The examining committee must be the same, and the re-examination must be held within thirty months of the student's entrance into the Ph.D. program. For a student to pass the Qualifying Examination, at least one identified member of the subject area group must be willing to accept the candidate as a dissertation student, if asked. The student must obtain an official Dissertation Supervisor within one semester after passing the Qualifying Examination or leave the Ph.D. program. For more detailed rules and advice concerning the Qualifying Examination, see the Graduate Student Information Handbook, available in Room 910 Evans Hall. Each student is required to complete a seminar in which he or she gives a talk of at least one hour duration.
Seminars usually explore the frontiers of knowledge, and help in preparing the student for research.
The seminar requirement must be completed within 18 months of Advancement to Candidacy. However, students are encouraged to pass the seminar requirement as soon as possible. These are reading comprehension tests in mathematical literature, and use of a dictionary is allowed. They are given twice a year, during the fifth week of classes in the Fall and Spring Semesters. The student may, on recommendation of the advisor and with the approval of the Dean of the Graduate Division, substitute work in university-level language courses for one of these language examinations.