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Preliminary Examination

Preliminary Exam Timeline

A Ph.D. student must take and pass the preliminary examination, generally within 12 months of defending the M.S. (or within 18 months of admission to the Ph.D. program, if the student completed the M.S. in another department). The outcome of the exam is reported to the department and Graduate School within two working days using the GS16 form.

The preliminary examination is administered by the student's graduate committee. The overall purpose of the preliminary examination is to evaluate the student's knowledge of the field and their ability to independently formulate and propose a research project.

A Ph.D. student, in conjunction with their adviser, should begin forming a graduate committee as soon as possible after their admission to the Ph.D. program, normally in the first semester. The GS6 form is used to report the composition of the graduate committee and the proposed plan of study.

Preliminary Exam components

1. RESEARCH PROSPECTUS

Purpose of the Prospectus

The purpose of the prospectus is to evaluate the student's ability to independently formulate and propose a research project.

Prospectus Elements

The prospectus should be submitted to the graduate committee three weeks prior to the scheduled written portion of the exam.

Prospectus Guidelines

2. WRITTEN QUESTIONS

Purpose of the Written Questions

The primary purpose of the written questions is to test the student's ability to use their understanding of topics pertaining to their field of research to synthesize and process complex information by critically analyzing the research literature through the use of written arguments, appropriate equations and current theory.

Written Questions

3. ORAL EXAMINATION

Purpose of the Oral Examination

The purpose of the oral examination is to provide an opportunity for the student's graduate committee to ask questions about the student's prospectus, their responses to the written questions, and related topics in the student's area(s) of research.

Oral Examination Elements

Oral Examination Guidelines

GRADING the EXAM

Each of the three portions of the exam (i.e. prospectus, written questions, and oral examination) are weighted equally and each will be graded by the graduate committee as either "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory." Outcomes of the full exam may be PASS, FAIL or PARTIAL PASS.

A PARTIAL PASS on the preliminary exam may require additional follow-up with the graduate committee, as will be documented in a department memo – but will be considered a pass according to the Graduate School (as specified in the GS16 form). Any follow-up requested by the graduate committee must occur within 6 months or less (to be specified by the graduate committee in the department memo) following the oral examination.

If a student FAILS the preliminary exam, s/he may be eligible for one re-examination. However, re-examination must be endorsed by the graduate committee on the GS16 form and must be completed within six months of the first attempt. Conditions to be met before re-examination are documented on the GS16 form.

A student who passes the preliminary exam will change status from Ph.D. I to Ph.D. II. The department requires a memo from the student's adviser to be notified of this change.

Notification of Exam

The student is responsible for arranging a time and place for the oral portion of the preliminary exam after consulting his/her graduate committee.

The student must notify the graduate adviser no later than three weeks prior to the exam. The date, time and place of the preliminary examination will be announced to all Atmospheric Science academic faculty members one week prior to the examination. The preliminary examination shall be administered at least two terms before the final examination. It is the candidate's responsibility to comply with these notifications.

Extenuating Circumstances

The student is expected to make every effort to comply with departmental timelines for admission and for passing the preliminary examination. However, in some cases, there may be extenuating circumstances that require modification of these timelines or the exam format itself. In such cases, the student and adviser may petition, in writing, to the graduate committee, outlining the reasons for the request and the proposed modified timetable and/or exam format. The department head will approve or deny the request.

Violation of departmental requirements and timetables will be considered grounds for dismissal from the program.

Preliminary Exam Timeline

TIME STUDENT ADVISER COMMITTEE MEMBERS DEPARTMENT OFFICE
Up to 3 months prior to prelim date Notify committee members and arrange acceptable date for prelim, reserve a room
As soon as the prelim date is confirmed (at least 3 weeks prior to exam) Notify graduate adviser of date, time and location Contact committee members to arrange prep of 3 questions, confirm date of written exam Prepare potential written questions and submit to adviser before written exam date
More than 2 weeks prior to written exam date Fill out GS 6 Program of Study on RAMweb; discuss timing of written exam with graduate adviser Contact student about date of written exam (written prelim exam can be arranged for anytime between 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., M, T, W)
At least 3 weeks prior to written exam Submit written prospectus to adviser, committee members
1 day prior to written exam Submit questions (email) to graduate adviser
Date of written exam (aprox. 10 days prior to prelim) Receive written exam questions via email from graduate adviser Have questions ready to send via email at agreed-upon time
48 hours after written exam Submit written exam solutions to graduate adviser 48 hours after receiving Send copies of exam questions to adviser and committee members; cc student
At least one week before prelim exam Initiate GS 16 Preliminary Exam Results form in RAMweb Prepare internal preliminary exam memo
Date of prelim exam Relax! Decide on results and recommendation Sign off on GS 16 form so committee members will receive system emails
Immediately after the end of the exam Electronically sign GS 16 Prelim Exam Results form Electronically sign GS 16 Prelim Exam Results form Ensure GS 16 Prelim Exam Results form is signed by all committee members and department head
Within a week of exam Submit completed internal preliminary exam results memo to graduate adviser