Examinations

For M.S. students, the graduate faculty requires the Final Examination for the Master’s Degree. For Ph.D. students, the graduate faculty requires the Examination for Admission to Candidacy (A Exam) and the Final Examination for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree (B Exam). The Graduate Field of Geological Sciences further requires Ph.D. students to take a Qualifying Examination (Q Exam). In general, all examinations take place on campus and with the full Committee present, so be sure to schedule them well in advance as your committee can be very busy (remote participation or some substitution is possible in special circumstances; see Code of Legislation). 

Qualifying Examination (Q Exam)

The Atmospheric Science Field does not require a Qualifying (Q) exam for Ph.D. students, but the Graduate Field of Geological Sciences does (see below for details).  In lieu of a formal Q exam, Ph.D. students in Atmospheric Sciences are expected to meet with their special (or temporary) committee before the start of the third semester.  The goal of this meeting is to review the student’s research progress, general knowledge in the appropriate fields of study, and recommend a plan for coursework in future semesters to ensure that the student has sufficient expertise to complete graduate study.  At the end of this meeting, the Chair of the student’s committee will submit a short summary of the recommendations (e.g., classes to take or TA, seminars or conferences to attend or present at, etc.) to the student, committee, DGS, and GFA.  These recommendations will be re-visited during the A-exam  After this meeting with the special/temporary committee, but before the end of the third semester, the full Special Committee must be constituted as described in Section V above.

The Q Exam is intended to determine a Ph.D. student’s aptitude for advanced study and scientific research and will evaluate any gaps in the student’s preparation. It enables the examination committee to propose a program that will help the student accomplish his or her objectives. The Q exam can be held before the full Special Committee is set. The examination is administered by a three-person committee chaired by the Special Committee chair and usually including a subset of the planned Special Committee, generally members who are on campus and close to the student’s area of study. The committee can be constituted either through appointing members to the Special Committee – a partial 3-person committee can be constituted with in-field members – or temporary members can be appointed for the purpose of this exam with permission of the Director of Graduate Studies. Attendance is generally limited to that examining body. The exam format includes a written component in the form of a four-page research proposal (single spaced and not counting figures and references), and a short 15-minute oral presentation discussing plans for research and coursework.  The written component should be submitted to committee members at least two weeks before the date of the exam

The scope of the exam should include a broad understanding of the field as appropriate for the area of specialty. Across the field, material in introductory courses (e.g., EAS 2250) and second courses is appropriate. In the student’s sub-discipline, more extensive questioning at the level of existing graduate-level coursework is likely.  All students are recommended to talk with their advisor and special committee members at least one month prior to the exam about their expectations for the exam.

The student must arrange the examination date and location in consultation with the members of his or her exam committee. No formal scheduling with the graduate school or department is required. On the basis of the student’s performance, the committee may pass the student, require that the examination be retaken (in the same or different format), not allow continuation in the Ph.D. program but allow the student to change to the M.S. program, or fail the student. The committee Chairperson must report the results of the Q Exam to the Graduate Programs Coordinator through a Q exam reporting form administered by the field, copying all members of the committee, the student, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Graduate Programs Coordinator. The Q exam reporting form includes recommendations for the student (e.g., classes to take or TA, seminars or conferences to attend or present at, etc.), that will be re-visited during the A-exam.  Also, the student reports the exam date and outcome on their annual review.

It is recommended that the Qualifying Examination be taken before starting the third semester and must be taken by the end of the third semester. Since a major purpose is to determine what coursework a student should take, the earlier the exam is held the more it is useful. The Q exam may be a useful time to discuss membership for a full special committee.

After a successful Q Exam but before the end of the third semester, the full Special Committee must be constituted as described in Section V above.

Admission to Candidacy Examination (A Exam)

The purpose of the A Exam is to certify that the student is sufficiently prepared to undertake thesis research. The A Exam may be taken after the student has completed two semesters of successful full-time study and, unless special permission is obtained from the Dean, must be attempted before the beginning of the student’s seventh semester of registration in the Ph.D. program. The successful completion of the exam implies that formal coursework is nearly or fully complete.  The format of the A-exam is slightly different in the Graduate Fields of Atmospheric Sciences and Geological Sciences (described below).  But for both Graduate Fields, the determination of the outcome of the examination rests exclusively with the Special Committee. The Special Committee may pass, conditionally pass, or fail a student. For a student to pass an examination, all members of the Special Committee must approve. If a student fails the examination, reexamination is allowed only upon approval of the Special Committee, but not earlier than three months after the failed exam.  

In the Graduate Field of Atmospheric Sciences, the exam format—which can be written, oral, or both—typically includes both oral and written parts. This exam is sometimes considered a thesis proposal defense. The oral section of the examination must be scheduled with the Graduate School and must also be announced to the faculty in the Graduate Field by the DGS at least seven days in advance of the examination. There can be a public presentation, describing the thesis proposal and/or work completed so far, which might last 30 minutes, to which the graduate students in the field, graduate field members and other people can be invited. After the public presentation, there is a closed session that ordinarily only members of the Special Committee attend and question the student, but other graduate faculty members are welcome to attend and are permitted to question the student.

In the Graduate Field of Geological Sciences, the exam format includes both oral and written components, as well as questioning. The exact format of the written component is to be decided by the special committee, but the purpose of the written component is to demonstrate that the student’s abilities at technical and scientific writing.  Some possible formats for the written component include: i) a research paper written by the student (with possible co-authors) that is either submitted or nearly submitted to a peer-reviewed journal; or ii) a research proposal that may include a progress report.  The written section length should be approximately 10 pages single-spaced, not including figures or references and should be submitted to committee members at least two weeks before the date of the exam. The oral section of the examination generally begins with a 15-25 minute research progress report followed by ample time for questioning by the committee.   All students are recommended to talk with their advisor and special committee members at least one month prior to the exam about what their expectations for the exam.

The oral exam must be scheduled with the Graduate School and must also be announced to the faculty in the Graduate Field of Geological Sciences by the Director of Graduate Studies at least seven days in advance of the examination. Students should schedule contiguous three hours for this examination in coordination with schedules of all committee members, although many A exams require less time. Ordinarily only members of the Special Committee attend and question the student, but other graduate faculty members are welcome to attend and are permitted to question the student. 

Final Examination for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree (B Exam; Thesis Defense)

A doctoral candidate takes the B Exam, also known as the thesis defense, upon completion of all requirements for the degree but no earlier than one month before completion of the minimum number of registered semesters. Furthermore, a minimum of two semesters of successful full-time study must be completed between passing the A Exam and scheduling the B Exam. The examination must be scheduled with the Graduate School and must also be publicly announced by the Director of Graduate Studies or the field administrator at least seven days in advance of the examination. This oral exam covers the general subject of the dissertation and, in both the Graduate Fields of Atmospheric Sciences and Geological Sciences, takes the form of a public thesis defense with open questioning, followed by private questioning by the Special Committee. A doctoral candidate must submit a complete draft of their thesis to all members of their Special Committee at least six weeks before the B Exam, unless the requirement is modified by the Special Committee. At least five business days before the B Exam, a student must also give each member of the Special Committee the thesis, complete in all respects and editorially acceptable for final approval. The thesis, following any revisions after the B Exam, must be submitted to the Graduate School within 60 days of the B Exam, and must receive final approval from the Graduate School (for formatting purposes) and all members of the Special Committee. 

Final Examination for the Master's Degree

An M.S. student takes the final examination upon completion of all requirements for the degree but no earlier than one month before completion of the minimum registration requirement. The examination must be scheduled with the Graduate School and must also be publicly announced by the Director of Graduate Studies at least seven days in advance of the examination. This oral examination covers the topic of the master’s thesis and, in both the Graduate Fields of Atmospheric Sciences and Geological Sciences, takes the format of a public thesis defense with open questioning, followed by private questioning by the Special Committee. For a student to pass an examination, all members must approve. If a student fails the examination, reexamination is allowed upon approval by the Special Committee but not earlier than three months after the failed exam. An M.S. student must submit a complete draft of their thesis to all members of their Special Committee at least six weeks before the Final Examination, unless the requirement is modified by the Special Committee. At least five business days before the Final Examination, a student must also give each member of the Special Committee the thesis, complete in all respects and editorially acceptable for final approval. The thesis, following any revisions after the Final Examination, must be submitted to the Graduate School within 60 days of the Final Examination, and must receive final approval from the Graduate School (for formatting purposes) and all members of the Special Committee.