What are the doctorate preliminary examinations?
A. All doctoral students are required to take written and oral preliminary examinations. The examination is given no earlier than a date at which the student is within approximately six hours of completion of formal course work on the degree plan or no later that the end of the semester following the completion of the formal course work on the degree plan. The written part of the examination will cover all fields of study included in the student’s degree plan and is administered about three weeks prior to the oral date of the preliminary examination. Each member of the student’s committee is responsible for administering a written examination in his or her particular field, unless otherwise waived. The oral portion of the preliminary examination is a scheduled meeting with all the committee members for discussion of what the student has learned from the program. The committee chair should contact the academic advising office at least two weeks prior to the confirmed oral date of the pr
