Schedule

The advisor works with the student to develop a schedule that will accommodate the exams before the end of the required semester. The following are suggested components, but the specific comprehensive exam structure is set by the advisor and research committee.

Step 1: Proposal

Preparation of a comprehensive research proposal for the exam committee is the first step of the Ph.D. exams. The student writes the proposal independently of the advisor, although it is acknowledged and expected that the proposal will arise from and reflect substantial intellectual exchange with the advisor leading up to the writing of the proposal. The proposal must include a concise description of the scientific problem to be addressed, a summary of current research relevant to that problem, the importance of the problem, and a description of the experimental design or methodology to be used.  This content should demonstrate scientific literacy as well as knowledge of the specialty chosen consistent with the degree objective. The proposal should be limited in length (e.g., 15 pages of text, not including figures and references) to facilitate rapid reading by the exam committee. Once the proposal is complete, the student submits it to the advisor who then distributes it to the committee.

Step 2: Written Exam

Each committee member will read the proposal and generate written questions based on this proposal. There are five people on the committee, so each member will produce questions intended to be worked on for about one day of a five-day exam period. The committee member may include an expected time allotment for each question. The exam is generally completely 'open book' and the student will submit his/her answers electronically. However, the final format is determined by committee consensus approval.

 The questions are to be 'based on the proposal', but interpretation of this is very loose. For example, the committee members could ask specific questions related to methods, errors, etc., or they could ask general questions related to the student’s research discipline. Committee members can ask many short questions or one longer question, but the questions must be able to be answered within the time given for the exam, i.e., one day per each of the five committee members. Questions can be intended as 'gating' (i.e., aimed at determining whether the student “has what it takes to be a PhD level scientist”) or 'guiding' (i.e., forcing him/her to consider specific issues so that this research can be successful). If two or more committee members submit questions that are too similar, the advisor will work with those members to adjust or combine the questions.

The advisor will compile the questions and distribute to the student on the agreed schedule. He/she will work on the exam, M-F of the scheduled week and submit answers to the advisor when complete.

Each committee member will receive the entire exam results on the same date. Each committee member will be required to grade only the questions he/she submitted, but should at least look through the entire exam. Committee members are free to pass judgment on any part of the exam but they must grade their own questions. The grading is pass/fail with one of the following outcomes: (1) Pass, (2) Provisional pass, with specified provisions, (3) Fail.

 Each committee member will send their grades to the advisor and the advisor will determine whether there is consensus to pass or fail. The student must receive at least four passing grades to pass the exam. If a student passes, but there is not a consensus outcome (pass or conditional pass) among the committee, the advisor will call a committee meeting to discuss the exam. If there are provisions to the pass, the committee will determine what precisely is required of the student before the advisor informs the student of the outcome of the exam. Once grading and consultation is complete, the student will receive a grade report from the advisor and a determination of whether he/she will be proceeding to the oral exam. If the written exam is not passed the student will have one more opportunity to take and pass the exam. The student must retake the exam with the same committee as soon as reasonably possible, but no more than one semester from the original exam date. If the student does not pass the second attempt of the exam, then he/she will be dropped from the program after notification of the Graduate School.

Step 3. Oral Exam

(If the written exam is passed.)

The oral exam must take place between 3 and 14 days after the written portion of the exam is passed. The oral exam will take place with all the committee members in attendance (in person or electronically) or some subset approved by the Chair of the Department if a committee member cannot attend due to health/professional obligations.

The student will make an initial oral presentation of her/his proposal. The committee will be free to interrupt the student at any time with questions. This is a chance to ask questions as follow-up to the written exam, or to ask new questions based on the oral presentation and the ensuing discussion. As with the written exam, committee members may exercise considerable leeway in evaluating both the breadth and depth of the student’s knowledge of their discipline.

 To pass the exam, the candidate must demonstrate clear understanding of the scientific background and methods associated with their research, and the ability to articulate and defend their research and scientific ideas through written and oral communication. After the oral exam, the committee will attempt to reach consensus regarding pass/fail or provisional pass. The committee, voting privately, may pass the student with one failing vote. If the student does not pass, they will have one more chance to take and pass the exam within one semester from the original exam date. If the student does not pass the second attempt of the exam, or fails to re-take the exam within the specified time, he/she will be dismissed from the program. The committee may also require revisions of the proposal before final approval.

Step 4. Distribution to All Faculty

Following completion of the oral exam, the committee-approved draft is to be submitted by April 15 to the entire faculty of the department. The proposal will be discussed in a departmental faculty meeting held 7-10 days after the April 15 deadline. This step is informative only, and there will be no voting or required revisions set by the department faculty as a whole. This is the final step in the Ph.D. comprehensive exam process.