Qualifying Examinations

Qualifying exams in the student's core area and area of specialization are given in two stages at the end of the student's third semester of study. Qualifying exams test the student's competence in their chosen field of study.

Exams in the core area are given in the middle of December, after completion of the fall semester of study.

Exams in the area of specialization are given during the second week of January.

The PhD committee has initiated a school-wide policy that allows students to take the exams early, but requires that they sit for the entire set of qualifiers that apply in their area. Students who decide to do this at the end of their first semester will then be evaluated by the faculty, at the review meeting at the end of January, on the basis of their overall performance. They can be asked to leave the program, passed on to candidacy (subject to the summer paper requirements), or asked to meet some remedial requirement, such as taking some or all of the exams over again. In short, they will be treated like a typical third-semester student.