The Ph.D. qualifying requirement consists of two components: a written examination and an oral examination. The purpose of the written examination is to test basic knowledge, understanding, and problem solving at an undergraduate level. The purpose of the oral examination is to test the student’s ability to integrate material in a field chosen by the student, to think creatively, and, to a lesser extent, to demonstrate proficiency in the chosen field.

Students will be exempt from the oral exam if they both a) earn a clear passing score as determined by the PhD Qualifying Committee on the written exam; and b) fulfill a course-based component within their first year. The raw score threshold for clear passing scores will be determined after the administration of each written exam. The course-based component will require a minimum GPA of 3.5 in any four core courses, as declared by the student, taken during the student’s first two semesters. Only one attempt is allowed at each core course that the student declares towards the course-based component. Students should submit the PhD Qualifying Requirement Course-based Declaration form upon satisfying the course-based requirement.

Flowchart of ECE PhD Qualifying System