proposal [Ph.D. Thesis Proposal Application] and successfully defending it before an appointed Ph.D. committee for certification.
4. Passing a departmental review of the student's course record and preliminary research progress.
5. Receiving credit for at least two terms of Supervised Undergraduate Teaching (Physics 257) and Physics 256.

Students must achieve thesis proposal certification by the end of the fall term of their fourth year, in order to remain in good standing. Students who successfully complete these requirements will be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy by the department.

Students are required to meet with their committee at least once per year between the time of their thesis proposal and their defense. The yearly progress report meeting can take whatever form the advisor deems appropriate (short presentation, informal discussion), but requires that the student, the advisor and the in-house members of the committee all be in attendance. It is the responsibility of the student to arrange each meeting and deliver a completed confirmation sheet within one week of the meeting. Confirmation sheets will be available from the department office and here on this website.

The candidate will receive the Ph.D. degree upon:

1. Receiving degree credit for at least twelve graduate courses, exclusive of teaching courses. Only two of the twelve courses may be Graduate Research, both of which must be completed no later than the second summer term in residence.
2. Receiving credit for at least two terms of Supervised Undergraduate Teaching (Physics 257).
3. Completing a dissertation of substantial significance and publishable quality.
4. Successfully defending the dissertation before the Ph.D. Thesis Committee in a public forum.

It is expected that most students will receive the Ph.D. degree by the end of the fifth year of graduate study.