Classes
Those interested in attending Clemson University should expect the first 2 years of the program to consist of 2-3 classes per semester, and sometimes even 1 class (depending on results of the placement exam, as well as the student’s decision on when to take their elective courses). The majority of the course load for graduate students is made up of the “core courses” of physics, which are Math Methods, Statistical Mechanics, Classical Mechanics, Electrodynamics, and Quantum Mechanics (I & II). Graduate students must also complete 4 elective courses of their choosing before graduating (quite likely these will be within the first 2 years, but can be taken at any available time before graduation). Information on all of these courses and their respective schedules can be found here.
Placement Exam
When incoming first year graduate students arrive at Clemson, they will go through an orientation the two weeks prior to classes starting. During this orientation, new graduate students will be exposed to a handful of things such as: the various labs that are taught in the department, various pedagogy techniques to be used in the teaching of labs, various group and community activities, and finally a placement exam followed by a meeting with the Graduate Program Coordinator. Do not fear! You will receive information about the placement exam in regards to how to prepare yourself a few months before you arrive at Clemson. The placement exam is used only for finding the right starting place for each student with the core classes. This written exam covers 4 topics: classical mechanics, statistical mechanics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics. For example, if a student does not do well on the quantum section of the placement exam, but good or great on the other sections, then the Graduate Program Coordinator will have you start in the master level quantum courses and the PhD level courses for the other sections where the student will get to the PhD quantum classes later. This is designed to bolster the students’ skills in areas that they are weaker, and move along in areas that they are stronger in to not waste precious time that could be focused on research. For more information, please see the Graduate Student Handbook. (make that downloadable – in supporting docs folder)
Teaching
All new students will be required to teach as teaching assistants for the associated sections and labs pertaining to undergraduate lecture courses. The general teaching schedule is 3 sections per week, with each section being ~2 hours. The class sections which new graduate students can teach are algebra based physics, astronomy, and calculus based physics. The physics labs are designed for science majors, while the astronomy lab is designed for non-science majors, this occurs because the astronomy section is a general education requirement for these students rather than a requirement for their major. Teaching any of these labs includes attending a weekly meeting with fellow TA’s and the class lecturer to review the lesson that will be taught in labs that week, reviewing lab material and having a full understanding of what to teach that week, testing any software or website that students will need to use in lab BEFORE teaching the lab to make sure you can assist, and posting any material that you need to post before the class week begins. The physics labs usually require setup of the lab and a run through of the experiment yourself each week prior as a part of the weekly TA meeting.
If a graduate student has a particular reason why they should be a grader instead of a section teacher, a position which requires grading of large amounts of material from lectures, then please talk to Dr. Thompson prior to receiving teaching assignments. In fact, if you have a particular preference for teaching at all, you can share this with Dr. Thompson after you accept your offer to Clemson University, and he can do his best to accommodate your preference.
All new graduate students will receive training for the teaching of the labs, as well as general grading practice, as a part of orientation training.
Research
Students are expected to join Clemson University with a fair understanding of their research interests from past experiences, but are certainly encouraged to explore their interests in the array of research opportunities within the Clemson University Physics and Astronomy Department. The Introduction to Research course is mandatory for all new students to take in their first semester of attending, and is meant to make students aware of the many opportunities they have while allowing them to interact with professors that could be their future research advisors.
As students complete classes, and especially after they have completed their course load, most of their time will be dedicated to research. A student’s research schedule is flexible in that they and their advisor will be able to determine how much time can and should be spent on research each week by the student, depending on course load and teaching obligations. If and when an advisor is able to support their student with a research assistantship, then an advisor can expect a fair amount more of time to be put into the student’s research project(s). As each and every advisor-student relationship is unique, and every research project is unique, do your best to communicate expectations early on with your advisor. Having a weekly meeting is an excellent way to maintain accountability and communication between you and your advisor.
Graduate students are to officially pick a research advisor by the end of their second year. Although, most students decide who they want to work with during their first year, and usually begin research or at least try different research projects starting their first year.
Summer Support
Depending on the amount of funding your chosen advisor can offer you throughout your graduate student career, the amount of financial summer support offered is highly variable. The stipend earned by our graduate students is on a 9-month basis, so year-round financial support is not guaranteed. If your advisor is able to offer you pay during the summer, the amount can vary depending on how much funding they have available, how much you are able to work during this time, etc., and you should certainly discuss the details of this topic with them in advance. However, when an advisor is not able to offer summer support, there are a number of summer teaching assistant or grading positions that graduate students can find support from, so please inquire with Dr. Thompson a few months in advance of summer if this is the case so you can be assigned a position. There is a realistic possibility that students will not receive summer support, although this is not often the case, so please be up front about communicating your needs to the department so they can help you find support.