Registration exams
Registration exams are administered separately by the chemistry and physics departments to all entering graduate students prior to registration. They are used to assess each student’s background and to search out deficiencies in the student’s background in molecular physics or physical chemistry so that more effective course advisement can be given. Chemical physics students gaining admission to the program through the chemistry department are required to take the registration exam in physical chemistry, as well as exams in mechanics (covering basic Newtonian mechanics at the level of a first-semester course in physics) and mathematics (covering calculus, differential equations, and some complex analysis). The registration exams also serve the role of the Qualifying Examinations required by the Graduate School for the Ph.D. program (Please refer to the for a full listing of courses and program information).