A candidacy seminar is required of all students pursuing the Ph.D. degree.

As soon as possible after passing the qualifying examination, you should select a dissertation adviser and identify an area of dissertation research. A candidacy committee must be chosen, consisting of the adviser and at least three other faculty members. This normally includes at least one faculty member who will subsequently serve on the advisory committee for the dissertation.

At any time after the first qualifier attempt, and before the start of the sixth semester, you must present a seminar outlining the proposed subject of the future dissertation to the candidacy committee. If you have not completed this requirement by the beginning of the sixth semester, you will be placed on academic probation. You are required to form your research committee prior to giving the proposal seminar, and members of that committee must attend the seminar and certify that they are satisfied with the proposal. You are responsible for scheduling the seminar, which is to be open to other faculty, staff, and students at the university.

You do not receive a grade for the candidacy seminar. Instead, the committee will provide you with oral comments about your performance and will sign a seminar form, to be placed in your file. Seminar forms are available in the Physics Academic Administration Office. If a student is unsuccessful in the first attempt at the qualifying exam, they are strongly urged to present the candidacy seminar in their second year, bolstering evidence in their favor toward becoming a Ph.D. candidate.

Before a student is formally admitted to candidacy by the Graduate School, certain requirements must be met. The student must have completed the minor requirement and have passed the qualifying exam. The Graduate School requires at least an eight-month interval between the formal nomination to candidacy and the date of the completion of work for the doctorate. As a student, it is your responsibility to see that you are admitted to candidacy at the proper time. Check with the Physics Academic Administration Office for further information.