Program Overview

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Physics (PhD) - Planetary Sciences

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.

Program at a Glance

• Total Credit Hours Required: 72 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree. 42 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree.
• This includes completion of 6 required courses (18 credit hours), 5 elective courses (15 credit hours) of regular course work, and a minimum of 15 credit hours of dissertation.

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.

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

18 Total Credits

• Complete all of the following:
  • The core is designed to give students a broad foundation in the planetary sciences and a rapid training in the data analysis techniques that will be necessary for a successful research and publications.
  • Complete the following:
    • 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 Total Credits

• Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: 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 Total Credits

• Earn at least 24 credits from the following types of courses: A range of graduate physics, chemistry, optical sciences, and mathematics courses useful for the student's area of research can be taken as electives. Electives should be chosen with the advice and consent of the student's advisor and Supervisory Committee.

Dissertation

15 Total Credits

• Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: AST or PHY 7980 - Dissertation

Supervisory Committee

0 Total Credits

• 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.

Candidacy Examination

0 Total Credits

• 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: (1) A public presentation of the research contained in the paper, including the traditional question-and-answer period of a scientific presentation; and (2) private questioning on the detail of the presented research as well as the topics covered in the student's preparation, coursework and dissertation direction.

Dissertation Advisory Committee

0 Total Credits

• 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.

Dissertation Proposal

0 Total Credits

• 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.

Admission to Candidacy

0 Total Credits

• After passing the Candidacy Exam, completing all required workshops, completing all required pre-candidacy coursework (including the minimum number of elective credits), and assembling an acceptable Dissertation Committee, the student is declared a PhD Candidate.

Dissertation Defense

0 Total Credits

• The dissertation defense is the final requirement for the PhD. It consists of a public presentation of the dissertation, typically lasting 60 minutes including the traditional question-and-answer period of a scientific presentation, followed by private questioning by the Dissertation Advisory Committee.

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.