The Qualifying Exam

A pre-candidate PhD student must pass their department's qualifying exam to advance to PhD candidacy. The CLaSP PhD qualifying exam includes a research-based written report and an oral presentation, followed by an oral exam (as of January 2020). The PhD Qualifying Exam Procedures document is available here; please refer to this document for details. 

The Faculty members overseeing the qualifying exam typically hold an information session for grad students - look for an email with details.

Timeline

Students will take the exam during their second academic year. Three periods are offered for taking the exam: September, January, and May. 

• The student must notify the Graduate Coordinator (Claire Miller ccdewitt@umich.edu) and Qualifying Exam Committee chair (Mark Flanner flanner@umich.edu) of their intent to take the exam at least one month prior to the exam month (i.e., by August 1 for a September exam, December 1 for a January exam, and April 1 for a May exam).

• The Graduate Coordinator will then work with the Qualifying Exam Committee to schedule the exam based on faculty availability and the committee composition requirements described in the Procedures document. Retake exams may occur in any subsequent exam period and must occur by May of the student’s third academic year.