This exam is parallel to the one taken by candidates for the M.S. degree in Computer Science. Students entering the Ph.D. program from another school will be required to take the Ph.D. qualifying examination before being considered for advanced study. Note that students may not take the Ph.D. written comprehensive examination unless the Ph.D. qualifying exam has been successfully completed. Students have two attempts to pass the qualifying exam. The student must pass the Ph.D. comprehensive examination that covers the student's major and minor areas of study.
Students have at most two attempts to pass the written part.
The oral part may not be attempted unless the written part has been passed. The written part may not be attempted unless the student has successfully completed the qualifying exam. The exams are administered by the student's advisory committee. Typically, each member of the advisory committee will prepare a multi-part question relevant to the students area of advanced study. These five questions will be given to the student in the form of a take-home examination.