MASTER PROGRAM ADMISSIONS

The Department of Physics of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul publishes the regulations and dates for admissions to the Master Program in Physics.

• The Master Program in Physics has the following Research Areas: Experimental Physics, Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics. Vacancies for each Research Area are not predefined.


• Selections will be made by the Fellowship Commission and the result will be validate by the Graduate Commission.


• Are allowed to apply candidates who have a Bachelor's degree in Physics or related areas, or students in the last semester of the their undergraduate studies. For those candidates whose application falls in the last case, if approved they must prove the ending of their undergraduate studies until the date of enrollment. The Fellowship Commission will inform by letter those candidates who had their application denied.


• Necessary domuments for application which must be delivery to the Program Secretariat or sent by mail to the address in the top of this announcement:
  1. A filled Registration Form (available in http://www.if.ufrgs.br/pos/portugues/forminscr.pdf);
  2. copy of Identification Document (for brazilians);
  3. copy of Passport (for foreigners);
  4. copy of Diploma of Bachelor's degree or the undergraduate enrollment of the last semester, for those candidates who have not finished yet their undergraduate studies;
  5. copy of undergraduate transcription;
  6. in case of those candidates who have a Bachelor's degree from other Institution, please annex the program of the specific courses done in the undergraduate studies, described below;
  7. Curriculum Vitae;
  8. two recommendation letters according the model available in http://www.if.ufrgs.br/pos/portugues/ctarec.pdf.
  
  
  
• The selection process includes analysis of undergraduate transcription and a written exam, prepared by the Graduate Commission, as follows.
  
  
  • Just 6 (six) specific courses will be considered for analysis from the undergraduate transcription. They are (including its programs):
    
    1. Electromagnetic Theory I: Electrostatic and magnetostatic fields. Dielectric media. Magnetic materials. Electric and magnetic fields of a moving charge. Electromagnetic potentials. Maxwell Equations. Wave function. Restricted Relativity.
       
    2. Mathematical Physics I: Complex variable functions and its applications in Physics. Abstract vectorial spaces, and Mathematical foundations of Quantum Mechanics.
       
    3. Classical Mechanics II: Lagrangean and Hamiltonian formulations. Applications to many body systems.
       
    4. Quantum Mechanics I: Schrödinger Equation, free particle and wave packets, unidimensional problems, orbital angular momentum, hidrogen atom, spin, time-independent perturbation theory, colision, identical particles.
       
    5. Thermodynamics: Variables of state and exact differentials; zero law of thermodynamics; laws of thermodynamics; fundamental equation of thermodynamics; thermodynamic potentials; response functions; stability of equilibrium state - ideal gas; thermodynamics of chemical reactions; thermodynamics of phase transitions; Clausius-Clapeyron equation; Van der Waals equation; Ginzburg-Landau theory; critical exponents.
       
    6. Statistical Mechanics: Kinetic theory. Microcanonical, canonical, and grancanonical ensembles. Information theory and entropy. Partition function and thermodynamic potentials. Fermi-Dirac, Bose-Einstein, and Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics. Applications.
       
       
       
    • Grades from specific courses (listed above) are converted to score numbers as the following: A=3, B=2, C=1 and D=FF=0. Arithmetic mean is then taken with precision of two decimal digits.
      
      
    • Candidates whose transcription has grades as numbers, the following conversion is applied: D = not approved in the course. C = minimum grade to be approved up to 7.49. B = from 7.5 up to 8.99 and A = 9.0 up to 10.
      
      
      
  • The written exam is constituted by 40 "objective" questions (simple choice among five options). The candidate has four hours to conclude the exam. No consultation is allowed to any bibliography. The questions enclose fundamental principles and practical aspects present in a typical undergraduate course of Physics.
    
    
    • The candidade with more right answers in the exam will have score equals 3.00. The other cadidates will have proportional scores (normalized scores), with precision of two decimal digits.
      
    
    
  • For each candidade, an arithmetic mean is computed involving both score from trascript analysis and the written exam score, with precision of two decimal digits. Are considered approved to the Master Program those candidates with arithmetic mean equals or higher 1.5 (one and half).
    
    
• Candidates from other Institutions may indicate an authoriry (head of Department for example) who may takes the responsability for the exam accomplishment. Indication and documents for application have to be delivery together. A declaration of concordance from the authority must be included in the documentation.
  


• Appeals must be made within 5 (five) academic days after approvals publication.


• Omissive cases will be resolved by the Graduate Commission.