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Current Graduate Students

Current ND Physics and Astronomy graduate students can find a number of resources on this page, from important information regarding examinations and teaching assistantships and links to university-wide resources. There are also links to various PDF files such as the Guide for Graduate Students and the Academic Code.

If you have a question and can't find what you need on this page, email the physics and astronomy graduate program coordinator, Lori Fuson, LoriFuson@nd.edu.

Mentoring Committee Meetings

Physics and Astronomy Research Writing Consultant

The Physics and Astronomy Research Writing Consultant is available this semester starting January 22. If you want writing feedback on a research paper, candidacy proposal/thesis, conference abstract, fellowship/grant proposals, etc., you can make an appointment with the department's private writing tutor through the Notre Dame Writing Center (https://nd.mywconline.com).

On the login page, select the "Physics Research Writing Consultant" to reach our private calendar. Appointments can be either half an hour or an hour long and can be done either in-person or over Zoom.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy research writing consultant is Chloe Jones (cjones38@nd.edu). You can reach out to her by email with any questions.

Materials Science and Engineering Doctoral Degree Program

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is one of seven departments and programs at Notre Dame that offers the interdisciplinary Materials Science and Engineering doctoral degree. Incoming students who are interested in the program should follow the department’s admissions process, with details available at graduateschool.nd.edu. To successfully complete the Materials Science and Engineering degree, students will be required to complete their home department requirements, nine hours of materials science courses, and a materials science-focused doctoral thesis. Students who successfully complete this programming will earn a “Physics: Materials Science and Engineering" degree.

Discuss your interest in the Materials Science and Engineering doctoral program with our Department DGS or DGA. For more information, please visit https://mse.nd.edu/.

Summer Course Information

The 2026 summer course consists of three, three-week segments:

  • PHYS 67001 Review of Physics A:  Mechanics & Thermodynamics - June 01 to June 19
  • PHYS 67002 Review of Physics B:  Electromagnetism  - June 22 to July 10
  • PHYS 67003 Review of Physics C: Quantum Mechanics July 13 to July 31

See Sec. 1.10 of the Grad Guide for details.

Preliminary Examination Information

2026 Spring Preliminary Examination Dates

  • Part A: Mechanics & Thermodynamics - Wednesday, May 13
  • Part B: Electromagnetism - Friday, May 15

Preliminary Exams A and B will be held in 184 Nieuwland Science from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm EDT.

See Section 4.4 of the Grad Guide for exam day guidelines.

Archive of past ND Physics Preliminary Examinations and solutions (for current graduate students and faculty, ND email required):   Exam and Solution Archives

Problem bank for each exam can be found here: Part A, Part B, Part C.

Equation sheets for each exam can be found here: Part A, Part B, Part C.

For Teaching Assistants (TAs)

Spring 2026

Click here to access the assignments in Google Drive.

TA Resources

University Resources

External Links