To be admitted to the Ph.D. program a student must pass a written qualifying examination as well as a subsequent oral comprehensive examination. The qualifying examination must be taken during the student's first five semesters as a regular classified graduate student. A student is only allowed to attempt these examinations twice. In addition to the courses required for the MS degree the student is responsible for the material in PHYS 651 and 671. A scholarly dissertation must be written. A final oral Examination in defense of the dissertation completes the requirements for the Ph.D.. The Ph.D. degree is essentially a research degree. It demonstrates that the student has completed an original, significant piece of research and is at the forefront of one area of physics. The student can then enter the academic world in a teaching and research capacity or an industrial or government research laboratory as a scientist.