Successful completion of a written and oral qualifying examination is required of all doctoral students as they near the completion of their course work. This document provides details regarding the structure, timing, and format of the proposal.
The qualifying examination may be taken no sooner than the third semester of graduate study. The student should have completed the majority of their didactic coursework prior to taking the exam. There must be at least two terms between the oral portion of the qualifying examination and date of the degree. The term the qualifying examination is passed is counted as one of the semester if the examination occurs before the midpoint of the term. All work for the doctorate must be completed within 5 calendar years after the qualifying examination, or this examination must be repeated.