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  School of Communication, Information and Library Studies 2008-2010 Ph.D. Program in Communication, Information and Library Studies Program Program Requirements Qualifying Examination Requirement  

Qualifying Examination Requirement


Completion of course requirements does not guarantee a passing mark on the qualifying examination. Students are expected to read well beyond required course readings in preparing for the qualifying examination. Prospective candidates for the doctorate should understand that they will not ordinarily be permitted to proceed to the qualifying examination unless their record in coursework shows evidence of distinction, meaning, in general, a B+ or better average.

Qualifying exams cover the areas of coursework specialization (as stipulated in each program area). The qualifying exam consists of both a written and oral portion. The written portion (involving two questions covering two distinct areas of study) is take-home with a limit of 10 days for the student's completion from the day the examination commences. The oral portion of the exam is scheduled after the written exam is submitted to an examination committee of four faculty members who serve as readers of the written portion. If a student does not pass any portion of the exam, one additional opportunity is provided for the student to retake the exam.
  • The functions of the qualifying examination are: to determine that the student is adequately prepared to embark on the research required for producing a dissertation, and that the student has sufficient knowledge to be a member of the academy in the student's discipline.
  • The qualifying examination consists of two portions: the written and the oral. Typically, students are given the written examination questions on a Friday morning, and submit their answers to the questions on the Monday 10 days hence. Exam dates are determined by the student and his or her committee, but should not be conducted past the 12th week of each semester without approval from all committee members. Within two weeks of submitting the written answers, the oral examination is scheduled.
  • The written portion of the qualifying examination for all students consists of answers to two different questions. Each question must be read by at least two examiners, and there must be at least four different examiners in total. The four examiners constitute the examination committee.
  • Each program area determines for itself what the questions cover, within the constraints of the program description for that area. Library and information science (LIS) requires that students study in two areas: an LIS area, and an area from outside LIS. This means that the student must answer one question relevant to each of the two areas in which he or she has studied. In communication, students must have a major and minor area of study. These may include foci within the communication area: organizational communication, social interaction, mediated communication, or health communication; but are not limited to these areas of communication study. Students may choose as a minor area one of the other areas of the Ph.D. program, or a minor elsewhere in the university. In media studies, there is no requirement to study in more than one area, so the two questions may cover whatever aspects of media studies the examination committee considers relevant.
  • For cases in which the student is to answer a written qualifying examination question in an area different from the program area, at least one examiner of that question must be from that area. For instance, if the other area is from outside the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies (SCILS), then at least one of the examiners must be a member of the graduate faculty of that other area. Or, if the other area is from within SCILS, at least one of the examiners must be a member of that program area.
  • The number of questions that are set from which the student chooses two to answer is decided by the program area: a typical pattern for areas which require students to study in two areas is two questions for each area, the student choosing one from each of the two.
  • The examination committee consists of the chair, determined by mutual agreement of the student and the faculty member, and at least three other examiners, chosen by the chair in consultation with the student.
  • The members of the examination committee may set questions which are generally relevant to the student's research interests and/or course of study, or they may set questions which are relevant to the examined area as a whole. Such decisions are made by the examination committee, within any constraints that may be set by the program area.
  • The oral portion of the qualifying examination is led by the chair of the examination committee and includes all four members of that committee. In this portion of the qualifying examination, the members of the examination committee pose questions to the candidate on the subjects of the written questions and/or on subjects related to the areas in which the student is being examined.
  • At the conclusion of the oral portion of the qualifying examination, the members of the examination committee decide if the student has successfully passed the entire examination, if the student has passed the examination relative to only one of the areas, or if the student has failed the qualifying examination in toto. In the first case, the student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D.; in the second, the student is allowed to resit the qualifying examination (both written and oral) in the area in which she or he failed; in the third, the student is allowed to resit the examination in both areas. A minimum of three favorable votes are needed before one is considered to have passed some or all of the exam.
  • Resitting the examination means providing new questions for the required area(s), submission of answers to the question(s), and an oral examination in the area(s). If the student has failed in respect to one question, the two examiners of that question read the new paper and participate in the new oral portion of the examination; if the student has failed in respect to both questions; all four examiners participate in the reading of the new questions and in the new oral portion of the examination. Students may resit the qualifying examination only once.
 
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