Qualifying Exam Procedures

It is strongly recommended that students planning for their exams meet with the Graduate Program Coordinator at least 4 months prior to the exam date. Students should reserve a room for their oral exam with the Graduate Program Coordinator as soon as a date is set.

Qualifying Exam Procedures

The qualifying exam focuses on testing the student’s knowledge in their broad field of study, identifying any major gaps in academic preparation, and ultimately evaluating whether the student is academically and intellectually poised to complete the PhD program. The exam consists of written and oral components.  Students are responsible for working with their committee members to schedule the qualifying exam at the appropriate time.  Any students experiencing problems with their committee finding an agreeable time for the exam should contact the DGS for assistance. We strongly encourage PhD students to complete the exam near the end of their second year or during the summer following their second year.  The deadline for completion of the qualifying exam is the end of the 5th semester (typically Fall of year 3).  Students who have not completed the exam by the end of the 5th semester will be placed on Academic Probation for failure to make Satisfactory Academic Progress.  Students placed on Academic Probation have one semester to demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress (in this case by completing the Qualifying Exam) or be dismissed from the program.

Basic Steps and Timetable:

  1. Student coordinates with the committee to establish timetable for exam. Students should reserve a room for their oral exam with the Graduate Program Coordinator as soon as a date is set.
  2. Student writes a Thesis Proposal and delivers to committee members.
  3. Pre-exam committee meeting.  Student gives a brief (20 minute) presentation on the proposed research.  Committee will meet briefly following the presentation to discuss preparation of the exam.  Student may follow up with individual committee members for guidance on preparing for the exam.
  4. Take the written exam.  Written exam should be scheduled a minimum of 2 weeks after the thesis proposal is delivered to the committee.
  5. Take the oral exam.  Oral exam should take place within one month of the written exam.
  6. Revise the thesis proposal based on the outcome of the qualifying exam and submit it to GRS as the Dissertation Prospectus (within 6 months of completion of the exam).

    THESIS PROPOSAL

    The Thesis Proposal outlines the student’s planned dissertation research. It should be a single-spaced, no more than 4 pages long. Bibliography, figures and tables should be included on separate pages and do not count in 4-page total. While the form of the Proposal may vary, it should contain everything needed to evaluate the project as a research-based thesis. It should include a statement of project significance, outline the problem to be addressed, describe the methods to be used, and discuss expected outcomes. The research described in the thesis proposal is not binding; some students will end up writing a dissertation that evolves significantly from what is proposed here. The thesis proposal is evaluated largely on the student’s ability to pose testable questions that have topical significance, and to design a strategy for addressing them.

    WRITTEN EXAM

    The exact format of the written exam (open-ended response vs calculations, etc) is tailored to each student and determined by the dissertation committee.  Questions will be based on the content of the thesis proposal, prior coursework and background academic preparation for the proposed research.  All exams will take place over three days, with a single question or a set of multi-part related questions each day.  The three exam days may be consecutive or they may be spread out over a single week.  Questions for the day are delivered to the student by the Committee Chair each morning and responses submitted 8 hours later. The Committee Chair will distribute the responses to each day’s questions to the full committee for evaluation.  The written exam is open-book, but students should not ask others for help in answering or reviewing responses to questions (including using any form of generative AI). Furthermore, responses must not include text previously written by the student for a paper, proposal, etc. Doing so would be considered self-plagiarism and is a violation of the GRS Academic and Professional Conduct Code. Students for whom English is a second language may be granted additional time at the Committee’s discretion.  Committee members will discuss the responses as a group and the committee chair or advisor will discuss the responses with the student as soon as practical after the exam ends. Students are free to seek out additional feedback from other members of the exam committee prior to the oral exam.

    ORAL EXAM

    Within one month of completion of the written exam, the dissertation committee will assemble for the oral exam. A block of at least 2 hours should be set aside for the exam. Students should schedule this block as early as possible as it can be difficult to find a mutually agreeable time on short notice. The student can expect two rounds of questions from the members of the Committee, but the committee chair is ultimately responsible for ensuring the exam runs smoothly and each member of the Committee is allotted adequate and equitable time. Exam questions are often prompted by issues raised by the student in the prospectus, they may be follow-ups to written exam responses, or they may test the student’s broader understanding of their research area. Upon completion of questioning (to the chair’s satisfaction) the candidate briefly will be excused, and the committee will discuss the outcome of the Qualifying Exam. Results of the exam will be communicated verbally by the committee to the student immediately and the Results of Examination form signed and delivered to the Graduate Program Coordinator, who will copy and forward to GRS. A pass requires no more than one negative vote. A passing vote by a majority of the committee is necessary to advance to formal PhD candidacy.

    Potential Outcomes

    Several outcomes may arise from these exams, at the completion of the Oral portion.  These include:

    1. Unconditional pass, advancement to PhD candidacy.  Post-BA PhD students are eligible to apply for the MA degree upon successful completion of the Qualifying Exam.  See the DGS for details.
    2. Conditional Pass, student can advance provided certain requirements are met (e.g., coursework). At the option of the committee, the Conditional Pass may include a second partial or complete Exam, not more than 1 semester following the first exam.
    3. Fail, but retake one or both exams. This must occur within 1 semester of the exam.  It may be complemented by recommendations of remedial work, such as coursework or significant alterations to the Thesis Proposal.  Each exam may be taken only twice.
    4. Fail and transfer to MA program to complete terminal MA degree. Such an MA must be normally be completed in the semester in which the exam is taken.
    5. Fail and terminate study in the program without receipt of any degree.

    DISSERTATION PROSPECTUS

    After students have completed the qualifying exams (and at least six months before the defense) they must submit to GRS a Prospectus of the proposed dissertation research. The Prospectus is an expanded and updated version of the Thesis Proposal previously prepared in advance of the qualifying exam that reflects a more mature understanding of the research that will comprise the Dissertation. It should be a single-spaced, typically 6 pages long. Bibliography, figures and tables should be included on separate pages and do not count in 6-page total. The Dissertation Students are encouraged to schedule a meeting with their committee as they prepare the Prospectus for submission.  This is a good time for a check-in in advance of the Dissertation Defense.  The prospectus must be approved by the members of the Dissertation Committee prior to submission to GRS.  E&E urges students to submit Prospectuses within six months of passing the qualifying exams.

    DISSERTATION COMMITTEE

    The dissertation committee oversees and provides feedback on the student’s research, participates in qualifying exams, approves the Dissertation Prospectus, conducts the Final Oral Exam (Dissertation Defense) and signs off on the completed dissertation.  Students are expected to have a committee in place and begin holding regular meetings with their committee by the end of the first year.  All students must hold meetings with their committee at least once a year and will be asked to report on these meetings in the PhD Annual Report.  Regular committee meetings do not need to be long or formal; a 30 minute Zoom meeting is fine.  Students should use that opportunity update their committee members on their plans and to seek input from faculty members other than their primary advisor, with whom they should be meeting regularly.

    The makeup of the committee may change over time.  For the purposes of the qualifying exam, the committee must be made up of at least three BU tenure and tenure-track faculty members.  At least two of these members must be Earth and Environment faculty. The chair of the committee must be a faculty member in Earth & Environment who is not the student’s advisor. The committee chair is charged with organizing exam procedures and moderating the oral exam.  A fourth committee member must be added prior to the preparation of the Dissertation Prospectus. This fourth member may be a BU faculty member or a scholar from outside of BU. Students who are working closely with an outside scholar may choose to have the fourth member present for the qualifying exam. A special service appointment, approved by the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, is required for committee members who are visiting, adjunct, and emeritus faculty; Boston University employees not of professorial rank; or faculty from outside Boston University. Students may add committee members beyond the required four, but a majority of the committee members must be BU faculty not requiring a special appointment. Four committee members, including the advisor are designated as “readers.” Only readers sign the signature page of the dissertation, but all members are expected to read the dissertation. Changes to the membership of the committee should be made in consultation with the advisor and reported to the Graduate Program Coordinator. The membership of the Committee is subject to the approval of the Department Chair or the DGS.

    The student and the advisor should be clear about when the student meets with the other committee members throughout the process: For instance, does the student meet with committee members together or individually after the prospectus is drafted but before the exams?.