Physics Blog Number 9 - August 15, 2013

Minimum Physics Knowledge for Graduate School

Leonard Susskind has recently published a book titled "The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics." It's not geared toward prospective physicists, but to the interested layperson, who may or may not have the mathematical background to pursue physics research, nor possibly even understand the book.

Someone who IS ready to "do physics" is someone about to graduate with a bachelor's degree in physics and is planning on going to graduate school.  This is where the real "doing physics" will commence. Many of my students wonder whether they are ready for grad school, and so I've put together a list of standard topics and undergraduate textbooks that they should be familiar with before heading off to grad school.  I've been helped by several grad schools.

1. Carnegie Mellon's graduate admissions page says:

The following coursework is considered to be part of a regular undergraduate preparation. Textbooks are given in brackets to indicate the general level expected from a successful undergraduate education:

• Intermediate Mechanics (Thornton and Marion)
• Electricity and Magnetism (Griffiths)
• Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics (Callen, Guenalt)
• Atomic Physics (Eisberg and Resnick)
• Elementary Quantum Mechanics (Griffiths)
• Modern Physics Laboratory
• Electronics
• Advanced Calculus

2. Purdue's graduate admissions page says:

A good preparation in physics for entering students includes a sound knowledge of general physics, intermediate level mechanics, electricity and magnetism, optics, statistical and thermal physics, introductory atomic and nuclear physics including some principles of quantum mechanics. A corresponding mathematical background would include vector analysis, advanced calculus, ordinary differential equations, boundary value problems, and some knowledge of introductory complex analysis. Graduate credit courses are offered at two levels in quantum mechanics and a classical physics review course that surveys problem solving in intermediate mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and some thermal physics is offered. In addition, two courses in mathematical methods of physics are offered. First-year students can be placed in courses that will supplement their undergraduate programs and correct deficiencies. Strong undergraduate preparation would be provided by adequate study of textbooks at the level of:

• Fowles, Analytical Mechanics or Thornton and Marion, Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems, in classical mechanics;
  
• Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics or Reitz, Milford and Christy, Foundations of Electromagnetic Theory, or Marion, Classical Electromagnetic Radiation, in electricity and magnetism;
  
• Gasiorowicz, Quantum Physics or French and Taylor, An Introduction to Quantum Physics, or Eisberg and Resnick, Quantum Physics of atoms, molecules, solids, nuclei, and particles, in quantum mechanics;
  
• Kittel and Kroemer, Thermal Physics or Reif, Statistical and Thermal Physics, in thermal and statistical physics;
  and finally for
• general modern physics, Weidner and Sells, Krane, Sandin, Serway, or Tipler.
  

If you know all of this material, you will be far ahead of many graduate students, so the goal is not to memorize it all, but to be familiar with the problems and be able to solve some of the most important, basic, problems.