PhD Qualification Examination

The goal of the exam is to ensure the student is well positioned to be successful in their PhD program. Specifically, the committee will ask the following three sets of questions to assess the chance of success:

1. Does the student have the capacity, within an appropriate period of time, to advance knowledge – that is answer a deep question or solve an important problem that has not been answered/solved?
2. Is the proposed research project at the appropriate level of depth for a PhD with clearly-articulated objectives or hypotheses?
3. Does the supervisor(s) have the capacity to provide appropriate guidance to the student and resources for the project? Are there gaps that could be filled by another faculty member?

Timing

All PhD students, except those who have transferred to the PhD, will take the qualifying exam within the first thirteen months of their PhD studies, September (for Fall admits)/January (for winter admits)/May (for summer admits).

Students requiring an extension to this timeline may only do so with approval from the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies. The exam must take place no later than the 16th month of PhD studies.

The exam will typically take 1.5 hours, but may take longer as required.

Exam Composition

The exam committee consists of at least four members or five members if there is co-supervision:

• Supervisor(s)
• Reading committee members (one of whom must hold their primary appointment in this Department.)
• Exam Chair (to be assigned by the Graduate Office)

It is expected that each supervisor will chair at least one exam during the qualifying exam time period. Committee members may participate in the exam remotely.

Scheduling an Examination

Exams will take place by the end of September (for Fall admits)/January (for winter admits)/May (for summer admits).

• The student will advise the Graduate Office of a two-week time period (within the aforementioned deadlines) in which they would like the exam scheduled, along with the confirmed exam committee members.
• A copy of their abstract, qualifying exam proposal and PDF of the student’s academic record from ACORN must be sent to the Graduate Office when submitting this request.
• The Graduate Office will request that the supervisor recommend a Chair for the examination.
• The Graduate Office will then determine the date based on this timeline, secure a chair and finalize the exam.
• Calendar and Teams invitations for all meetings and exams will be sent by the Graduate Office along with a PDF of their academic record from ACORN.

Qualification Exam Proposal

Students must submit the qualifying exam proposal to their committee and the Graduate Office at least two weeks before the exam.

This proposal helps the committee answer the three key questions listed above. The main body of the proposal should be within 25 typed pages including figures and tables (1.5-line spacing). It may be supplemented with appendices if appropriate. A typical proposal has following components:

1. Title
2. Abstract
3. Introduction (the big-picture motivation and significance of proposed work)
4. Objective and research questions/hypotheses.
5. Literature review (the current state of the art in the proposed research area, identification of knowledge gaps)
6. Research methods (experimental design/strategy, justification and limitations of equipment, tools and facilities to be used)
7. Results and discussion of preliminary findings
8. Status of on-going work and plan for future work (including a rough timeline in the form of a Gantt chart)
9. A list of references

Conducting the Exam

*Students must attend all Oral Examinations in person. Committee members may attend remotely if needed.
Student in person attendance is mandatory for access to a white or black board during a meeting/exam.

At the start of the oral exam, the candidate will be asked to leave the room while the following procedures are carried out:

• The Chair briefly reviews the relevant Departmental policies related to the Ph.D. program.
• The Committee reviews the length of time the candidate has been registered in the Ph.D. program.
• The committee will review the student’s academic record.

The Chair will then invite the student to re-enter the room.

• The student will give a 20-minute oral presentation outlining the proposal.
• The chair will invite committee members to ask the candidate questions. Questions should probe the fundamentals related to the proposed PhD project.
• Questions may extend to the fundamentals in chemical engineering beyond the main research area of the student.
• The committee will assess the readiness of the student to carry out the proposed research project based on both the written proposal and the oral examination.

At the end of the question period, the student will be requested to leave the room.

Post-Exam Process

On the basis of the research proposal, presentation and academic standing, the committee may recommend:

• the student continue in the PhD program
• the examination be adjourned one time and reconvened within 3 months
• the student’s registration in the program be terminated

The committee’s assessment will be summarized and communicated to the student. Students are asked to sign the form in order to confirm that the document accurately reflects the discussion and recommendations made by at the oral examination. Students may also add their own comments to the form after the assessment has been communicated to them. Students may request a copy of the assessment form from the Graduate Office.

Missing the scheduled exam is considered a fail unless there are extenuating conditions (e.g. health-related matters).

The Exam Chair will submit a Qualification Examination Assessment Form to the Graduate Office following the exam.