Preliminary Exam Preparation
Traditionally, the physics department offers a course that incoming domestic graduate students may take during the summer to help prepare them for the preliminary exam. This eight-week course is optional, and students who take it receive a stipend while the course is in session. The course covers all the material relevant to the preliminary exam, including mechanics, fluids, thermodynamics, special relativity, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics. Beyond providing a useful review of physics, most students enjoy the opportunity to meet their future classmates and form connections before the start of the first semester.
More information about the summer preliminary exam prep course can be found here.
