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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