Academic Regulations for Graduate Students in the Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 (Purpose)

These regulations are established to regulate the internal rules for the Physics Graduate School in accordance with the graduate school regulations and the regulations for degree conferral of Ewha Womans University.

Article 2 (Programs)

The Physics Graduate School offers master's, integrated, and doctoral programs.

Chapter 2 Entrance Examination

Article 3 (Departmental Admission)

The departmental admission consists of an oral exam and an interview.

Article 4 (Evaluation)

① The evaluation for the master's and integrated programs consists of assessing knowledge and skills for physics majors and research plans.

② The evaluation for the doctoral program consists of assessing knowledge and skills for physics majors, research plans, and recommendation letters.

Chapter 3: Academic Credits

Article 5 (Course Guidance and Credits)

① Master's degree students must take a total of six courses (Classical Electrodynamics I, II, Quantum Mechanics I, II, Classical Mechanics, and Statistical Physics) and complete a total of 24 credits of courses under the guidance of their academic advisors.

② Integrated program students who register for at least four semesters and acquire all 24 credits required for completion of the master's degree program and at least eight semesters and acquire all 60 credits required for completion of the doctoral degree program will be recognized as having completed their respective degree programs.

③ Doctoral degree students must take a total of 36 credits of courses under the guidance of their academic advisors. 

Article 6 (Supplementary Courses)

All students who enter the Department of Physics at the graduate level must take additional courses recommended by their academic advisors and the deparment chair, without including them in the credits required for completion.

Article 7 (Comprehensive Examination)

① Students in each degree program must pass a comprehensive examination before submitting their thesis. The comprehensive examination consists of a written test, and students who have registered for at least three semesters in the master's program (at least two semesters in the integrated master's/doctoral program) or at least three semesters in the doctoral program and have acquired or will acquire the necessary credits for completion, including supplementary credits (for those applicable), are eligible to take the comprehensive examination.

② Students who are required to take supplementary courses can take the comprehensive examination only after completing all of the supplementary courses.

③ The comprehensive examination for the master's degree program consists of two subjects, Quantum Mechanics and Classical Electrodynamics, and passing grades are awarded to those who score 70% or higher on each subject. The test time for each subject is 90 minutes.

④ The comprehensive examination for the doctoral degree program consists of three subjects, Thesis Proposal Presentation, Quantum Mechanics, and Classical Electrodynamics, and passing grades are awarded to those who pass each subject. The test time for each subject is 40 minutes, and the Thesis Proposal Presentation is evaluated by the thesis examination committee. Quantum Mechanics and Classical Electrodynamics are tested orally by the academic advisor with the same problem set for the master's degree program. The academic advisor must record the evaluation results on the provided evaluation form and notify the department. 

⑤ The selection and supervision of questions for the comprehensive examination are delegated to the department chair.

⑥ The results of the written comprehensive examination for each program must be approved by the department chair and submitted to the graduate school.

Chapter 4 Thesis Supervision

Article 8 (Selection of Thesis Supervisor)

The thesis supervisor should be selected within 10 days of the notification of admission to the graduate school.

Article 9 (Qualification Standards for Thesis Supervisors)

The thesis supervisor for master's and doctoral students must be a full-time professor at the university who holds a doctoral degree.

Chapter 5 Qualifications for Thesis Submission

Article 11 (Qualifications for Thesis Submission)

In order for a student in each degree program to submit a thesis, they must acquire the necessary credits (24 for master's, 60 for doctoral), pass the comprehensive exam, and for doctoral students, satisfy the conditions of Article 12. Only those who have passed the English test (foreign students can choose between English or Korean) can be evaluated, and they must pass a recognized language proficiency test (TOEIC score of 585, TOEFL PBT score of 500 or equivalent, TEPS score of 468 or higher, or TOPIK for foreign students) or pass a language education program offered by the language institute.

Article 12 (Qualifications for Doctoral Thesis Submission according to Department Regulations)

① At least one article must be published in a journal listed in the Science Citation Index. The student must be the first author of the published article and must receive the official acceptance letter prior to the final thesis defense. 

② The same content as the degree thesis must be presented at the departmental colloquium.

Chapter 6: Thesis Evaluation

Article 13 (Thesis Committee)

① The master’s degree thesis committee should consist of three full-time professors, including the advisor, in the department appointed by the department chair. However, if necessary, one person with a doctoral degree from other departments of Ewha Womans University, other universities/institutes may be selected as a thesis committee member.

② The doctroal degree thesiscommittee should consist of a total of five members, including the advisor, from within and outside Ewha Womans University. The committee members should be reported to the department chair.

Article 14 (Submission of Thesis for Degree Application)

① At least one week prior to the defense, the student should hand deliver copies of the thesis, approved by the advisor, to the thesis committee members. n date.

② At least 15 days prior to the defense, the student should hand deliver copies of the thesis, approved by the advisor, to the thesis committee members. 

Article 15 (Thesis Revision)

The thesis should be revised based on the comments and suggestions of the thesis committee. If the thesis committee discovers major deficiencies, the defense will be rescheduled following revision of the thesis. 

Article 16 (Submission of Thesis)

One complete copy of the thesis must be submitted to the department office.

Chapter 7: Supplementary Provisions

Article 17 (Application)

Matters not specified in these regulations shall be governed by the university graduate school regulations and implementation rules.

Article 18 (Effective Date)

These regulations shall take effect from the date of promulgation.