EAS Phd Qualifying Examination

EAS PhD Qualifying examination

By the end of the first year beyond the M.S. (24 credit hours) each student must pass a qualifying exam (QE) that establishes the student’s subject knowledge and preparedness for pursuing doctoral research. This examination is usually conducted in the spring semester of the second year or the fall semester of the third year on the recommendation of the major advisor. For students entering the program with a master's degree from another university, the examination would normally be taken in the first year of admission. Students are allowed no more than two attempts to pass the QE.

The format and administration of the QE is prescribed by each major option. In some cases the exam may have written and/or oral components to give the faculty an opportunity to evaluate the student's presentation and communication skills, the student's level of confidence in the mastery of the discipline, and the student's ability to tackle unfamiliar problems in real time. In other cases the qualifying criteria may consist of a minimum GPA requirement in a set of foundational courses.

Registering for the Qualifying Exam

Students must register their intention to take the qualifying exam by completing the Qualifying Exam Registration Form and delivering it to the EAS Graduate Program Director. Eligibility will be verified and an exam time/date/location will be assigned. Students should maintain status as a full-time student during the semester the Qualifying Exam is taken.

Results of the Qualifying Examination

The exam outcome is determined by the faculty examination committee and recorded on a Graduate Examination Report Form that is kept in the student's graduate record file. There are three possible outcomes of the examination: Pass; Conditional pass (conditions to be set by the doctoral qualifying committee and approved by the Graduate Program Director (GPD); Fail. Students who pass the exam are considered ready to undertake independent research. Those who fail the Qualifying Exam may repeat the examination in the subsequent semester. A second attempt at the qualifying exam shall have at least one member from the previous examining committee. A student who fails the examination twice or does not meet the qualifying criteria is subject to dismissal from the PhD program. In the latter case a student may switch to the M.S. program, assuming it can be completed expediently and no duplicate M.S. was completed elsewhere.

Prepared by: R. PeckLast modified: July 12, 2013