Programmes - BITS Pilani

Masters Programme

4 Year Integrated M. Sc. (Hons) in Physics

Admission to the M.Sc. programme is through the BITSAT entrance exam after 10+2.

The M.Sc. Physics programme, code B5, has strong foundations in Physics, Mathematics and Computing. The programme can normally be completed in four years. An additional year would be spent if the student takes a dual degree in another discipline.

Starting with a common set of foundational courses in the first year, the programme has a mandatory set of physics courses spread through four years. Students are also given an opportunity to explore their interests in Humanities through mandatory humanities electives.

Students are further encouraged to explore other disciplines (outside Physics) through open electives. Advanced courses in Physics or interdisciplinary areas are available through discipline electives.

Final year students have exposure to the real world through a semester-long thesis (TS) carrying out research or a semester in industry (PS) through the practice school programme.

1st year courses

Semester 1		Units
PHY F111	Mechanics, Oscillations and Waves	3
PHY F110	Physics Laboratory 1 (Mechanics, Oscillations and Waves)	1
MATH F111	Mathematics 1	3
CHEM F111	General Chemistry	3
CHEM F110	Chemistry Laboratory	1
BIO F111	General Biology	3
BIO F110	Biology Laboratory	1
BITS F110	Engineering Graphics	2

Semester 2		Units
BITS F111	Thermodynamics	3
MATH F112	Mathematics 2	3
MATH F113	Probability and Statistics	3
CS F111	Computer Programming	4
EEE F111	Electrical Sciences	3
ME F112	Workshop Practice	2
BITS F112	Technical Report Writing	2

2nd year courses

Semester 3		Units
PHY F211	Classical Mechanics	4
PHY F212	Electromagnetic Theory 1	3
PHY F213	Optics	3
PHY F214	Electromagnetism and Optics Laboratory	2
MATH F211	Mathematics 3	3
BITS F225	Environmental Studies	3
HUM	Humanities Electives of choice	3(min)

Semester 4		Units
PHY F241	Electromagnetic Theory 2	4
PHY F242	Quantum Mechanics 1	3
PHY F243	Methods of Mathematical Physics	3
PHY F244	Modern Physics Laboratory	2
ECON F211	Principles of Economics	3
OR
MGTS F211	Principles of Management	3
HUM	Humanities Electives of choice	3(min)

3rd year courses

Semester 5		Units
PHY F311	Quantum Mechanics 2	3
PHY F312	Statistical Mechanics	3
PHY F313	Computational Physics	3
PHY	Discipline Electives of choice	6(min)
***	Open or Humanities Electives of choice	3-6

Semester 6		Units
PHY F341	Solid State Physics	3
PHY F342	Atomic and Molecular Physics	3
PHY F343	Nuclear and Particle Physics	3
PHY F344	Advanced Physics Laboratory	3
PHY	Discipline Electives of choice	3 (min)
***	Open or Humanities Electives of choice	3-6

4th year courses

Semester 6		Units
PHY	Discipline Electives of choice	6(min)
***	Open Electives of choice	5 -11

Semester 7		Units
BITS F421	THESIS	16
	OR
BITS F412	Practice School 2	20
	OR
	Thesis (reduced)	9
	AND
	Electives of choice	6-9

Minor in Physics

Students in a first degree programme other than Physics can opt for a Minor in Physics by taking a package of Physics courses.

At most TWO of these courses may overlap with the compulsory courses of the major degree. The intent to join the minor programme must be declared at the end of the second year. However, some of the courses leading to the minor may be taken in the second year itself.

Core courses

PHY/ECE/INSTR/EEE F212	Electromagnetic Theory	3
PHY F242	Quantum Mechanics 1	3
PHY F312	Statistical Mechanics	3

Electives

At least two out of the following pool of electives, with minimum 6 total units.

BITS F316	Non-linear Dynamics and Chaos	3
BITS F386	Quantum Information and Computation	3
PHY F211	Classical Mechanics	4
PHY F213	Optics	3
PHY F214	Electromagnetism and Optics Laboratory	2
PHY F215	Astronomy and Astrophysics	3
PHY F241	Electromagnetic Theory 2	4
PHY F243	Methods of Mathematical Physics	3
PHY F244	Modern Physics Laboratory	2
PHY F311	Quantum Mechanics 2	3
PHY F313	Computational Physics	3
PHY F315	Theory of Relativity	3
PHY F341	Solid State Physics	3
PHY F342	Atomic and molecular Physics	3
PHY F343	Nuclear and Particle Physics	3
PHY F418	Lasers and Applications	3
PHY F426	Physics of Semiconductor Devices	4

PhD

Overview

The general details of the department PhD programme follow the institute policies, details given in the Academic Research Division website . We conduct an admission test usually comprising a written test and interview. Candidates who have cleared UGC-NET or have an MPhil /MTech degree may directly appear for the interview. Prospective candidates can align their interests with the research of faculty in the department. Selected candidates are either supported by a sponsored project or through DST/CSIR fellowships. The BITS also provides a limited number of fellowships to selected candidates. During the first year of PhD, scholars go through course-work, undertake teaching assignments and participate in department activities. Following this, scholars have to clear a qualifying examination before registering for their PhD thesis. The PhD candidate is assigned a supervisor and a Doctoral Advisory Committee (DAC), who guide them through the preparation of a research proposal that is presented to the Department. This is a result of literature survey and in-depth study of current status of research in their field and formulation of relevant research questions that they will work on during their PhD. Scholars encouraged to collaborate and have frequent discussions. They are expected to present department seminars and present their research progress to the DAC at the end of every semester. Research findings are communicated to the entire research community through papers published in well-regarded journals and through conference presentations. A set of coherent research outcomes form the PhD thesis which is evaluated by experts in the area. The PhD Thesis defence in the form of a seminar is presented to the Department and examined by an external examiner. Upon the recommendation of the examiners and the supervisor, the candidate is awarded a PhD degree.

Admission

An advertisement for PhD admission normally appears in April & November for admission into 1st semester & 2nd semester respectively. Working professionals (for instance, college teachers) may also seek admission as part-time PhD candidates. PhD admission test usually comprises a written test and interview. Candidates who have cleared UGC-NET or have an MPhil /MTech degree may directly appear for the interview. Admissions Portal Selected candidates are invited to interact with the department to choose an area of research and are assigned a supervisor and a Doctoral Advisory Committee (DAC) consisting of at least two faculty members. The supervisor and DAC select the course package for the first two semesters. PhD scholars are granted a tuition fee-waiver (decided by the current rules of the Institute) in exchange for teaching assistantship. A scholar is assigned teaching work taking up a maximum of 6 hours a week.

Coursework

During the first two semesters, the scholar goes through formal coursework decided by the supervisor and DAC based on the scholar's background and requirements. The course unit requirements are a minimum of 24 units, not exceeding 14 per semester. The scholar must obtain at least D grade in each course and have a minimum CGPA of 5.5 to be able to continue in the programme. List of Currently available G-level courses Laboratory skills are inculcated through the SKILL courses. In addition, the scholar may also be permitted to take specialised level 4 undergraduate courses as per need. If the requirements of a particular candidate are not met by named courses then they may be permitted to take one of the generic courses with appropriate content as decided by the DAC. After successfully qualifying and registering for the PhD Thesis, the scholar is required to take the Research Methodology course.

Qualifying Exam

A PhD candidate has to qualify in two thrust areas of their choice. In each area, the candidate must write at least two papers. As of now, the Theoretical Physics area is compulsory for all candidates in Physics, while they may choose their area of specialisation as the other thrust area.

Thrust Area	Papers
Theoretical Physics	Quantum Physics Electromagnetic Theory Thermal and Statistical Physics Classical mechanics
Astrophysics and Cosmology	Astronomy and Astrophysics General Relativity and Cosmology Quantum Field Theory Particle Physics
Nuclear and High Energy Physics	Nuclear Physics Advanced Quantum Physics Quantum Field Theory General Relativity and Cosmology Particle Physics
Condensed Matter/Semiconductor Physics	Solid state Physics Semiconductor Physics Soft Condensed Matter Physics Computational Methods in Condensed Matter Advanced Statistical Physics Non-equilibrium Statistical Physics
Optics and Spectroscopy	Methods of Spectroscopy and Microscopy Quantum Optics Non-linear Optics Laser Physics
Non-linear dynamics and Complex Systems	Non-linear Dynamics and Chaos Advanced Non-linear Dynamics Advanced Statistical Physics Classical Mechanics
Quantum Physics	Foundations of Quantum Theory Quantum Optics Quantum Information and Computing

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