The area should be a recognized area of Computer Science as evidenced by the existence of journals and conferences on the topic. There may only be one committee for any area. A faculty member may serve on at most two committees during a given year. Each year, the Chairman of GPC will appoint a chair for each examination committee from among the volunteers for that semester. Examination Timetable Students must complete the PhD Qualifying Examination within 15 months of entering the PhD program.
Students are normally eligible for only one attempt at the exam.
The PhD Qualifying Examination is given during a period spanning the end of Fall semester and the start of Spring semester of each year. An information meeting will be held near the end of October. During November, students interested in taking the exam should discuss potential research areas with faculty members so that examination areas of mutual interst can be discovered. Examination Committees must post the reading list for their exam by December 1. Students must inform the Graduate Secretary of which area they will take the exam by December 15.