Ph.D. students must take both written and oral candidacy examinations. The written examination ensures that students have a broad understanding of chemistry and the depth of knowledge in their chosen fields required for Ph.D. work. The written examination must be passed before the oral examination is attempted. Both exams are normally finished by the end of the second year, but must be passed by the end of the third.
Students must satisfy the written portion of the Ph.D. candidacy examination by passing a series of cumulative examinations. The organization of the scheduling and administration of the exams is done by the Graduate Studies Committee. Questions are solicited from the entire faculty. The examination procedure is outlined below:
- Students normally begin taking the cumulative examinations at the beginning of the Fall semester of their second year. For the purpose of cumulative exams, a student’s effective date of entry will be considered to be either (i) the first day of fall semester (on-sequence) or (ii) the first day of the fall semester following the student’s actual entry date into the program if the student enters during a different semester than fall (off-sequence). With the approval of their advisor, their supervisory committee, and the Graduate Studies Committee, off-sequence students may start taking cumulative exams earlier should they so desire. Any student may petition to begin the cumulative examinations earlier or later in special circumstances. Such requests must be approved by the student’s advisor, supervisory committee, and by the Graduate Studies Committee.
- Students must pass 3 out of 8 consecutive examinations offered. Missed examinations without a legitimate documented reason will be counted as failures. Eight examinations are offered each academic year on a monthly basis.
- Cumulative examinations are offered in analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. Students may elect to take a single cumulative exam outside of their area, but not all areas will necessarily offer cumulative exams at every sitting. Students should consult the cumulative exam Canvas course page to determine which divisions will be offering a cume and what the examination topics will be.
- Examinations will be graded Pass/Fail, based on the percent score. A score of 60% or better always constitutes a Pass grade. Students are notified in writing about their performance on the examinations.
- Students must pass 3 out of a maximum of 8 attempts at cumulative examinations in order to continue in the PhD program; otherwise they can transfer to the MS program.
Upon successful or unsuccessful completion of the cumulative exam process, the Graduate Studies Committee will present the results to the faculty at the next regular faculty meeting.
Students must take the oral portion of the qualifying examination before the end of the seventh semester after entrance, including summer semesters. Administration of the oral examination is the responsibility of the student’s supervisory committee. To pass this examination, students must write, discuss, and defend an original research proposal.
In preparing for the oral examination, a student is permitted to solicit information from others, including faculty. However, this must be done on a strictly limited basis and good judgment must be exercised on both sides. It is expected that the originality of the research proposal and the bulk of the preparation for the defense represents the student’s own work. The project should be one that, if presented as part of an academic job application package, would be interpreted as demonstrating independence from their mentor. If a student is in doubt about the propriety of requesting information in a specific case, the supervisory committee should be consulted. Any information in the written proposals obtained from others should be acknowledged. Since the faculty regards the oral examination to be a very important indication of research ability, students should not limit their preparation to the three months just before the exam. Instead, possible topics should be considered and seriously pursued from the beginning of graduate study. The procedure for this examination is outlined as follows:
- The student will meet with their supervisory committee to clarify the expectations of the committee regarding the oral examination. The student’s Program of Study may also be discussed at this meeting. Prior to the preparation of the oral proposal, the student will submit a one-page pre-proposal and acquire approval of their topic from the members of their supervisory committee. The one-page pre-proposal should include title, summary (250 words limit) and justification of any overlap that might exist with the research projects in the student’s current laboratory.
- Students must submit a typed proposal to the members of their supervisory committee at least two weeks prior to the examination date. The proposal format is the same as required for proposals submitted to the National Science Foundation, or other national funding organization approved by the supervisory committee, and is not to exceed 15 double-spaced pages (excluding abstract, references, and vitae). A timeline for the project should be part of the proposal indicating how long each segment might take. No budget information should be included in the proposal but a brief biographical section about the author must be included.
- No later than one week before the scheduled examination date, the student must obtain approval to proceed with the examination from each member of the supervisory committee.
- The oral examination begins with the student presenting a short summary of the proposal. The examination is conducted in the presence of the supervisory committee only. While the examination begins with a focus on aspects of the student’s proposal, questions on topics of a more general nature will likely be asked.
- After the examination is complete, the supervisory committee will deliberate on the student’s performance in light of the expectations outlined in the preliminary meeting. A grade of Pass or Fail will be immediately announced to the student. In certain cases where the student fails the exam, the supervisory committee may at their discretion direct the student to prepare a new proposal, revise the existing proposal, and/or address specific topics in another attempt.
Students who do not pass the examination may transfer to the Master’s degree program.
Upon completion of the oral examination, the supervisory committee will present the results to the faculty at the next regular faculty meeting. The students will be informed of the recommendation of the supervisory committee prior to this faculty meeting.
If, after completing the Master’s degree, a student failing the oral exam wishes to reapply to the PhD program, the student must petition the Graduate Studies committee to that effect. This petition should explain why the student believes they can succeed in this program, and any extenuating circumstances concerning their previous failure. In addition, this petition must be supported by at least one faculty member in the department who would be willing to accept the student into their research group.