PhD in Physics

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.

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.

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.

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)

Program Electives (21 credit hours)

PhD Research Dissertation (36 credit hours)

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	24
SCIE 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)

Program Electives (24 credit hours)

PhD Research Dissertation (36 credit hours)

Typical Study Plans for Students with MSc

Typical Study Plans for Students with BSc

PHYS 701	Advanced Computational Physics	3
PHYS 702	Advanced Quantum Mechanics	3
PHYS 703	Molecular Biophysics	3
PHYS 704	Advanced Electromagnetic Theory	3
PHYS 705	Nanophysics and Nanotechnology	3
PHYS 706	Quantum Field Theory	3
PHYS 707	Advanced Solid State Physics	3
PHYS 708	Theoretical Astroparticle Physics	3
PHYS 709	Experimental Techniques in Astroparticle Physics	3
PHYS 710	Planetary Astrophysics	3
PHYS 711	Quantum Transport and Optics	3
PHYS 712	Atomic and Molecular Physics for Space Scientists	3
PHYS 713	Electron Microscopy for Materials Characterization	3
PHYS 714	Contemporary Topics in Applied Physics	3
PHYS 715	Electromagnetism	3
PHYS 716	Advanced Statistical Methods	3
PHYS 717	Quantum Mechanics	3

CHEM 713	Recent Advances in Physical Chemistry	3
CHEM 715	Recent Developments in Nanochemistry	3

MATH 718	Mathematical Imaging	3
MATH 705	Mechanics of interacting particles	3
MATH 708	Partial Differential Equations	3
MATH 709	Probability and Stochastic Processes	3

ECCE 778	Physics and Manufacturability of Advanced Micro and Nano Devices	3
ECCE 781	The Physics of Solar Cells	3

MEEN 782	Materials Characterization Techniques	3
MEEN 792	Advanced Nanomaterials and Their Mechanical Applications	3
MSEN 612	Physics of Solid state Applications	3
MSEN 713	Physics of Solid-state Applications	3

Core Courses

Program Elective Courses

Elective Courses from Other Departments

Dissertation

Core Courses

Elective Courses from Other Departments

Dissertation

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