What is the purpose of the Qual?
The primary purpose of the Qual is to determine whether or not a student may successfully pursue PhD research in physics at Illinois. It achieves this goal by testing the student’s ability to answer eight problems in mainstream, basic physics: two problems in each of quantum mechanics (QM), statistical physics (SP), electromagnetism (EM) and classical mechanics, including relativistic kinematics (CM). A secondary purpose of the Qual is to ensure that all Illinois PhDs have attained a suitable level of competence in a broad range of basic topics. Specifically, while the material tested is encountered in undergraduate courses, the level of facility expected is that of graduate level.
