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Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Policy
Purpose of the Qualifying Exam
All Ph.D. students must successfully pass a qualifying examination prior to submitting their dissertation
proposal. Generally, the Qualifying Examination is intended to ascertain the students command of select
domain areas related to a particular discipline and demonstrate his/her ability to perform graduate level
research.
More precisely, the Qualifying Examination is used to:
Verify the student's potential for doctoral research and assess the student's ability to use
fundamental concepts in the pursuit of doctoral research.
Identify areas that may need to be strengthened for the student to be successful in doctoral
research.
Timeline
The Qualifying Exam will be administered according to the expectations of the academic discipline. For
example, in engineering a qualifying exam may be administered relatively early in the doctoral studies.
In aviation, the qualifying exam is structured to assess comprehensive knowledge of the discipline after
all or nearly all of academic course work has been completed and thus, it is administered closer to the
completion of the degree. Consult with your program for additional information regarding the timing
of the qualifying examination.
Qualifying examination styles
The method for completing the Qualifying Examination process vary with each program or department.
Generally, qualifying is accomplished by successful completion of one (or a combination of more than
one) of the following:
1. Three Topic Exam Style Qualifying Exam.
The student in consultation with their Ph.D. Advisor will identify three topics from which questions
will be developed for the examination. (See Appendix A for more details) (Topic areas are provided
by each academic department)
2. Qualification through Research Writing(s) and Oral Examination.
The student will present their own research work(s) to the examination committee for evaluation
on their scholarly merit. If the committee determines the work to be appropriately rigorous, an
oral examination based on the three separate domain areas is conducted. (See Appendix B for more
details)
3. Qualification through a Portfolio (Aviation Ph.D. Only)
The Qualifying Portfolio is an organized, selective collection of artifacts gathered throughout the
coursework phase of the doctoral program and is designed to facilitate and evaluate academic
development in pursuit of doctoral research. When complete, the portfolio demonstrates the
student’s command of the academic discipline and ability to commence dissertation research. (See
Appendix C for more details)
Petition forms and detailed instructions for arranging the exam and reporting the exam results are
included in Appendix D.
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Appendix A: Qualification through Three Topic Exam Style
With regard to three topic qualification examination, this appendix describes exam format and timeline,
selection of examiners, administration of the exam, and exam outcomes.
Timeline
When to take the qualifying exam?
Students are advised to pursue this qualifying examination before the end of their first academic year in
the PhD program. Please consult individual programs for specific deadlines, examination dates, and
other recommendations.
When to schedule the qualifying exam?
Students should submit the completed PhD Qualifying Exam Petition Form to the Office of Graduate
Education & Research at least 30 days prior to date of examination. The form is available at Appendix D
of this document or http://www.slu.edu/parks/graduate/graduate-forms-and-resources.php.
When will the grade be given?
Students will be notified in writing of the outcome of the PhD qualifying examination no later than two
weeks of the exam date, and within two weeks of the submission of additional required work (if
required).
General Description
The intent of the three topic examination format is to allow doctoral students to qualify for pursuit of
doctoral studies by demonstrating their PhD-level knowledge in three topics related to their research.
The students in consultation with their PhD Advisor will identify three topics from the examination topics
list provided by their home program or department. Students may choose topics drawn from outside
their home program with the approval of their advisor. The faculty evaluator for each topic is suggested
by the PhD Advisor and should be approved by the program. Upon identification of faculty evaluators,
students should complete the qualifying examination petition form by following the steps outlined in
Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Policy. This includes
determining time, date, and location of examination.
Format of Exam
The test will be given in three, two hour blocks of time, one topic during each two hours block.
The student home program in consultation with the faculty evaluators will provide more information on
each topical exam. This information should include list of topics or syllabus for each exam block, format
of each block (e.g. open book, closed book), and list of suggested references for each topic. This
information should be provided to students 30 days prior to date of examination.
Exam Day
A proctor is appointed by the program to administer the qualification examination. Faculty evaluators
provide the exam questions to the proctor at least one day prior to examination day. The proctor will
return the student answers to the faculty evaluators for grading in twenty four hours after completion of
the exam.
Exam grading
Students are expected to provide the faculty evaluators with the PhD Qualifying Exam Results Form. The
steps for completing this form are explained in the Appendix D Parks College of Engineering, Aviation
and Technology Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Policy. The faculty evaluators will grade the exam in no later than
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two weeks and will forward the exam results to the students PhD Advisor. The PhD advisor will notify
the student the outcome of the PhD qualifying examination in writing within two weeks of the
examination. The outcome for each examination topic will be reported as follows:
Pass: indicating the student passed in the three topical area(s) selected.
Conditional Pass: indicating the student did not pass in the selected topical area(s). The faculty
evaluator in consultation with the PhD Advisor will determine the additional work that should
be completed by student to pass the topical exam.
Fail: indicating the student failed one or more of the topical areas. In this case, based on the
discretion of the student’s PhD advisor, the examination committee, Associate Dean of Parks
graduate programs and the program, the student might be instructed to re-take the topic(s) or
could be given a chance to proceed with a lower degree such as Master’s.
If students receive conditional pass in any of the examination topics, they will be given an opportunity to
mitigate the conditional pass by completing additional work determined by the faculty evaluator and
the student’s PhD advisor. Additional required work due to a Conditional Pass will be documented
through a conditional pass contract, which will include details of the additional work expected of the
student, and an expected completion date. The faculty evaluator will review the additional work and will
issue a pass or fail grade. In the case of fail grade the student should contact the Associate Dean and
department chair. The steps for mitigating conditional pass grades are outlined in Appendix D of Parks
College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Policy or
http://www.slu.edu/parks/graduate/graduate-forms-and-resources.php.
Students must pass all the three topics in order to qualify for pursuit of their doctoral studies. Students
who cannot pass the qualifying examination might be given an option for the award of lower degrees,
such as MS, which may require additional work following the guidelines for these degrees.
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Appendix B: Qualification through Research Writing(s) and oral examination
With regard to this "Research Writing(s)" type of examination format, this appendix describes
administration of the exam, selection of examiners, expectations regarding work submitted by the
student, required oral examination, exam outcomes, and notification time frame.
Timeline
When to take the qualifying exam?
Students are advised to pursue this Qualifying examination style after the end of their first summer in
the program (to allow time for laboratory research) and before their PhD proposal examination. Please,
consult individual programs for program specific deadlines or recommendations.
When to schedule the qualifying exam?
The research writing(s) that a student submits for consideration by the qualifying examination committee
must be submitted together with the Qualifying Exam Request Form (see Appendix D or
http://www.slu.edu/parks/graduate/graduate-forms-and-resources.php) at least 30 days prior to the
requested oral examination date.
When will the grade be given?
Students will be notified in writing of the outcome of the PhD qualifying examination no later than two
weeks of the oral examination, and within two weeks of the submission of additional required work (if
required).
General Description
The intent of the "Research Writing(s)" examination format is to allow a doctoral student to qualify for
pursuit of doctoral studies through evaluation of their research writing(s), and evaluation of their
responses during a single oral exam conducted after review of the writing(s). To successfully qualify,
students must demonstrate PhD-level knowledge in three identified topical area(s). Each topical area(s)
selected by the student for consideration in this examination format must be related to the content of the
research writing(s) submitted by the student. A list of approved topics is provided by each program.
Students may request the addition of different disciplines to their oral exam related to their research area.
The Research Writing
The research writing(s) submitted by the student should represent significant potential for scholarly
research at the doctoral level.
Acceptable research writings
1.) One or more peer-reviewed journal articles that are related to the student's intended research focus.
Such articles may be published, in-press, accepted, submitted, or in-preparation. Students should be
cautioned, however, that a single article in-preparation, listing the student as a
secondary author
,
would likely not present a strong case for PhD program qualification; and conversely, that one or more
published journal articles, listing the student as primary author, are not a guarantee of qualification.
2.) A written pre-proposal report with one or more aims that are related to the student's research focus.
The written pre-proposal report should be very similar to a peer-reviewed article in preparation,
except that it may consist predominantly of preliminary data and detailed future work plans. The
report should include the following sections: Background and Introduction, Materials and Methods,
Preliminary Data and Data Analysis, Future Work, and Conclusions for one or more aims. To be
considered for the Qualifying examination, the report should adhere to strict guidelines for technical
writing and should give sufficient information to guide the examiners in determining what is the
scope and feasibility of the project.
NOTE: A project that is too narrow in scope (i.e. detailing research at the Master’s level e.g. simple
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screening of several parameters) or too broad (i.e. without a well-defined end-point e.g.
development of cancer cure) would not be appropriate.
This written research report is meant as an avenue for a graduate student establishing a new project
where research related to project feasibility and procedure development is needed before data
collection could begin. Graduate students joining well-established projects could also choose to do
this qualifying examination style; however, a larger amount of preliminary data would be expected.
The Examination Committee
The qualifying examination committee shall consist of three individuals, with at least one individual from
the respective program(s) housing each selected exam topic. Examination committee members are
suggested by the PhD advisor in consultation with the program. One examination committee member will
ordinarily be the student's PhD advisor. In such cases wherein the student has not yet selected an advisor,
another faculty member from the student's home
program will
be selected based on that program's
recommendation.
Petition requirements
The research writing(s) that a student submits for consideration by the qualifying examination committee
must be submitted together with the Qualifying Exam Request Form
http://www.slu.edu/parks/graduate/graduate-forms-and-resources.php to the examination committee.
Prior to submitting the Qualifying Exam Request Form and research writing(s), students are strongly
encouraged to consult with their research advisor, their home program, and/or the Associate Dean to
ensure that the submitted research writings are reasonable and commensurate with the general
expectations for this type of qualifying examination.
Assessment
Qualification will be assessed by the examination committee's overall evaluation of the student's PhD-
level knowledge in the three topical areas selected. This will be accomplished through 1) evaluation of the
quality and significance of the submitted research writing(s); 2) evaluation of how well the student
responds to questions on fundamentals in three topical areas, where in all cases the questions will stem
from concepts presented in the research paper(s); 3) evaluation of how well the submitted research
writing(s) represent the PhD research topic to be pursued by the student; and 4) the student's ability to
demonstrate both depth and breadth of knowledge in the topical areas in relation to the submitted
research writing(s). The foregoing will be assessed by the examination committee through both a review of
the submitted research writing(s) and a subsequent, required oral examination that is not to exceed 90
minutes in length.
Exam grading
The outcome for a PhD qualifying examination is determined by majority vote of the qualifying
examination committee members, and leads to one of the following results:
Pass: indicating the student passed in the three topical area(s) selected.
Conditional Pass: indicating the student did not pass in the selected topical area(s).The student will
receive a pass grade after successfully completing the additional work determined by the
examination committee in consultation with the PhD advisor.
Fail: indicating the student failed. The student will be directed to meet with the Associate Dean and
PhD Advisor to discuss future options, such as the award of lower degrees (e.g. MS). If this path is
chosen, additional work might be required following the guidelines for these degrees.
Additional required work due to a "conditional pass" will be documented through a conditional pass
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contract, which will include details of the additional work expected of the student, and an expected
completion date http://www.slu.edu/parks/graduate/graduate-forms-and-resources.php. The resulting
additional work will be evaluated by the original examination committee.
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Appendix C: Qualification through Submission of a Portfolio and Oral Examination
NOTE: The Qualifying Portfolio is unique to students seeking the PhD in Aviation.
The Qualifying Portfolio is a gathering of work in the form of writing and/or project(s) intended to
demonstrate the Aviation PhD student’s mastery of ability to move forward with PhD level research.
Timeline
When to take the qualifying exam?
Students are advised to pursue this Qualifying examination style near the end of their PhD academic
program but prior to the PhD proposal examination. Please, consult the Aviation Science Department Chair
for program specific deadlines or recommendations.
When to schedule the qualifying exam?
The Portfolio a student submits for consideration by the qualifying examination committee must be
submitted together with the Qualifying Exam Request Form (http://parks.slu.edu/academics/grad-
programs/forms-and-petitions/) at least 30 days prior to the requested oral examination date.
When will the grade be given?
Students will be notified in writing of the outcome of the PhD qualifying examination no later than two
weeks of the oral examination, and within two weeks of the submission of additional required work (if
required).
General Description
The objectives of the qualifying examination experience include:
1. Verifying the student's potential for doctoral research.
2. Assessing the student's ability to use fundamental concepts in the pursuit of doctoral research.
3. Identifying areas that may need to be strengthened for the student to be successful in doctoral
research.
The aforementioned objectives will be evaluated based on the following outcomes:
1. The student will demonstrate a graduate-level knowledge and understanding of the aviation
domain.
2. The student will synthesize program of study content and leading issues surrounding the aviation
domain.
3. The student will demonstrate the ability to conduct original research.
The portfolio should be assembled in the following manner:
1. Table of contents
2. A fully executed Program of Study Form
3. Curriculum Vitae
4. A summary of how the portfolio (abstract of professional paper):
a. Demonstrates a graduate-level knowledge and understanding of aviation.
b. Synthesizes program of study content and leading issues surrounding the aviation domain.
c. Demonstrates the ability to conduct original research.
5. Research papers or major written work from at least four (4) courses listed on the Program of
Study
6. Any published material
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7. A professional essay (See Professional Essay, below) of 15-20 pages, explaining the rationale for
the selected research discipline.
a. How it complements prior academic work and professional experience, and,
b. The current discipline and what the doctoral student considers being the leading research
issues in the chosen field.
At the student’s request and with subsequent approval from their advisor, the portfolio may contain
additional items, if such items are found to be helpful as evidence of the students' preparation to pursue
doctoral studies.
The Professional Essay
The central part of the portfolio is the professional essay. It should be 15-20 pages long and represents the
candidate’s best writing. The essay should not be autobiographical, casual, or informal in tone. It should:
1. Offer an overview of the Program of Study, identify the field of study the candidate has chosen to
pursue.
2. Explain why those choices were made.
3. Explain how the candidate’s thinking about the discipline has changed with professional growth.
4. Identify the leading issues confronting particularly the major field today, the “big questions” that
the field is debating, and the kinds of research and evidence gathering that dominate current
research.
5. Provide a concise discussion of the candidate’s long-term ambitions as a scholar.
6. Identify what is lacking or inadequately understood in the field now.
7. What interpretations need more evidence or more questioning?
8. What kind of “trajectory” (or long-term research strategy) does the candidate envision for his or
her work, at the dissertation stage and beyond?
9. What research questions seem most important and significant to pursue in the intended field of
research?
10. The essay should make a case for the value of the fields of study being pursued.
11. Identify the significance of the work.
12. Identify what non-specialists and the public expect to learn from the field, and why that is useful.
Furthermore, the candidate should indicate where he or she stands on those questions and venture
appraisals or criticisms of key contemporary works in the field. Overall, the candidate should demonstrate
a firm understanding of the most influential works and interpretations in the field.
Assessment
Qualification will be assessed by the examination committee's overall evaluation of the student's PhD-level
knowledge in the three topical areas selected. This will be accomplished through:
1. Evaluation of the quality and significance of the Portfolio
2. Evaluation of how well the student responds to questions on fundamentals in the three topical
areas, where in all cases the questions will stem from concepts presented in the Portfolio
3. Evaluation of how well the Portfolio represents the PhD research topic to be pursued by the
student
4. The student's ability to demonstrate both depth and breadth of knowledge in the topical areas in
relation to the Portfolio
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The Process
1. In the final semester of coursework, students shall present the required paperwork and
Portfolio to their Qualifying Examination Committee.
2. The presentation will last approximately one hour and will include a brief overview of the
artifacts followed by a discussion of the work in light of the Program of Study.
3. The outcome for a PhD qualifying examination is determined by majority vote of the qualifying
examination committee members, and leads to one of the following results:
a. Pass: indicating the student passed in the topical area(s) selected.
b. Conditional Pass: indicating the student did not pass in the selected topical area(s).
This recommendation will be accompanied with successful completion of additional
required work by the student.
c. Fail: indicating that the student failed in the selected topical area(s). This
recommendation comes with termination of the student from the doctoral program. In
this case options will be given for the award of lower degrees, such as MS, which may
require additional work following the guidelines for these degrees.
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Appendix D: Forms and Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Petition Form
(See the appropriate appendices for additional information on the timing for submission of paperwork)
Step 1. The student secures the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Petition form from the Office of Graduate
Education & Research or at http://www.slu.edu/parks/graduate/graduate-forms-and-resources.php.
Step 2. The student provides the required demographic information on the form.
Step 3. The student indicates the type of examination format. (Methods vary by department) (See
appendices for further guidance)
Step 4. The student indicates the Designated Topic Areas for examination. (See your department for a
list of topics)
Step 5. Three Faculty Evaluators, suggested by the PhD Advisor and approved by the Department Chair,
are indicated on the Qualifying Examination form.
Step 6. In consultation with the Faculty Evaluators, the student will coordinate and detail the time,
date, and location of the examination. (Should be coordinated with department administrative
assistant)
Step 7. The student will obtain all of the necessary signatures and return the form to the Office of
Graduate Education & Research. (A copy should be retained by the student and their home
department)
Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Results Form
Step 1. The student secures the Qualifying Exam Results form from the Office of Graduate Education &
Research or at http://www.slu.edu/parks/graduate/graduate-forms-and-resources.php.
Step 2. The student provides the required demographic information and the time, date and location of
the examination.
Step 3. The method of qualification is indicated and the Designated Topic Areas are provided.
Step 4. The form is provided to the Examination Committee Chair.
Step 5. The Examination is conducted. (See the appropriate appendix for additional information on the
each exam method)
Step 5a. The Three Topic Exam is administered, or;
Step 5b. Research Writings are evaluated and a follow-up oral exam is administered, or;
Step 5c. The Qualifying Portfolio is evaluated and follow-up oral exam is administered.
Step 6. The results for each Designated Topic Area are indicated by the appropriate Faculty Evaluator.
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(Choices include Pass, Conditional Pass and Fail) (Exams should be graded no later than two weeks)
Step 6a. When one or more Conditional Pass grades are issued, the appropriate Faculty
Evaluator in consultation with the PhD Advisor will indicate Conditional Pass Requirements in
the space provided. (Use additional paper as necessary) (Sufficient detail should be articulated in
the Conditional Pass Requirements)
Step 6b. In the event of a student failing one or more Designated Topic Areas, the student
should coordinate a meeting with their Ph.D. Committee Chair, Program, and the Associate
Dean of Graduate Education & Research to discuss the next steps.
Step 7. The Examination Committee Chair will forward the form to the students Ph.D. Advisor who will
then forward to the Program/Department. The Program/Department will forward the form to the Office
of Graduate Education & Research. (A copy should be retained by the student and their home
department)
Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Conditional Pass Results
Conditional Pass requirements are articulated on the Qualifying Examination results form
Step 1. When re-examination is required, the student, in consultation with the appropriate Faculty
Evaluator(s) will coordinate and detail the time, date and location of the Conditional Pass examination
requirements (Exam location should be coordinated with department administrative assistant).
Step 1a. When completion of the Conditional Pass requirements involves a requirement other
than a follow-up examination, the tasks outlined in Step 1 of this section are unnecessary.
Step 2. Once Conditional Pass requirements have been accomplished, the student secures the
Qualifying Exam Conditional Pass Results Form from the Office of Graduate Education & Research or at
http://www.slu.edu/parks/graduate/graduate-forms-and-resources.php.
Step 3. The student provides the required demographic information, the date of the original qualifying
examination and the time, date and location for the Conditional Pass Examination.
Step 4. The student will indicate the Conditional Pass Requirements as detailed on the Qualifying Exam
Results Form.
Step 5. The student will indicate the Designated Topic Areas in which they previously received a
Conditional Pass grade. (One or more Designated Topic Areas)
Step 6. The Conditional Pass requirements are evaluated by the Faculty Evaluator(s) who graded the
original examination. (The Faculty Evaluator should verify the wording of the Conditional pass
requirements) (The Faculty Evaluator(s) ensures the student has fulfilled all conditional pass
requirements)
Step 7. The Faculty Evaluator(s) indicates the results of the Conditional Pass Examination on the form.
Step 7a. In the event of a student failing one or more Designated Topic Areas, the student
should coordinate a meeting with their Ph.D. Committee Chair, Department/Program, and the
Associate Dean of Graduate Education & Research to discuss the next steps.
Step 8. The Faculty Evaluator(s) should forward the form for signatures to the students PhD Advisor
who will then forward to the Program/Department. The Department/Program will forward the form to
the Office of Graduate Education & Research. (A copy should be retained by the student and their
home program).
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Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Petition Form
This petition should be completed when requesting a qualifying examination. Topic areas should be determined in
consultation with Ph.D. Advisor. Faculty Evaluators are appointed by the program and are charged with determining
the results for the qualifying examination in each topical area.
Students Name: Banner ID:
Phone: Email:
Local Address: Program:
Qualification Method: _____ Research Writings _____ Topical Examination _____ Portfolio
(Check One Requested Exam Format) (For Aviation students only)
Designated Topic Areas Faculty Evaluators
(Criteria varies by Department) (Approved by Department Chair)
1: 1.
2: 2.
3: 3.
Time & Date of Examination:
Location of Examination:
Student: Date:
Ph.D. Advisor: Date:
Department Chair/Director: Date:
Associate Dean: Date:
Comments:
Please return this original form to the Office of Graduate Education & Research. Copies should be retained by the student and his/her academic
department.
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Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Results Form
Students Name: Banner ID:
Phone: Email:
Local Address: Program:
Time & Date of Exam: Location of Exam:
Qualification Method: _____ Research Writings _____ Topical Examination _____ Portfolio
(Check One)
Designated Topic Areas Grade (Indicate a grade for each Designated Topic Area)
1: Pass Conditional Pass Fail
2: Pass Conditional Pass Fail
3: Pass Conditional Pass Fail
(A Conditional Pass may be remedied to a pass upon successful completion of the Conditional Pass Assignment detailed by one or more of the faculty evaluators)
(In order to successfully complete qualifying examination requirements, students must pass all three Designated Topic Areas)
We the undersigned certify the above named student has achieved the indicated grades and where
necessary has been assigned additional work to fulfill conditional pass requirements.
Faculty Evaluator 1: Date:
Faculty Evaluator 2: Date:
Faculty Evaluator 3: Date:
Ph.D. Advisor: Date:
Department Chair/Director: Date:
Associate Dean: Date:
Conditional Pass Requirements:
(To be completed only when a student receives a conditional pass in one or more areas)
Please return this original form to the Office of Graduate Education & Research. Copies should be retained by the student and his/her academic department
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Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Conditional Pass Results
Students Name: Banner ID:
Phone: Email:
Local Address: Program:
Date of Original Exam: Conditional Pass Exam Location, Time & Date:
Conditional Pass Requirements:
(As detailed in the original Qualifying Examination Results Form)
Designated Topic Areas Grade
1: ____ Pass ____ Fail
2: ____ Pass ____ Fail
3: ____ Pass ____ Fail
(Only those Designated Topic Areas in which the student received a Conditional Pass on the original Qualifying Examination Results Form should be listed above)
We the undersigned certify the above named student has achieved the indicated grade(s) on the
Conditional Pass Requirement(s) arising out of the Ph.D. qualifying examination.
Faculty Evaluator 1: Date:
Faculty Evaluator 2: Date:
(Only necessary when two or more Designated Topic Areas were graded originally as Conditional Pass)
Faculty Evaluator 3: Date:
(Only necessary when all three Designated Topic Areas were graded originally as Conditional Pass)
Ph.D. Advisor: Date:
Department Chair/Director: Date:
Associate Dean: Date:
Please return this original form to the Office of Graduate Education & Research. Copies should be retained by the student and his/her academic department.