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Qualifying Examination of Candidacy for the Doctoral Degree

After completing the coursework in the Core Curriculum, each student must pass a Qualifying Examination before being considered a candidate for the doctoral degree and being permitted to complete the dissertation phase of the program. It is expected that students will complete the Qualifying Examination process at the end of their second year in the program. Students must complete the qualifying exam within the first two semesters of their third year to remain in the program. If the exam is not completed within this timeframe, the student must petition the Executive Committee to take the exam later and remain in the program. The petition letter should indicate the reason for the delay, plan for achieving the milestone and whether the academic advisor and research mentor approve the extension. The letter should be sent to the Director of the PhD program with the advisor and mentor CCed on the email, and must have secured both academic advisor and research mentor support. The Qualifying Examination is administered individually to each PhD student by a committee (Qualifying Examination Committee) comprised of Program Faculty members.