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.
Guide for Graduate Students
Online Oral Candidacy & Defense Exam Information
Forms and Documents
- Grad Student - Advisor Research Agreement
- Graduate Student Travel Expense Directions
- Student Business Travel Certification Form
-
Annual Mentoring Committee Meeting Form And Guidelines
- See Research Mentoring Meeting Directions before scheduling your 30-minute meeting!
- Click here to submit your completed Mentoring Committee Form
Need Writing Help?
The Physics and Astronomy Research Writing Consultant is available this semester starting September 7th! 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.
For the 2022-2023 academic year, the physics and Astronomy research writing consultant is Shannon Dulz (sdulz@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 2023 summer course consists of three, three-week segments:
- PHYS 67001 Review of Physics A: Mechanics & Thermodynamics - May 29 to June 16
- PHYS 67002 Review of Physics B: Electromagnetism - July 10 to July 28
- PHYS 67003 Review of Physics C: Quantum Mechanics June 19 to July 07
See Sec. 1.10 of the Grad Guide for details.
Preliminary Examination Information
2023 Spring Preliminary Examination Dates
- Part A: Mechanics & Thermodynamics - Thursday, May 18
- Part B: Electromagnetism - Monday, May 22
- Part C: Quantum Mechanics - Monday, May 15
Preliminary Exams are held in 184 Nieuwland Science from 10:00 am to 1:00 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): Exam and Solution Archives
Problem bank for each exam can be found here: Part A, Part B, Part C.
For Teaching Assistants (TAs)
Spring 2023
Spring 2023 TA Assignments by Course
Spring 2023 TA Assignments by TA
TA Resources
University Resources
- Graduate School - for current students
- Graduate Student Union
- Graduate Career Services
- English for Academic Purposes
- insideND
- Office of Residence Life and Housing
- Academic Year Calendar from Office of the Registrar