A student whose progress is found to be unsatisfactory by a majority of the committee members at two such successive meetings shall be placed on probation. Changes in the composition of an established Dissertation Committee may be initiated by either the chair of the Dissertation Committee or by the student with the consent of the Chair of the Dissertation Committee. Changes in committee composition must be recommended by the Chair of the student's department and the Director of the Graduate Program, and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. The student must complete a Qualifying Examination consisting of written and oral portions prior to the Admission to Candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. The Qualifying Examination is given to assess the student's knowledge in the area of specialization and to assess the student's ability to relate this knowledge to a specific research problem.
Successful completion is a prerequisite for continuing in the program.
These examinations usually will be given near the end of the second year of study. If the exam is not taken by that time, then the student must obtain approval from their dissertation advisor, department Chair, and Director of Graduate Program to delay the exam. If approval is granted for a delay, then the student will be required to take the exam no later than the end of the third year of study. The oral portion of the Qualifying Examination will be given within 90 days of satisfactory completion of the written examination. If a student fails either the written or oral Qualifying Examination, the student may petition the Chair of the department to retake the examination a second time within 60 days.