Ph.D. Qualifying Examination (QE)
The UC Davis Graduate Council Policy for Doctoral Qualifying Examinations can be found at this link. This page breaks down the important information, policies, and expectations for students preparing for the QE, and faculty serving on the QE committee.
- General Information
- The primary purpose of the Qualifying Examination (QE) is to validate that the student is academically qualified to conceptualize a research topic, undertake scholarly research and successfully produce the dissertation required for a doctoral degree.
The QE must evaluate the student’s command of the field, ensuring that the student has both breadth and depth of knowledge, and must not focus solely on the proposed dissertation research. In addition, the QE provides an opportunity for the committee to provide important guidance to the student regarding their chosen research topic.
All students will complete all course requirements before taking their Qualifying Examination. Passing this exam makes the student eligible for advancement to candidacy.
There is a lot of great information on the Graduate Studies Qualifying Exam website! - Eligibility
- - Completed all courses
- Program of Study approved
- Completed Deficiency courses (if applicable) - Required for students without an engineering degree
- Full-time status in the quarter in which the QE is taken - Committee Membership
- The GBSE QE Committee must consist of at least five (5) individuals shall be constituted subject to the following constraints:
- Five faculty members nominated in consultation with your major professor and Graduate Advisor.
- The major professor cannot serve on the QE committee
- Three members must be from the BSE Graduate Program.
- At least one, but no more than two, member(s) from outside the BSE Graduate Program
Please see the degree requirements guide for more information about eligibility to serve on the QE committee, or check in with Graduate Program Coordinator
*Note: Individuals who hold EWOS status are not members of the GBSE Graduate program; if their regular appointment is in GBSE, they also do not qualify as external to the GBSE Graduate program, and cannot serve as a committee member. - When to take the QE
- - A student entering with a BS degree in engineering should take the qualifying examination within 9 quarters (excluding summer) and no later than 12 quarters (excluding summer) after admission to the Ph.D. program.
- A student entering with an MS degree with a significant number of units (18 to 21) used from their MS program, should take the qualifying examination in 6 quarters (excluding summer) and no later than 9 quarters (excluding summer) after admission to the Ph. D. program.
- A student entering with a non-engineering BS degree would be allowed an additional year for taking the qualifying examination.
- Scheduling the Oral Exam
- AT LEAST 30 days prior to their QE date (35-40 days is recommended), submit the Qualifying Examination Application via GradSphere to schedule the oral exam. Late applications will be denied.
All QEs must be conducted in-person except for emergencies or due to approved accommodations.
One member of the QE committee (not the chair) can participate remotely.
Emergency Plan: Students and their QE committee have three alternate options in case of emergencies (i.e. last minue, unanticipated events such as sudden sickness or accident). The options (Remote Exam, (predetermined) Alternative Examiner, Pre-Scheduled Backup Date/Time) must be opted by the student in consultation with the QE committee chair when filing the QE Qualifying Examination Application. Students are not required to select an Emergency Plan. However, if no Emergency Plan is provided, the only option in case of an emergency will be the reschedule the QE. (See Section VII in the GC2005-02 Doctoral Qualifying Examinations (rev.13) Policy) - Oral Portion of the Exam
- The oral portion of the qualifying exam will be 3 hours in length and is intended to demonstrate the student's critical thinking ability, powers of imagination and synthesis, and broad knowledge of the field of study. The QE committee chair will set the remaining format and communicate this to you and the other committee members.
An example of a typical format is as follows:
- Approximately 1-1.5 hours presentation and questioning on the QE proposal
- Student prepares a 15 – 20 min presentation.
- Some committees prefer questions throughout the presentation.
- Others will hold questions until after an uninterrupted presentation
- Short break
- Committee members discuss student performance
- Approximately 1-1.5 hours questioning on coursework
- Committee deliberations
- Chair will inform student of the outcome of the exam at the end of the deliberations.
- The total time for the exam is typically around 3 hours.
The QE must be interactive
All examiners must be able to ask questions, hear the student's answers, and then follow up with another question or comment in response to the student's initial reply. Committee members, individually and collectively, must be able to engage in a discourse with the student on topics relevant to the student's area of competence.
The QE must be a group activity
The committee must collectively: 1) experience the discourse with a student, 2) evaluate the student's performance, 3) determine the length and content of the examination, and 4) moderate the demeanor of the student and the members of the committee.
The QE must be broadly structured
Based on the student's past academic, research and scholarly record and performance on the examination, the student must broadly demonstrate sufficient competence in the selected disciplinary area, which must go beyond the limited area of scholarship associated with a dissertation topic. Further, the student must demonstrate the capability for integration and utilization of knowledge and skills that are critical for independent and creative research, thereby qualifying them for advancement to the research-intensive phase of doctoral education. - Written Portion of the Exam – Dissertation Prospectus/QE Proposal
- At a minimum the written portion of the exam consists of a research proposal called the Dissertation Prospectus. The Prospectus should be provided to members of the qualifying examination committee at least 10 days before the oral portion of the exam.
The Prospectus is an independently prepared proposal of 12-15 pages describing the student's dissertation-specific research aims, hypotheses, progress to date, and experimental approach. The QE proposal must be written exclusively by you (the student). PIs may provide guidance and feedback, but not conduct extensive edits.
Consult with your PI on their preferred QE proposal document structure and format beyond the page count requirement noted above. Here is an example set of guidelines for the QE proposal document.
Example Format (Following NSF proposal guidelines)
- 15 pages maximum
- Including figures and tables
- Not including references
- Not including title page
- Single spaced, 1” margins, 12 pt. font
- Proposal Sections
- Title page
- Proposal Title
- Date of QE
- Committee members (including title and affiliation)
- Introduction and Problem Statement
- What main research question will your research attempt to answer?
- Why is this question important?
- Research objectives
- How will your research address the main research question?
- Background
- What is currently known? (i.e. how have others tried to answer this question?
- Approach
- How will you fulfil your research objectives?
Some helpful 'Tips for Successful Proposal Writing'. - Preparing for the QE
Checklist and Timeline
(At least) 3-6 months before QE
- Verify that your approved final Program of Study is complete with the Graduate Program Coordinator.
- Discuss your exam with your Major Professor and assemble QE committee
- Set a date, time and location for the QE; be sure to reserve the room for your exam
- Start developing the QE proposal (if you haven’t already started)
6 weeks before QE
- Submit the signed QE application (and/or the external member form and/or remote participant form as needed) to the Graduate Program Coordinator (The Graduate Program Coordinator will submit the QE Application to Graduate Studies for approval. The QE cannot proceed until Graduate Studies has approved the committee)
- QE Applications MUST be submitted to Graduate Studies at least 30 days in advance or they will be denied. Please try to submit 35-40 days in advance to secure departmental approval and signatures.
4-2 weeks before QE (No later than 10 days prior to the QE date)
- Send a final draft of the QE proposal to committee members and discuss requirements
- Start working on your QE proposal presentation
- Meet with individual QE members to get feedback on your research proposal and specific recommendations on your coursework exam
2 weeks before QE
- Practice QE presentation
- review coursework in preparation for being tested on your breadth of knowledge
3-5 Days before QE
- Check the room and test the tech
Night before QE
- Sleep well
- Eat well
- Relax!
Day of QE
- Go in with confidence – you know your research proposal better than anyone else in the room!- Required Paperwork
- All students must submit the Qualifying Examination Application via GradSphere. Students should plan to submit the Qualifying Examination Application AT LEAST 30 days prior to their QE date (35-40 days is recommended). Late applications will be denied.
If you have a member of your QE who is external to the UC faculty, you should check in with the Graduate Program Coordinator, and submit the External Committee Membership Application form, along with the persons CV.
One member of your QE committee is allowed to participate remotely without requiring additional approval from Graduate Studies. The QE committee chair may not participate remotely under any circumstances.
All forms should be submitted via GradSphere.
Current guidance on remote/in person exams can be found on the Graduate Studies website. - Reserving a Room
- It is the student's responsibility to reserve a room.
Space in Bainer Hall: Reserve a room for your exam using BFTV Event Management System; I highly recommending reserving the space for 30 minutes before and after your QE so you don't feel rushed. If you need assistance with this, please email BAEadvising@ucdavis.edu.
You can also reserve space in Walker Hall (1212, 1004, 1003, 1136). Visit the Grad Studies Facility Reservations website to learn more about the Walker Hall Rooms, and also find the link to reserve rooms online. - QE Resources for students
- - Graduate Studies Qualifying Exam website
- Graduate Council Policy - Doctoral Qualifying Examinations GC2005-02 (rev. 13)
- Acing your Qualifying Exam
- Additional Hints to Help You Succeed on Your QE
- QE Regulations (Graduate Studies document)
- Graduate Studies Remote Participation in Graduate Examinations - QE Resources for Faculty
Major Professors, QE committee chair and members, please review the above information and the Graduate Council Policy - Doctoral Qualifying Examinations GC2005-02 (rev. 13) to familiarize with the purpose and process of the QE in the GBSE program. Additionally, below are some guidance on evaluation of the student's QE performance.
The primary purpose of the QE is to validate that the student is academically qualified to conceptualize a research topic, undertake scholarly research and successfully produce the dissertation required for a doctoral degree.
The QE must evaluate the student’s breadth and depth of knowledge.
The QE must be interactive
All examiners must be able to ask questions, hear the student's answers, and then follow up with another question or comment in response to the student's initial reply. Committee members, individually and collectively, must be able to engage in a discourse with the student on topics relevant to the student's area of competence.
The QE must be a group activity
The committee must collectively: 1) experience the discourse with a student, 2) evaluate the student's performance, 3) determine the length and content of the examination, and 4) moderate the demeanor of the student and the members of the committee.
The QE must be broadly structured
Based on the student's past academic, research and scholarly record and performance on the examination, the student must broadly demonstrate sufficient competence in the selected disciplinary area, which must go beyond the limited area of scholarship associated with a dissertation topic. Further, the student must demonstrate the capability for integration and utilization of knowledge and skills that are critical for independent and creative research, thereby qualifying them for advancement to the research-intensive phase of doctoral education.
The following rubrics are provided as guides for faculty committees when evaluating student performance.
First QE Rubric
Performance Metric Meets Expectation Does not meet expectations at this time
(corrective actions to be specified by the committee
Fail Breadth of Knowledge Student demonstrated adequate breadth of knowledge to conceptualize a research topic, undertake scholarly research and successfully produce the dissertation required for a doctoral degree.
No additional coursework needed.
Student has deficiencies in breadth of knowledge such that they are not yet ready to conceptualize a research topic, undertake scholarly research and successfully produce the dissertation required for a doctoral degree.
Additional coursework or other means to acquire additional knowledge required. To be specified by the QE Committee.
Student deficiencies in breadth of knowledge is beyond remedy within a reasonable timeframe. Depth of knowledge Student demonstrated adequate depth of knowledge in the relevant subject matters to conceptualize a research topic, undertake scholarly research and successfully produce the dissertation required for a doctoral degree.
No additional coursework, background research, or revision of QE proposal needed.
Student has deficiencies in their depth of knowledge in relevant subject matters such that they are not yet ready to conceptualize a research topic, undertake scholarly research and successfully produce the dissertation required for a doctoral degree.
Additional coursework, background research, and/or revision of QE proposal required. To be specified by the QE Committee.
Student deficiencies in depth of knowledge is beyond remedy within a reasonable timeframe.
Recommended Outcomes for the First QE Attempt
The ultimate outcome of the QE is by vote of the committee members. There are three possible outcomes from the first QE - Pass, Retake, or Fail. This chart provides a guide based on the First QE Rubric.
Second QE Rubric
This rubric is recommended in the case that the student does not pass the first time, and must follow through to remedy deficiencies specified by the committee.Performance Metric Meets Expectations Fail Breadth of Knowledge Student demonstrated adequate breadth of knowledge to conceptualize a research topic, undertake scholarly research and successfully produce the dissertation required for a doctoral degree. Student failed to demonstrate adequate breadth of knowledge to conceptualize a research topic, undertake scholarly research and successfully produce the dissertation required for a doctoral degree despite completing the recommended corrective actions.
OR
Student failed to complete recommended corrective actions to the QE committee's satisfaction.
Depth of Knowledge Student demonstrated adequate depth of knowledge in the relevant subject matters to conceptualize a research topic, undertake scholarly research and successfully produce the dissertation required for a doctoral degree. Student failed to demonstrate adequate depth of knowledge in the relevant subject matters to conceptualize a research topic, undertake scholarly research and successfully produce the dissertation required for a doctoral degree despite completing the recommended corrective actions.
OR
Student failed to complete recommended corrective actions to the QE committee's satisfaction.
Recommended Outcomes for the Second QE AttemptIn their second attempt, the student must meet expectations in both breadth and depth of knowledge to pass. There are only two possible outcomes for the second attempt - Pass or Fail. This chart provides a guide based on the Second QE Rubric.
If the outcome of the second QE is Fail, the student will automatically be recommended for disqualification from the program (see GS2005-01: Disqualification and Appeal Policy).