Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

Subsequent to passing the Comprehensive Examination covering core areas of computer science, all Ph.D. students must pass a Qualifying Examination, as specified by the Graduate School. The Qualifying Exam consists of two parts, a written examination covering the candidate's chosen area of specialization and an oral examination involving a defense of the candidate's written thesis proposal.

The written portion of the Qualifying Examination will cover the candidate's general area of specialization in sufficient depth to demonstrate his/her preparation for conducting Ph.D. level research. Each member of the student's supervisory committee will contribute one or more questions to this exam. The supervisory committee will provide a written evaluation of this portion of the exam, including an indication of whether or not the student will be allowed to proceed to the oral portion of the Qualifying Examination. Specific details of the written qualifying exam procedures appear below.

The oral portion of the Qualifying Exam involves a defense of the candidate's written thesis proposal. At the supervisory committee's option, it may also include follow up questions relating to the written portion of the exam. All members of the candidate's committee should certify that the proposal is ready to be defended prior to conducting the oral portion of the Qualifying Exam.

There are two forms required to be filled out; these forms are available on-line or from the Graduate Coordinator. The first is a report on the written portion of the Qualifying Exam. The second is a report for the complete Qualifying Exam, both written and oral. These forms plus the written examination questions and student answers, will be retained in the student's School of Computing file.

Consistent with the requirements of the Graduate School, the Qualifying Examination must be completed at least one semester prior to defense of the thesis.

Guidelines on Ph.D. Written Qualifying Exams

Question Submission

Each member of the student's supervisory committee who holds a faculty rank in the University of Utah School of Computing must submit at least one question. Other committee members may each submit a question at their option.

Question Format

The format of each question can be chosen by the committee member posing the question. Possibilities include (but are not limited to): Note that in all cases, the examination will be written, not oral.

Exam Administration and Grading

The entire exam should be completed in no more than seven days from initial question assignment to completed answers.

Grading should be completed within seven days after the student delivers his/her answers. Each committee member contributing a question will grade that question and provide a specific, written evaluation of the quality and correctness of the answer. Allowable grades on individual questions are:

A grade of P- signifies the minimal acceptable performance expected from a Ph.D. student. An F+ indicates an answer that is partially correct, but not up to the standards we expect from our Ph.D. students.

The members contributing questions will each cast a Pass / Fail vote on the examination as a whole. An overall passing grade should be given to candidates who, through their answers, demonstrate that they are well prepared to conduct Ph.D. level research in their specialty area of computer science. The overall exam Pass / Fail grade will be determined by majority vote of those contributing questions. In the event of equal numbers of Pass and Fail votes, the deciding vote will be cast by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Repeating the Exam

A student who fails his/her first attempt may retake the exam once. No conditional pass grades will be given. However, the supervisory committee can at their option include fewer questions on repeated exams.