PhD Program

This page describes many of the details about the Planetary Sciences Track within our department’s Physics PhD program. Visit the MS page for information on our Master’s program. Note that we may refer to the track as the “PhD program” but this should not cause confusion. Our PhD track emphasizes research from the first semester, since writing a paper and submitting it to a journal is a candidacy requirement, and one can only formally start dissertation research once one has been admitted to candidacy (a.k.a. “ABD”).

A very good source of information about the program is our Graduate Program Handbook – 2024/25: Physics MS and PhD, Planetary Sciences Track. The most recent version is dated on May 26, 2024. More info can be found at the Graduate Catalog webpage about our track and the department’s webpage the whole graduate program (not just our track).

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Applying to the Program

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog and the Physics Master’s/Doctoral Handbook. Applicants must apply online.

Information about admission to the Planetary Sciences track itself can be found in the Graduate Catalog’s pages about the Ph.D. and M.S. programs. There is information also on the Physics Department website and in particular the admissions page.

All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline(s). There is a page with UCF’s application requirements. Requirements for our program in particular are in the Graduate Catalog. Note that we no longer require a GRE score. Our admissions committee recognizes the limitations in the ability of the GRE test to predict success in graduate school. (Background info about this topic is here and here.)

Note that the statement of goals/essay/personal statement is particularly important. In particular:

• Applicants should identify one or more projects/areas they would be interested in pursuing as a potential dissertation topic.
  • This should include discussion of their specific project interests in their applications.
  • (Note that students can change projects once in the program, provided that another project/mentor is available.)
• Applicants should identify specific faculty with whom they are interested in working.
  • Note that the global planetary-science community maintains a list of faculty looking for new students.
  • If your favorite UCF scientist is not on that list, that’s OK! We still want you to apply. But in that case it very much helps to have contacted beforehand the faculty you’re interested in. We highly recommend attempting to have a conversation with potential research mentors.
  • Keep in mind that Physics Department graduate students can have UCF faculty in other units as their research advisor. Several of our students work with faculty in FSI and CREOL.
• Applicants should check out the advice and suggestions for the application essay found on our Jobs page.
  • We need detail about an applicant’s research experiences to fully evaluate your application.  
  • We will want to know: what did YOU do, what problems did you face, and how did you handle them?
  • Applicants with no research experience in planetary science, geophysics, astronomy, or astrophysics are rarely, if ever, accepted.

Note that students must be specifically admitted to the Graduate Planetary Sciences track. External applications and petitions to switch from the existing Physics graduate program are considered by the Planetary Graduate Committee.

Admission to the track requires a Bachelor of Science or equivalent, typically in physics, astronomy, geology, geophysics, geochemistry, atmospheric sciences, biology, mathematics, or planetary sciences. Those without full academic preparation in relevant natural sciences may be required to complete specified coursework in addition to the core program, as determined by the Planetary Graduate Committee at the time of admission or their Supervisory Committee at a later date. Petitions to switch from the existing Physics graduate program shall be in the form of a letter to the Planetary Sciences Graduate Committee addressed to the track’s Graduate Coordinator. The letter should include the request to join the Planetary Sciences Track, the student’s degree goal (Master’s or Ph.D.), the name of the student’s planetary sciences advisor, and a brief description of their expected area of research.

Note that just meeting minimum UCF admissions criteria does not guarantee program admission. Admission is based on the applicant’s abilities, past performance, recommendations, match of this program and our faculty’s expertise to the applicant’s career/academic goals, the applicant’s potential for completing the degree, available positions, and other factors.

The application deadlines are as follows:

Admission semester:	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring
Domestic applications	December 1	July 1	December 1
International applications	December 1	December 1	July 1

For Fall Admission: applications received by December 1 will receive full consideration for funding, and fellowships are unlikely for applications received after this date. We evaluate applications in December, January, February, and March each year and make most admissions decisions and funding commitments (GRAs and GTAs) then. Officially, we can admit as late as July (domestic) for Fall enrollment, and we can admit for Spring enrollment, but such cases are atypical. Since July 1 is UCF’s official cutoff for Fall, that is listed as the application deadline, but those seeking financial support should apply by December 1.

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Note that UCF does have a policy regarding parental leave for GTAs and GRAs; paid leave is provided for up to six weeks.

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About the Program

Curious about what it’s like to be in our graduate program? Read the interviews with some of our current grad students!

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Courses in the Program

Currently we offer the following courses. All the required courses will be offered at least once per 2 academic years. The exact frequency of a course may vary due to the particulars of staffing and graduate student population. Electives are offered as teaching schedules permit. Note that the most up-to-date info about what courses are being offered can be found at UCF’s course schedule webpage. The Graduate Catalog also has info about some of these courses.

Course	Title	When	Notes
Core courses
AST 5154	Advanced Planetary Geophysics	Approx. Every Odd Spring	Required
AST 5263	Advanced Observational Astronomy	Approx. Every Even Spring	Required
AST 5765	Advanced Astronomical Data Analysis	Fall	Required
AST 5151	Physics of Planetary Processes	Approx. Every Odd Fall	Required
AST 6165	Planetary Atmospheres	Approx. Every Even Spring	Required
PHY 6246	Classical Mechanics	Fall	Required
Very strongly-recommended electives
AST 5145	Advanced Asteroids Comets Meteorites	Varies	Elective
AST 6112	Origin and Evolution of Planetary Systems	Varies	Elective
Other electives
PHY 5524	Statistical Physics	Spring	Elective
AST 5038	Astrobiology	Occasional	Elective
AST 5334	Extrasolar Planets and Brown Dwarfs	Occasional	Elective
AST 6156	Current Topics in Planetary Science	Occasional	Elective (and can be repeated for credit)
AST 6938	Special Topics	Occasional	Elective (and can be repeated for credit)
PHZ 5156	Computational Physics	Occasional	Potential alternate to AST 5765 (w/advisor approval)
MAP 6469	Bayesian Analysis & Approximation Theory	Even Spring	Elective
OSE 5041	Introduction to Wave Optics	Occasional	Elective
OSE 5203	Geometrical Optics	Occasional	Elective

Note that the most up-to-date info about what courses are being offered can be found at UCF’s course schedule webpage. Some info about when the above elective courses have been or will be offered (there are of course other possible electives) is below:

• Academic Year 2024/25
  • Fall 2024: AST 5038 Astrobiology, AST 5145 Asteroids Comets Meteors, OSE 5041 Intro to Wave Optics.
  • Spring 2025: PHY 5524 Statistical Physics, PHZ 5156 Computational, AST 6112 Origins, OSE 5203 Geometrical Optics.
• Academic Year 2023/24
  • Fall 2023: AST 5145 Asteroids Comets Meteors, MAP 6469 Bayesian.
  • Spring 2024: PHY 5524 Statistical Physics, PHZ 5156 Computational.
• Academic Year 2022/23:
  • Fall 2022: AST 5038 Astrobiology, AST 5145 Asteroids Comets Meteors.
  • Spring 2023: AST 6112 Origins, AST 5334 Extrasolar Planets/Brown Dwarfs, AST 6156 Current Topics, PHY 5524 Statistical Physics, PHZ 5156 Computational.
• Academic Year 21/22:
  • Fall 2021: none.
  • Spring 2022: MAP 6469 Bayesian, PHY 5524 Statistical Physics, PHZ 5156 Computational.

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Example Course Sequences for Graduate Students

Here are some example course sequences. Full-time, pre-candidacy students must take 9 credits in Fall, 9 credits in Spring, and 6 credits in Summer.  PhD candidates must take at least 3 credits in Fall, Spring, and Summer (typically these are Dissertation credits), and may register for more, such as electives, with advisor approval. Note that some GRAs and Fellowships do not cover more than the minimum tuition.

In the parlance of UCF, 9 credits of courses — even if some of those credits are research credit — is considered a half load and ostensibly this takes up 20 hours per week of a 40-hour work week. The other half, the other 20 hours of a work week, is typically taken up by the job you are paid for: i.e., a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) or Graduate Research Assistant (GRA). As a “full-time” GTA, you are paid for 20 hours per week as a teaching assistant. As a “full-time” GRA, you are paid for 20 hours per week on research.

The research that you do in your first two years is supposed to be the research that leads to a submitted manuscript in time for your candidacy exam. See the Graduate Track Handbook for discussion of the candidacy paper’s presentation and the oral defense.

Students entering in the program in Fall 2025:

Fall 2025	Spring 2026	Summer 2026	Fall 2026	Spring 2027	Summer 2027
PHY 6246 (3cr) Classical Mech.	AST 6165 (3cr) Atmo.	Research (6cr)	AST 5145 (3cr) ACM	AST 6112 (3cr) Origins	Research (6cr)
AST 5151 (3cr) PPP	AST 5263 (3cr) Obsv.	…	Research or elective (3cr)	AST 5154 (3cr) Geophys.	…
AST 5765 (3cr) Data	Research or elective (3cr)	…	Research or elective (3cr)	Research or elective (3cr)	…

Students entering in the program in Fall 2026:

Fall 2026	Spring 2027	Summer 2027	Fall 2027	Spring 2028	Summer 2028
PHY 6246 (3cr) Classical Mech.	AST 6112 (3cr) Origins	Research (6cr)	AST 5151 (3cr) PPP	AST 6165 (3cr) Atmo.	Research (6cr)
AST 5145 (3cr) ACM	AST 5154 (3cr) Geophysics	…	Research or elective (3cr)	AST 5263 (3cr) Obsv.	…
AST 5765 (3cr) Data	Research or elective (3cr)	…	Research or elective (3cr)	Research or elective (3cr)	…

“Research” in the above table refers to usually AST or PHY 6918, directed independent research. That research work can be aligned with the research you would already be doing anyway for your candidacy-exam project.

By the end of your second year (i.e. end of 6th semester) you should have accumulated 48 credits. This will include all 18 required credits for core courses, and 30 out of the 39 required credits from electives. Generally this means that students take the remaining 9 credits of electives during their third year. Depending on your supervisory committee and on current College of Graduate Studies rules, you may be able to take your candidacy exam during the summer of your second year or the fall of your third year. Ideally, the candidacy exam should be taken no later than the spring of your third year.