Preliminary Exam General Timeline

1. Students are expected to complete the preliminary exam during the summer following their second year in the program, no later than the start of the next (third) academic year.
2. Students must complete all four of the required HBHE Doctoral Seminars prior to beginning the exam.
3. Students will identify potential members of their Preliminary Exam Faculty Grading Committee (henceforth Committee) during the fall term of their second year in the program and submit those names for consideration to the Doctoral Curriculum Committee no later than December 15. Once the Committee has been finalized, the student and Committee will come to agreement on the specific question that will be addressed in the exam, and the timeline for the exam process (see below for further detail).
4. Once the exam begins, students will write for two weeks, at which time the exam will be submitted for Committee review.
5. The Committee will grade the preliminary exam within two weeks and provide feedback. The student will have four weeks to complete revisions, as needed. Grading should be completed no later than one week prior to the UM Deadline for Candidacy for the fall term of the student’s third year. Faculty graders can encourage or require students given any grade other than High Pass to take additional coursework in an area deemed weak by graders. Completion of such course requirements should not delay candidacy for those who pass, but must be accomplished prior to graduation.

*The specific timeline for the preliminary exam itself will be determined by the student in conjunction with their Committee, within the parameters outlined above. Additional detail on this process is available in the HBHE Preliminary Examination Handbook.