Committee and Student Attendance at the Qualifying Examination

Graduate Council has determined that all QEs must be held fully in-person except in the case of deployment of approved emergency plans or due to approved accommodations. Graduate Council considers the in-person experience to be a significant part of this crucial academic milestone. For these reasons, at most 1 member (never the QE chair or student) may participate remotely without the need for an exception if approved by the QE committee chair and student.  Three other emergency plan options may be chosen in advance, on the QE application, including an all remote exam, alternative examiner and pre-scheduled back up date and time.

It is the responsibility of all committee members to be in attendance for the entire qualifying examination. In the event that the Chair is absent and unreachable, the remaining members of the committee shall suspend the examination after waiting a reasonable time, and after attempting to contact the Chair. The examination shall then be rescheduled.

If a student is not present at the time of the scheduled Qualifying Examination, both the committee chair and the student must submit written reports explaining the circumstances to Graduate Studies. The Administrative Committee of the Graduate Council will review the case, and rule on whether the student’s absence constitutes a failed examination or if a rescheduled examination should take place.

Adjourning the Qualifying Examination in Process

Under unusual and extenuating circumstances, as determined by the committee, the committee may suspend the qualifying examination in process, and may request that the exam be considered a ‘No Exam.’ If the committee wishes to suspend the exam, the chair must return the Report on Qualifying Examination indicating ‘No Exam’ along with an explanation to Graduate Studies.

Evaluation Procedure

The members should endeavor to reach a unanimous decision as to the qualifications of the student for successful completion of a doctoral program. They should include in their evaluations of the student such factors as relevant portions of the academic record, performance on specific parts of the examination, and an overall evaluation of the student's performance and potential for scholarly research as indicated during the examination.

Unanimous Decision

A committee, having reached a unanimous decision, shall inform the student of its decision.  If a unanimous decision takes the form of ‘retake’ or ‘fail’, the Chair must include in their report a specific statement, agreed to by all members of the committee, explaining its decision, and must inform the student of the decision. See results section below for more information on required statements.  The decision of a unanimous committee may be changed only for cause, e.g. procedural error or probable bias.

Split Decision

If after deliberation, the committee is unable to reach a unanimous decision concerning a pass, retake, or fail, the chair shall inform the student that the committee is divided.  Chairs of divided committees must inform the student that the majority and minority are making recommendations, that the recommendations will be subject to further review, and that the Administrative Committee of the Graduate Council or its designee will make the decision as to future action. The chair must notify the Dean of Graduate Studies that the Committee is divided via the QE Report form in GradSphere and will include separate reports from the majority and minority of the committee with their specific evaluations of the student's performance on the examination and recommendations for further action by the Administrative Committee. The Administrative Committee may, at its discretion, request individual statements from members of the examining committee and will consider a written statement from the student if one is submitted. While the deliberations of the examining committee are confidential, student records, such as written reports from committee members, are available to the student by law.

Results of the Qualifying Exam

Results of the Qualifying Exam committee vote should be reported using the ‘Report on Qualification Examination for Admission to Candidacy’ form attached to the Chair’s QE approval email from Graduate Studies.  QE Chairs should submit completed QE Report forms via GradSphere. Any report other than ‘Pass’ must be accompanied by a memorandum of explanation.  Decisions must be communicated to the student immediately following committee deliberation.

Pass: The committee unanimously decides the student passed the examination and is prepared to advance to candidacy and continue toward the doctoral objective as a doctoral candidate.  No conditions or additional requirements may accompany a Pass decision.

Retake: The committee unanimously decides the student is not yet prepared to advance to candidacy due to deficiencies in portions or all of the examination, but the committee agrees the student should have the opportunity to address the deficiencies through reexamination. 

The chair of the QE committee must inform the student verbally and in writing of the Retake decision.  A copy of the Retake memorandum must be submitted via GradSphere along with the exam report, assessing the student’s performance on each subject area covered during the examination. The statement must specify if the committee will reexamine the student on all topics or only on those not passed in the first exam. The committee must determine and identify the format of the second attempt (oral examination, rewriting of the proposal, writing an additional paper, retaking the entire exam), the details (i.e. length of the second oral exam, length/word count of the paper, etc.) and provide a detailed timeline of events.

Fail: The committee unanimously decides the student failed the examination, and the deficiencies were of an extent that the student may not continue towards the doctoral objective.  A unanimous fail on either the first or second exam is a recommendation of the student’s disqualification from the doctoral degree objective.  In the case of a 'Fail' decision, the chair must notify the student verbally and in writing of the decision. A copy of the memorandum must be sent to Graduate Studies via GradSphere along with the exam report, assessing the student’s performance and deficiencies in the examination.  If for a first exam, the statement should explain why reexamination is not recommended by the QE committee.  

The Qualifying Examination can be a stressful experience for the student, especially in the case of a ‘Retake’ or ‘Fail’ result. Consider whether the student might benefit from consultation with other faculty and staff advisors or with a mental health professional (530-752-2349); see Mental Health and Counseling Services.

Reporting the Results of the Second Qualifying Examination

Only one retake of the qualifying exam is permitted and the outcome of a second QE Examination may only be a decision of ‘Pass’ or ‘Fail’. In the case of a decision of ‘Fail’, the student must be notified verbally and in writing following the committee deliberation. The report form must be submitted to Graduate Studies via GradSphere along with a written memorandum describing the student’s performance and deficiencies in the second examination.  

Questions/Concerns

If the chair or committee members have questions or concerns prior to or after the Qualifying Exam, contact the Graduate Studies Senior Academic Advisors (SAA’s).