All Ph.D. candidates must take the qualifying examination. The student may take the examination at the end of their coursework and prior to beginning their dissertation work.  The student must be registered in the term the qualifying examination is given.

The examination, prepared and evaluated by the full supervisory committee or the major and minor academic units, is both written and oral, and covers the major and minor subjects. Except for allowed substitutions, all members of the supervisory committee must be present with the student at the oral part.  At this time, the supervisory committee is responsible for deciding whether the student is qualified to continue work toward a Ph.D. degree.

If a student fails the qualifying examination, the Graduate School must be notified.  A re-examination may be requested, but it must be recommended by the supervisory committee and approved by the Graduate School.  At least 1 term of additional preparation is needed before the re-examination.

Time lapse: Between the oral part of the qualifying examination and the date of the degree, must be at least 2 terms.  The term the qualifying examination is passed is counted, if the examination occurs before the midpoint of the term.