Skip to content

Qualifying Exams

Purpose:

Before being formally admitted to candidacy for their Ph.D. degrees, all students must pass the qualifying examination.

The Ph.D. qualification exam has several goals:

  1. To motivate students to review and synthesize course work and research material;
  2. To determine the student’s ability to understand and apply fundamental concepts;
  3. To develop and test the student’s ability to communicate orally and to respond to questions and comments;
  4. To evaluate the student’s potential to pursue doctoral research;
  5. To identify areas that need to be strengthened for the student to be successful as a Ph.D. student, independent scholar and teacher; and
  6. To provide a mechanism for a range of faculty to come to know the student’s capabilities

Typically, any student who does not pass the qualifying examination will be given one more chance. If a student does not pass on the final attempt, he or she is usually given the opportunity to graduate with a terminal master's degree.

Applying for the Qualifying Exam

  1. Submit the Application for Qualifying Exam one month before your expected exam date.
  2. Attach a copy of your degree audit. Ensure you have completed the required course work established by your graduate group.
  3. If you have a committee member from an institution other than UC Merced, additional requirements apply. Refer to the UC Merced Graduate Advisor's Handbook.

In preparation, clarify expectations with your faculty advisor regarding the following:

  • Your written research proposal (typically five to 10 pages). The proposal needs to be submitted to the faculty committee at least 30 days before the exam.
  • Membership of your faculty committee.
  • Schedule preparatory meetings before exam.

Day of the Exam:

  1. Provide a blank Qualifying Examination Report at the time of your exam. All committee members must sign in original ink.
  2. Provide a copy of the Application for Advancement to Candidacy Form to your committee for their convenience at the time of your exam. All dissertation committee members and the graduate chair must sign the Application for Advancement in original ink. 
  3. Submit the Examination Report and Application for Advancement to Candidacy Form to Graduate Division.

Advancement typically takes effect in the term following the one in which the Application for Advancement is submitted. For additional information, see dates and deadlines or contact Graduate Division.

Applied Mathematics

When: All students in the Ph.D. program are required to pass the qualifying exam before advancing to candidacy for their Ph.D. degrees. The dates for the examination are arranged between each student and his or her faculty committee. All members of the faculty committee must be in attendance for Ph.D. qualifying examinations and dissertation defense. The research proposal needs to be submitted to the faculty committee at least 30 days before the oral component. The student must also submit for approval the Application For Qualifying Examination form to the Division of Graduate Studies at least one month before the oral component date.

Exam: The qualifying exam consists of written and oral components.

Research Proposal: The student must provide his or her faculty committee a written research proposal (typically five to 10 pages) that describes the dissertation research topic, summarizes progress to date, and outlines what the student proposes to do, why it is relevant and what will be learned. This proposal needs to be submitted to the faculty committee at least 30 days before the oral component.

Proposal Presentation and Oral Exam: The oral component of the qualifying exam consists of two parts. The first is a presentation of the research proposal, and is open to the public. The second part is an oral exam, which serves to ascertain the breadth of a student’s comprehension of fundamental facts and principles from his or her graduate course work. This part is closed to the public – only the student and the faculty committee are present.

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

When: All students in the Ph.D. program are required to pass the qualifying exam before advancing to candidacy for their Ph.D. degrees. Each student is expected to take and pass the qualifying examination before the end of his or her second year of graduate study unless he or she successfully petitions the Educational Policy Committee to take it at a specified later date. The qualifying examination may not be scheduled until at least three of the required non-seminar graduate courses have been completed and the preliminary examination has been passed. The date of the examination is arranged between the student and his or her committee chairperson.

Exam and Research Proposal: At least one week before the examination date, each student will provide to the committee a written document (typically five to 10 pages) that describes his or her research topic, summarizes progress to date, and outlines what he or she proposes to do, why it is relevant and what will be learned. Committee members should include in their deliberations such factors as relevant portions of the previous academic record, performance on the examination, and an overall evaluation of the student’s performance and potential for scholarly research as indicated during the examination.

A student who has not passed the examination may repeat the qualifying examination after a preparation time of no less than three and no more than nine months. Students who fail to pass the examination on the second attempt will be recommended for dismissal to the dean of the Graduate Division unless they successfully petition the Academic Policy Committee for an exception.

Physics

When: All students in the Ph.D. program are required to pass the qualifying exam before advancing to candidacy for their Ph.D. degree. Each student is expected to take and pass the qualifying examination before the end of his or her third year of graduate study unless he or she successfully petitions the Graduate Group chair to take it at a specified later date. The qualifying examination may not be scheduled until the four core courses have been completed the preliminary examination has been passed. The date of the examination is arranged between each student and his or her committee chairperson. All students in the Physics Ph.D. program are required to pass the oral qualifying examination before advancing to candidacy for their Ph.D. degree.

Exam and Research Proposal: At least two weeks before his or her examination date, each student will provide to the committee a research proposal (typically about 10 pages) that describes his or her research topic, summarizes progress to date, and outlines what he or she proposes to do, why it is relevant, and what will be learned. Any student who has not passed the examination may repeat the qualifying examination after a preparation time of at least three months. Failure to pass the examination on the second attempt means the student is subject to disqualification from further study for the doctoral degree.

Quantitative and Systems Biology

When: Each student is expected to take and pass the qualifying examination during his or her second year of graduate study unless he or she successfully petitions the Graduate Program chair. All students in the Quantitative and Systems Biology Ph.D. program are required to pass a qualifying examination before advancing to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. The dates for the examination are arranged between the students, their graduate research advisors and their examination committee chairs. Students entering the Ph.D. program with master's degrees may request to take their qualifying exams during their first years, provided their graduate research committee approves.

Exam and Research Proposal: The exam consists of a written proposal and an oral examination.

Committee: The examination committee is the same as the student’s faculty committee, except that the graduate research advisor is usually replaced by another member of the program selected by the chair of the graduate program in consultation with other members, if necessary, to maintain a minimum examining committee size of three.

The graduate research advisor is encouraged to be available for private consultation with the examination committee at the beginning and/or end of the examination, but may not be present during other times such as student examination and committee deliberation.

Upon recommendation of the examination committee, any student who has not passed the examination may repeat the qualifying examination after a preparation time of no more than six months. Failure to pass the examination on the second attempt means the student is subject to disqualification from further study for the doctoral degree.

After a second examination, a vote of "not pass" is unacceptable; only "pass" or "fail" are recognized by the dean of Graduate Studies.

UC Davis offers highly recommended general advice for the qualifying exam: "Acing your Qualifying Exam: Strategies for Success in any Department PDF/DOC."

Please print a clean copy of your report (second page) and present it to your committee at the time of your re-exam so committee members can record the results.

All committee members must sign the report in original ink (no faxes or PDFs). Submit the new report to the Graduate Division and a copy to your graduate group coordinator.