Qualifying exam
Students who are working towards a Ph.D. degree are required to take the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination tests the student's ability to think, speak and write. Students have to read and understand three technical papers that define the examination topical area. Students then write a review paper as well as orally present this review to a faculty examining committee. This committee includes 3 faculty from the ECE department whose research focus is in the area the student wants to be tested on. The student has to answer detailed questions from the faculty committee. These questions can be about the review paper and presentation, the reference papers, and obvious undergraduate-level technical background for the material in the review and reference papers.
Review the important dates and deadlines.
Unlike other Ph.D. programs, this is not a comprehensive examination or an open-ended examination of what the faculty
For students entering the Ph.D. program in or after the Fall 2015 semester, students must take the Ph.D. qualifying exam for the first time no later than the fourth semester after being admitted to the Ph.D.
For students entering the Ph.D. prior to Fall 2015, Students must take the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam for the first time no later than the fifth semester after being admitted to the Ph.D.
Students failing the qualifying exam the first time can take it a second time, no later than the sixth semester after being admitted to the Ph.D. program. One faculty member from the first exam committee will serve on the second committee. A student who fails the exam twice must leave the program at the end of that semester.
The time clock determining when a student must take the qualifying exam is stopped for one semester if the student is engaged in an industrial internship during an academic-year semester (fall or spring). This policy applies for only one semester of internship. Students engaged in internships for more than one academic-year semester may submit a petition to request a deferment of the qualifying exam timeline beyond one semester.
Three background papers
These three papers provide context to the faculty examining committee regarding your area of focus. They help describe what your work is about and why it matters. They describe the history in this research field and the motivations that are driving this research.
You select these three papers with input from your advisor. The Graduate Student Committee reviews the paper
Restriction on background papers
You can choose no more than two papers that may have authors who are currently faculty at Carnegie Mellon. You can choose no more than 1 paper that you have co-authored. The total length of all three papers should not exceed 50 pages.
Written review paper
The Qualifying Examination tests your written communication skills through a short review paper. This paper defines the focus of your Qualifying Examination topic. You should explain your technical area, your work and the relationship between your work to the background provided in the three background papers. This paper should not exceed more than 4 pages and should be in a 2-column format. You are encouraged to use the standard template.
Oral presentation
The Qualifying Examination tests your oral communication skills by having you present a short talk during the first 30 minutes of a Qualifying Examination that is scheduled for 3 hours. You should consider this oral presentation to be like a conference presentation, as the 3
Questions and answers
Once the clarification question and answers are completed, the examining committee will ask you questions about your research area, the reference papers, your review paper, and electrical and computer engineering fundamentals that relate to your research area.
These question and answer sessions are part of the 3
Fall 2023 important Qualifying Exams dates & deadlines
- TBD: Qual exam information session
- Friday, October 6th: Qualifying Exam declaration deadline
- Qual exam declaration application portal
- Required materials: Completed application; faculty selections; 1-page abstract; three background papers (no more than 50 pages total)
- Friday, October 27th: Qualifying Exam review paper deadline
- Qual exam review paper submission portal
- Review paper template available
- LaTeX templates are available through IEEE and ACM. If you are using a LaTeX template from either of these sources, you do not need to specify keywords or use the copyright blurb at the bottom of the ACM template.
- Friday, November 3rd: Qualifying Exam committees announced to students via email
- Monday, November 6th - Thursday, November 16th: Qualifying Exam period
- Exams will be scheduled by committees during this period
- Prepare to conduct exam at any point during this exam period
- Monday, November 20th: Official Qualifying Exam results and feedback issued to students