Ph.D. Qualifying Exams

To view the following 2007 qualifying exam format and other helpful information in a .pdf file click here.

The qualifying exam will consist of three phases as described below and will be required of all doctoral students.

Ph.D. Qualifier Process

• Each exam will have multiple authors—the lead author will be the instructor of record for that course during that instructional year.
• The students will be informed who is writing the exams:

  Exam Writing/Grading Committee (bold is lead):

  • Mechanical Properties:            Nandika, Srini, Alan
  • Electronic Properties:              Nigel, Rick, Mohamed
  • Thermodynamics:                    Raj, Rick, Witold
  • Structure and Bonding:          Tom, Jincheng, Srinii

• The lead will insure that material was covered in class or is in Callister (Intro book).
• The students are responsible for all Material in Callister (Intro book)

General written exam will be taken shortly after the end of the Spring Semester (mid to late May) after the student has completed the 4 core courses (listed below).  The content on the exam will be everything in the syllabi for these courses as well as selected topics from an introductory materials science textbook (Appendix A).  Students starting in the summer or fall semesters are required to take the exam the following May after the end of the spring semester.  Students starting in the spring semester are required to take the exam in May of the following year (~1.5 years after they enter the program).  Students must pass this exam to move to Phase 2. If determined that the grades are marginal, then an oral exam will be administered in those section(s).  If the student fails the exam, then one more chance will be given to retake in the following year.  Any student who fails to take the exam within the 1.5 years must petition the faculty to be allowed to take the exam.  If this student is permitted to take the exam and fails, they will not be allowed to retake the exam.

MTSC 5000:  Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria

MTSC 5010:  Bonding, Structure and Crystallography

MTSC 5020: Mechanical Properties

MTSC 5500: Electrical / Optical / Magnetic Properties of Materials

View Appendix A

After passing the written exam, students will receive instructions (see Appendix B) for completing and defending an original proposal unrelated to their research.  Students will then prepare a brief description of 1 to 4 topics of interest to them in early August of the same year.  Their advisors should be consulted in order to help them select the most appropriate topic.  Students will then consult with members of their supervisory committee for approval of their topic.  After approval, students have 21 days to submit a typewritten proposal to their committee.  If possible, students should schedule proposal defense within 2 weeks after completing their written proposal.

-If the student fails the defense, their committee determines whether they should:
A. Fail and leave with a Master’s degree.
B. Improve proposal/presentation and re-defend within 2 weeks if possible.
C. Assign a new topic and give student 21 days to prepare new proposal.
-On the second attempt, the student either passes or fails.  No additional attempts will be allowed.

Upon completing Phases 1 and 2, students will be admitted to candidacy but will still be required to complete Phase 3 (below).

View Appendix B

Phases 1 and 2 are designed to determine if a student should be admitted to candidacy but not to insure they have a sufficient depth of understanding in their chosen specialization.  Phase 3 requires that, after a student is admitted to candidacy, they must select their supervisory committee (in Appendix B), which must consist of at least five members with a minimum of three from the core MSE faculty.  This should be completed in the semester following their admission to candidacy (usually in the fall).  The student must then arrange regular meetings (minimum of one per semester) with their supervisory committee in which the student should provide an overview of their research project, their coursework to date and a plan of what they envision their course of action should be to complete their dissertation in a timely manner.  The supervisory committee should wor k with the student to insure that they agree with the students plan as well any shortcomings in the knowledge base that the student has in their area of specialization.  Areas of weakness should be pointed out by the supervisory committee and a plan of action recommended.  A reading list for the student’s particular discipline will be provided if they feel they are deficient in any of the concepts. 

Subsequent to each meeting, the attached form (Appendix C) should be filled out by the student’s major advisor and a copy provided to the student, each committee member and the student records office.  This will insure that the student is making adequate progress towards their degree in both their research and their education.

2000 qualifier exam
2001 qualifier exam
2002 qualifier exam
2003 qualifier exam
2004 qualifier exam
2005 qualifier exam
2006 qualifier exam
2007 qualifier exam
2008 qualifier exam