Exam format

Exam Format (written and oral) -
 
The student must schedule their oral exam through the Graduate School at least one week prior to their oral exam and they must schedule their Ph.D. thesis defense through the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the thesis defense.

The Ph.D. preliminary examination for advancement to candidacy should be taken at the end of the second year in residence and will consist of two portions:

    1)    A written research proposal, limited in length to ten pages, double-spaced, and submitted two weeks in advance of the scheduled oral exam.  The subject of the proposal may be chosen by the student and may not be closely related to their thesis topic.  A one-page abstract/outline on the topic should be submitted to the program committee for approval before the proposal is written.  Upon approval of the written research proposal by the program committee, the student may proceed with the oral exam.

    2)    An oral defense of no less than two hours, which should be divided into two parts:

        a) A one-hour defense of the proposal

        b) A general oral examination covering subjects beyond the scope of the proposal

        The abilities of the students to make use of information resources, think and write creatively, and articulate their ideas are major determinants of scholarly success.  This examination should test the student’s ability to develop, research, and defend an original research idea.  The originality of the proposal, the scholarly quality of the literature review, and the technical feasibility of the approach should be evaluated.

        In addition, the student should demonstrate a capacity for critical thinking and a broad command of their general and more specific field.  Committee members are encouraged to incorporate ethics into the examination. If committee members find that it is appropriate, two retests of the exam will be allowed.