Physics (PhD) - Planetary Sciences

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The Planetary Sciences Track of the Physics PhD program at UCF provides a comprehensive education in planetary processes, data analysis, and advanced astronomy. Students complete required courses in planetary geophysics, atmospheres, and observational astronomy, along with electives tailored to their research interests. The program fosters a vibrant research environment through a supportive supervisory committee and the opportunity to defend a dissertation in front of experts in the field.

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Degree Overview:

The goal of the Planetary Sciences Track of the Physics PhD program is to foster a vibrant Planetary Science research environment that can attract top students, researchers, and faculty and contribute significantly to the exploration of space. The Planetary Sciences track is designed to prepare students to be competitive in the global planetary sciences research community.

Outline:

• Total Credit Hours Required: 72 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree.
42 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree.
• Course Breakdown:
• Required Courses (18 credit hours):
• AST5151 - Physics of Planetary Processes (3)
• PHY6246 - Classical Mechanics (3)
• AST5765C - Advanced Astronomical Data Analysis (3)
• AST5263 - Advanced Observational Astronomy (3)
• AST5154 - Advanced Planetary Geophysics (3)
• AST6165 - Planetary Atmospheres (3)
• Elective Courses (15 credit hours):
• Students may enroll in elective formal courses relevant to their program, as approved by their Supervisory Committees.
• Suggestions include:
• AST 5145 - Advanced Asteroids, Comets, and Meteorites 3 Credit Hours
• AST 5334 - Extrasolar Planets and Brown Dwarfs 3 Credit Hours
• AST 5038 - Astrobiology 3 Credit Hours
• AST 6112 - Origin and Evolution of Planetary Systems 3 Credit Hours
• AST 6156 - Current Topics in Planetary Sciences 3 Credit Hours
• Other Electives (24 credit hours):
• A range of graduate physics, chemistry, optical sciences, and mathematics courses useful for the student’s area of research can be taken as electives.
• Dissertation (15 credit hours):
• AST or PHY 7980 - Dissertation
• Supervisory Committee:
• Within the first half-semester of admission to the Planetary Sciences Track, each student must select, by mutual agreement, a faculty adviser and at least two other faculty members to serve on the Supervisory Committee.
• UCF graduate faculty and UCF self-funded research scientists who are Graduate Faculty Scholars are eligible to serve on Supervisory Committees.
• Creation of and changes in the membership of a Supervisory Committee must be approved by the Planetary Sciences Graduate Committee.
• The adviser is expected to meet regularly with the student.
• The full committee shall meet with the student at least once per year to review and make recommendations regarding the student's academic progress.
• Candidacy Examination:
• The Planetary Sciences Track requires a Candidacy Exam to be taken after the completion of the core courses.
• This examination is composed of written and oral components.
• The written component is a journal-level research paper.
• The oral component has two parts:
• A public presentation of the research contained in the paper, including the traditional question-and-answer period of a scientific presentation; and
• Private questioning on the detail of the presented research as well as the topics covered in the student's preparation, coursework and dissertation direction.
• The Supervisory Committee administers the Candidacy Examination.
• Dissertation Advisory Committee:
• After passing the Candidacy Examination, a non-UCF member shall be added to the Supervisory Committee by mutual agreement of the student and Supervisory Committee.
• This becomes the Dissertation Advisory Committee.
• The committee continues to meet with the student annually.
• Dissertation Proposal:
• The dissertation proposal may be presented immediately after the Candidacy Examination or in a separate meeting not more than one semester thereafter.
• Before substantial work is done on the dissertation, the Dissertation Advisory Committee must approve the proposal and must also assess whether additional coursework is necessary to begin the dissertation.
• Such coursework should be completed at the earliest opportunity.
• Admission to Candidacy:
• The following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours:
• Completion of all required and formal elective course work, except for research hours.
• Successful completion of the Candidacy Examination.
• The Dissertation Advisory Committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars.
• Submittal of an approved program of study.
• Completion of CITI and RCR Workshops.
• Dissertation Defense:
• The dissertation defense is the final requirement for the PhD.
• It consists of a public presentation of the dissertation, typically lasting 45-60 minutes including the traditional question-and-answer period of a scientific presentation, followed by private questioning by the Dissertation Advisory Committee.
• Independent Learning:
• A dissertation is required.

Other:

• Track Prerequisites: Students entering the Planetary Sciences graduate track program with regular status are normally expected to have completed coursework generally required for a bachelor's degree in a closely related science field such as physics, astronomy, geology, geophysics, atmospheric sciences, chemistry, biology, mathematics, or planetary sciences.
• Financial Information: Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans.
• Fellowship Information: Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students.
They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation.
• All courses must be selected in consultation with and with the approval of the Supervisory Committee (before candidacy) or Dissertation Advisory Committee (after candidacy).