OVERVIEW
OBJECTIVES
OUTCOMES
STRUCTURE & REQUIREMENTS
STUDY PLAN
OVERVIEW
The PhD in Physics (PhD PHYS) builds on Khalifa University’s internationally leading research activity in science, engineering, and medicine. It supports the University’s alignment with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 plan through the provision of internationally excellent education and student experience in Physics, producing highly skilled science professionals capable of transferring state-of-the-art technologies to priority sectors of industry, business and government. The aim of the PhD in Physics program is to produce graduates who are able to conduct independent research in Physical sciences at the highest levels of originality and quality. The degree will be awarded to students who demonstrate a range of advanced knowledge and skills at the forefront of Physics and who complete an independent investigation of a novel specialist topic in order to present a thesis addressing a problem in cutting edge research. Candidates for the degree will be supervised by teams of experienced researchers.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the PhD in Physics program are to produce graduates who have the ability to:
- Synthesize and critically evaluate complex current knowledge in the Physical sciences in order to plan and implement new and creative approaches so as to generate new knowledge and solve research challenges with effective dissemination of the results to a variety of audiences;
- Work to the highest professional and ethical standards in an area of Physical sciences and develop their individual academic, professional and career skills; and
- Keep abreast of the latest developments in Physics that contribute to the advancement of knowledge for the benefit of society.
OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of the PhD in Physics, a graduate will be able to:
- Demonstrate and critically analyse comprehensive, deep and overarching knowledge that is at the frontier of recent developments in Physical sciences.
- Conduct and defend original independent research that creates significant new knowledge in Physical sciences of publishable quality that leads to scholarly articles or other intellectual outputs.
- Analyse and critically evaluate the uses and limitations of diverse methodologies and techniques for solving problems in Physical research, leading to informed and valid judgements.
- Select and deploy advanced experimental and related skills to investigate and solve complex problems in Physical research.
- Communicate effectively and professionally, in written and oral forms as appropriate, the major tenets of areas of Physics and their individual specializations to a variety of audiences.
- Demonstrate a commitment to safe, responsible and ethical behaviour in all research and professional activities.
- Reflect upon their role(s) in their research specialization and in the wider research community to ensure that they take responsibility for their own development and that of peer groups and networks.
STRUCTURE & REQUIREMENTS
The structure and requirements for the PhD in Engineering program for candidates with a Master’s degree and those with only a Bachelor’s degree are detailed below.
Candidates with a Master’s Degree
Overall Program Structure
The PhD in Physics consists of a minimum 60 credit hours, distributed as follows: 24 credit hours of coursework, 36 credit hours of PhD Dissertation, two zero credit PhD Seminar courses, as well as PhD Written Qualifying and PhD Research Proposal examinations. The components of the program are summarized in the table below.
| Program Component |
Credit Hours |
| Program Core (1 course) |
3 |
| Research Seminar I |
0 |
| Research Seminar II |
0 |
| PhD Written Qualifying Examination |
0 |
| PhD Research Proposal Examination |
0 |
| Program Electives |
21 |
| PhD Research Dissertation |
36 |
| Total |
60 |
Program Requirements
Students seeking the degree of PhD in Physics must successfully complete a minimum 60 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0. Course selection should be made in consultation with the student’s Main Advisor. All courses listed below have a credit rating of three credits each, except for PhD Research Seminar, Written Qualifying Exam, Research Proposal Exam, and the PhD Research Dissertation.
Program Core (3 credit hours)
Students must complete the core courses listed below.
Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Science |
3
|
|
Research Seminar I |
0
|
|
Research Seminar II |
0
|
|
PhD Written Qualifying Examination |
0
|
|
PhD Research Proposal Examination |
0
|
Program Electives (21 credit hours)
Students must complete a total of seven elective courses. Program electives are listed below.
Program Elective Courses
|
Advanced Computational Physics |
3
|
|
Advanced Quantum Mechanics |
3
|
|
Molecular Biophysics |
3
|
|
Advanced Electromagnetic Theory |
3
|
|
Nanophysics and Nanotechnology |
3
|
|
Quantum Field Theory |
3
|
|
Advanced Solid State Physics |
3
|
|
Theoretical Astroparticle Physics |
3
|
|
Experimental Techniques in Astroparticle Physics |
3
|
|
Planetary Astrophysics |
3
|
|
Quantum Transport and Optics |
3
|
|
Atomic and Molecular Physics for Space Scientists |
3
|
|
Electron Microscopy for Materials Characterization |
3
|
|
Contemporary Topics in Applied Physics |
3
|
|
Electromagnetism |
3
|
|
Advanced Statistical Methods |
3
|
|
Quantum Mechanics |
3
|
Subject to approval of the Main Advisor and the Program Coordinator, up to two electives (6 credits) may be taken from outside the student’s department and ONLY chosen from the list below, if these courses support the student’s dissertation topic.
Elective Courses from Other Departments
Chemistry
|
Recent Advances in Physical Chemistry |
3
|
|
Recent Developments in Nanochemistry |
3
|
Mathematics
|
Mathematical Imaging |
3
|
|
Mechanics of interacting particles |
3
|
|
Partial Differential Equations |
3
|
|
Probability and Stochastic Processes |
3
|
Chemical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
|
Physics and Manufacturability of Advanced Micro and Nano Devices |
3
|
|
The Physics of Solar Cells |
3
|
Mechanical Engineering
|
Materials Characterization Techniques |
3
|
|
Advanced Nanomaterials and Their Mechanical Applications |
3
|
|
Physics of Solid state Applications |
3
|
|
Physics of Solid-state Applications |
3
|
PhD Research Dissertation (36 credit hours)
Students must complete a Dissertation that involves creative, research-oriented work within the field of physics, under direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Physics Department, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal dissertation and defended successfully in a viva voce examination.
Dissertation
|
PhD Thesis Dissertation |
36
|
Candidates with only for Bachelor’s Degree
Overall Program Structure
The PhD in Physics consists of a minimum 72 credit hours, distributed as follows: 36 credit hours of coursework, 36 credit hours of PhD Dissertation, two zero credit PhD Seminar courses, as well as PhD Written Qualifying and PhD Research Proposal examinations. The components of the program are summarized in the table below.
| Category |
Credit Hours |
| Core Courses |
12 |
| Technical Electives |
Ìý24Ìý |
| SCIE Â 702 PhD Research Seminar I |
0 |
| SCIE 703 PhD Research Seminar II |
0 |
| SCIE 795 PhD Written Qualifying Exam |
0 |
| SCIE 796 PhD Research Proposal Exam |
0 |
| PhD Research Dissertation |
36 |
| Total |
72 |
All the courses that the students will take are at PhD level. The students will only be able to attempt SCIE PhD Written Qualifying Exam (WQE) after successfully completing a minimum of 27 credits of formal coursework.
Program Requirements
Students seeking the degree of PhD in Physics must successfully complete a minimum 72 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0. Course selection should be made in consultation with the student’s Main Advisor. All courses listed below have a credit rating of three credits each, except for PhD Research Seminar, Written Qualifying Exam, Research Proposal Exam, and the PhD Research Dissertation.
Program Core (12 credit hours)
Students must complete the core courses listed below.
Core Courses
|
Research Methods in Science |
3
|
|
Research Seminar I |
0
|
|
Research Seminar II |
0
|
|
PhD Written Qualifying Examination |
0
|
|
PhD Research Proposal Examination |
0
|
Program Electives (24 credit hours)
Students must complete a total of seven elective courses. Program electives are listed below.
|
Advanced Computational Physics |
3
|
|
Advanced Quantum Mechanics |
3
|
|
Molecular Biophysics |
3
|
|
Advanced Electromagnetic Theory |
3
|
|
Nanophysics and Nanotechnology |
3
|
|
Quantum Field Theory |
3
|
|
Advanced Solid State Physics |
3
|
|
Theoretical Astroparticle Physics |
3
|
|
Experimental Techniques in Astroparticle Physics |
3
|
|
Planetary Astrophysics |
3
|
|
Quantum Transport and Optics |
3
|
|
Atomic and Molecular Physics for Space Scientists |
3
|
|
Electron Microscopy for Materials Characterization |
3
|
|
Contemporary Topics in Applied Physics |
3
|
|
Electromagnetism |
3
|
|
Advanced Statistical Methods |
3
|
|
Quantum Mechanics |
3
|
Subject to approval of the Main Advisor and the Program Coordinator, up to two electives (6 credits) may be taken from outside the student’s department and ONLY chosen from the list below, if these courses support the student’s dissertation topic.
Elective Courses from Other Departments
Chemistry
|
Recent Advances in Physical Chemistry |
3
|
|
Recent Developments in Nanochemistry |
3
|
Mathematics
|
Mechanics of interacting particles |
3
|
|
Partial Differential Equations |
3
|
|
Probability and Stochastic Processes |
3
|
Chemical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
|
Physics and Manufacturability of Advanced Micro and Nano Devices |
3
|
|
The Physics of Solar Cells |
3
|
Mechanical Engineering
|
Materials Characterization Techniques |
3
|
|
Advanced Nanomaterials and Their Mechanical Applications |
3
|
PhD Research Dissertation (36 credit hours)
Students must complete a Dissertation that involves creative, research-oriented work within the field of Earth Sciences, under direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Earth Sciences Department, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal dissertation and defended successfully in a viva voce examination.
Dissertation
|
PhD Thesis Dissertation |
36
|
STUDY PLAN
Typical Study Plans for Students with MSc
A typical study plan for students enrolled in the PhD in Physics is shown below.
| Typical Study Plan for Full-Time Students |
|
Semester 1 |
Semester 2 |
| Year 1 |
- Program Core Course 1
- Elective Course 1
- Elective Course 2
- Elective Course 3
|
- Elective Course 4
- Elective Course 5
- Elective Course 6
- PhD Research Dissertation
|
| Year 2 |
- Elective Course 7
- PhD Written Qualifying Examination
- PhD Research Dissertation
|
- Research Seminar I
- PhD Research Proposal Examination
- PhD Research Dissertation
|
| Year 3 |
- PhD Research Dissertation
|
- Research Seminar II
- PhD Research Dissertation
|
| Year 4 |
- PhD Research Dissertation
|
- PhD Research Dissertation
|
Typical Study Plans for Students with BSc
A typical study plan for students enrolled in the PhD in Physics is shown below.
All courses in the study plan are 3 credit hours each. PhD Research Seminar I & II are zero credit each.
|
Typical Study Plan for Full-Time Students
|
|
|
Semester 1
|
Semester 2
|
|
Year 1
|
- Research Methods in Science
- Core Course 1
- Core Course 2
- Core Course 3
|
- Technical Elective 1
- Technical Elective 2
- Technical Elective 3
|
|
Year 2
|
- Technical Elective 4
- Technical Elective 5
- SCIE 799 PhD Research Dissertation
|
- SCIE 799 PhD Research Dissertation
- SCIE 795 PhD Written Qualifying Exam
|
|
Year 3
|
- Technical Elective 6
- SCIE 702 PhD Research Seminar I
- SCIE 799 PhD Research Dissertation
|
- Technical Elective 7
- SCIE 799 PhD Research Dissertation
- SCIE 796 PhD Research Proposal Exam
|
|
Year 4
|
- Technical Elective 8
- SCIE 799 PhD Research Dissertation
|
- SCIE 703 PhD Research Seminar II
- SCIE 799 PhD Research Dissertation
|
|
Year 5
|
- SCIE 799 PhD Research Dissertation
|
- SCIE 799 PhD Research Dissertation
- Final Doctoral Dissertation Exam
|
