Graduate Student Handbook
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Northern Arizona University
(Approved February 11, 2008)
Introduction
Welcome to the graduate program in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at
Northern Arizona University. This handbook applies specifically to students
who have already been admitted into the program for a M.S. in Applied Physics.
For information on admission into the program, please see the Department webpage and the Graduate College webpage.
Getting Started
You should plan on arriving in Flagstaff the week before classes start. If
you are being paid by the Department, you are required to arrive the week
before in order to be available for orientation and training. The Graduate
College runs a very useful orientation session for all incoming graduate
students, typically the Tuesday before classes start.
After you arrive you should go to the Department office, where you will be assigned a faculty advisor. This advisor will help you choose courses for your first semester. If you choose the coursework or internship option, this faculty member will remain as your advisor until your degree is finished. If you choose the thesis option, your thesis advisor will take over as your faculty advisor after your thesis proposal has been approved.
The other faculty member you should meet is the Graduate Coordinator. This faculty member is the person to whom you will submit your progress reports. The office staff can tell you the name of the current Graduate Coordinator, and can set up an appointment for you.
General Expectations for Graduate Students
All graduate students are expected to attend all Departmental seminars and
colloquia. Each student is also responsible for meeting all deadlines with
respect to their degrees progress; see the section entitled Timelines and Progress Requirements below.
Note that the minimum full-time credit load for a student not on a graduate assistant (GA) appointment is 9 hours. Students on half-time assistantships (20 hours per week) are required to carry 9 (and no more than 12) credit hours. The typical course is 3 credit hours.
A Graduate Student Progress Report must be submitted at the end of every semester. See the form at the end of this handbook.
Options for the M.S. Degree
There are three options for obtaining the M.S. degree in Applied Physics: a
thesis option, an internship option, and a coursework option.
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Thesis Option
For this 36-unit plan, you complete:
Please be aware that you can only count 9 units of thesis credit toward your degree. However, you may end up taking more units because you must enroll for PHY 699 each term while you are working on your thesis. |
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Internship Option
For this 36-unit plan, you complete:
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Coursework Option
For this 36-unit plan, you complete:
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Your Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC)
For all three degree options, you will need to form a Graduate Advisory
Committee (GAC) of at least three faculty members. One of these members must
be your faculty advisor, and one can be from outside the Department. You are
responsible for forming this committee in consultation with your advisor.
Be sure to get an agreement from each member in writing or by email.
Timelines and Progress Requirements
You are required to submit a Graduate Student Progress Report at the end of
every semester. In addition to this general requirement, at the end of your
first semester you must declare which degree option you have chosen, using the
Progress Report as a statement of intent. If you choose the thesis option,
then the
Application for Thesis Option must be submitted no later than
the end of your second semester, and a Thesis Progress Report must be submitted every
following semester. If you choose the internship option, then the Application for Internship Option must be submitted no later than the end of your third semester.
Note that the Thesis Progress Report must be signed by your entire GAC, and
that you are expected to have the full committee meet to assess your progress
at least once every semester. You are responsible for arranging each
meeting of your GAC.
Note that you must submit an application for graduation early in the semester in which you expect to graduate. See the Graduate College website for "Important Dates for Graduate Students" for the current year.
Oral Exam or Thesis Defense
Each degree option requires an oral exam. The exam is designed to test the
student's knowledge of physics as well as the adequacy of the thesis. The
examination is administered by your GAC You are responsible for arranging
the date of the exam and for meeting all deadlines imposed by the Graduate
College with respect to graduation requirements. Generally speaking, the exam
needs to be scheduled at least four weeks before the end of the semester in
which you wish to graduate. Students doing the thesis option must be enrolled
in PHY 699 during the semester in which they submit the thesis.
For students doing the thesis option, a format check by the Graduate College is required prior to your final oral examination. This check will insure that your thesis meets the university's publishing standards. You must allow five working days for the format check. For specific information regarding university publishing requirements, please visit the Graduate College web site under information for current students.
Before the thesis is submitted to your GAC, it must have been reviewed by the Faculty Advisor, revised by the student, and approved again by the Faculty Advisor. The initial submissions of the thesis to the committee needs to be made well in advance of the Final Oral Examination (minimum of four weeks) in order to allow for further revisions based upon the committee members' recommendations. Committee members must provide timely feedback on the thesis within two weeks if their changes are to be incorporated into the final draft of the thesis. The thesis, as close as possible to being a final copy, including all figures, tables, and references must be distributed to all committee members at least seven working days before the date of the Final Oral Examination. Any committee member who believes the thesis needs more work may demand that the Final Oral Examination be rescheduled. If the entire committee concurs, then a new date for the oral will be set at that meeting. As noted above, a format check is also required prior to the Final Oral Examination, and requires at least five working days.
Please note that if the examination is failed, it may be repeated only once.
Applying for Graduation
For your name to appear in the commencement program, your completed application
must be received by the Graduate College by the dates listed on "Important
Dates for Graduate Students" on the
Graduate College web site.
If you miss the deadline for submitting your graduation application, you still
may participate in commencement ceremonies, but your name will not appear in
the commencement program.
Expectations and Responsibilities of Teaching Assistants
Each TA is expected to:
- Perform each laboratory exercise before the lab meets.
- Spend classroom time circulating throughout the room, helping students.
- Complete the FERPA training in order to be able to record grades in LOUIE.
- Submit both midterm and final grades in a timely manner.
In some classes the grades must be submitted to the lecture instructor;
in this case, the grades should be submitted in an Excel spreadsheet format. - Adhere to Departmental Policies for Introductory Laboratories.
Expectations and Responsibilities of Research Assistants
The specific expectations for each RA will be set by the research advisor.
However, the student must spend a minimum of 20 hours per week on his or her
assigned research, and is additionally expected to make real progress each
semester.
Evaluation and Renewal of Research and Teaching Assignments
Only students who perform their duties well and make good progress in their
program will be considered for continued support after their first year in
a program. The general policies of the Graduate College are provided in the
"Graduate Assistant Handbook" at the Graduate College website. In addition to these general requirements,
the Department will use the Graduate Student Progress Report, submitted every
semester, to gauge each student's performance and progress. For Teaching
Assistants, the Department will also make use of the TA's student evaluations.
Please note that the minimum cumulative GPA for graduation is 3.00 (=B)
for graduation. Students expecting financial support must maintain a GPA of
at least 3.0 each semester.