General Information

Graduate Studies

updated: 01.11.2020

See: The Regular Ph.D. Program in the School's Course Catalog.

See: The Direct Ph.D. Program in the School's Course Catalog.

Candidates are accepted for studies towards the Ph.D. degree in Physics in either the regular program or the direct program.

The regular Ph.D. program:

The candidate must have received a Master's Degree in physics from an accredited institution of higher education in Israel with a minimum weighted grade average of "good" (80) and a grade of at least 85 on his Master's thesis. Students with degrees obtained abroad must meet requirements that are comparable to these. (If necessary these students will be interviewd by the Ph.D. Committee.) Holders of Master's degrees awarded without thesis will be required, before final admission, to complete within twelve months a research project comparable in scope to a Master's thesis and pass an examination similar to that of a Master's exam with a minimum grade of 85.

In order to be admitted as a Ph.D. candidate, the student must provide a written confirmation by a faculty member, qualified to be a thesis adviser in the School of Physics and Astronomy, that he or she agrees to be an adviser, at least a temporary one, of that student. By the end of the third semester since his admission, the student must write a research proposal, approved by his advisor, and should submit it to the committee of Ph.D. studies.

The direct Ph.D. program:

Students are accepted into the direct program after the first year of M.Sc. studies. The candidate must have a B.Sc. degree with a weighted grade average of 85 or above, as well as an average grade of 85 or higher in Quantum Physics 1, in Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics 1, and in one course out of Quantum Physics 2, Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics 2, and Advanced Electromagnetism. The grade in each one of the 3 courses must be 80 or higher. During the second year of graduate studies the candidate must complete all the required courses for the M.Sc. degree and must find a thesis advisor. The Ph.D. research proposal must be submitted by the beginning of the fifth semester of graduate studies. At that time, the student has the option of submitting an M.Sc. thesis (effectively rejoining the Regular Program).

Course of studies:

Upon receiving the research proposal of a Ph.D. student, the committee of Ph.D. studies appoints a committee of examiners who reads it and examines the student orally. The committee takes into account the scientific value of the proposal and the technical feasibility of its implementation. If the proposal is accepted by the committee, it is passed on to the Ph.D. Committee of the School for its approval, whereupon the candidate is formally passing from level A to level B of his doctoral studentship. The Ph.D. student must complete at least 8 credit units of course work, including seminars, and must submit at least one progress report during the second year as a level B research student. The student must submit his doctoral dissertation within 2.5 years of having been accepted as a level B research student, and must present his research achievements at a regular departmental seminar. The thesis is reviewed by the adviser and by several referees before being approved by the Ph.D. committees of the School and of the University.