PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

Preliminary Examination

The Department Preliminary Examination consists of two parts: the Visiting Preliminary Exam and the Oral Preliminary Exam. The Oral exam is given after the student has successfully completed the Visiting Prelim, cleared records of all incomplete grades, and given the research proposal seminar.

The Visiting Prelim consists of questions in four subject areas:
I. Ecology and Epidemiology;
II. Genetics and Molecular Biology;
III. Etiology and Disease Physiology
IV. Disease Control.
Students must answer five questions, one from each subject area and one from a category of the student’s choice.

Two sets of four questions are made available twice per year for 6-month intervals, on September 1 and March 1. Students prepare a written answer and visit with the faculty member to discuss the question. The faculty member evaluates the student’s performance during the visit and a score of “satisfactory” is required to pass the question. Students may not take a question offered by their major professor. Students must complete the Visiting Prelim in the first two years of the Ph.D. program.

The Oral Prelim exam must be completed by the end of the third year. A warrant is issued by the Graduate School before the exam to certify that all degree requirements have been met. See the Graduate Coordinator at least three weeks before your oral exam date to order a warrant.

The Oral Prelim exam is given by the student’s research committee and led by the Oral Prelim chair, to be selected from among the Plant Pathology faculty of the student’s research committee. The major professor may not chair the exam. The Oral Prelim is undertaken after all other requirements for Ph.D. candidacy have been met, other than the annual research presentations, thesis completion, and thesis defense. The student prepares a written proposal, according to standard grant proposal guidelines (e.g., NSF or USDA), outlining the problem to be studied and methods to be employed in the study. This proposal must be presented to the research committee no later than seven days before the exam. Exam questions usually focus on the student's research and the developing area of expertise. The Oral Prelim is an opportunity to pinpoint areas that may be beneficial to study in more detail.

The decision to pass the student for the Oral Prelim, made by the student’s research committee, is based on the soundness of the proposal as well as on the student’s ability to reason, think critically, and communicate clearly. If the student’s performance is not satisfactory the first time the student takes the exam, the student may take one additional Oral Prelim, ordinarily to be completed no later than four months after the first, but extendable up to one year by petition to the student’s research committee. The chair of the student’s Oral Prelim must communicate the committee’s findings to the failing student in writing within one week of either exam, outlining the areas in which the student was judged to be lacking in proficiency. Students who fail the Oral Prelim exam on the second attempt will be expected to terminate their studies.

Following successful completion of the Oral Prelim exam, the student achieves "dissertator" status. Continuous registration is required until completion of the Ph.D.

What is a Warrant?
A warrant is a document that certifies that a student has met the Graduate School and Department degree requirements. It is requested on behalf of the student by the Departmental graduate coordinator and issued by the Graduate School at the time of the oral prelim exam and at the time of the final M.S. or Ph.D. exam.
What is Dissertator Status?
A dissertator is a student who has completed all requirements for a Ph.D. degree except the dissertation. Prior to becoming a dissertator the student must:
1) pass the Visiting Prelim and Oral Prelim examinations;
2) complete all minor requirements;
3) complete all major requirements except the dissertation; and
4) clear all "incomplete" or "progress" (P) grades in non-research courses.
Dissertators are required to register for three graduate level credits each semester related to their research and thesis.

If the student does not follow these procedures, he/ she will need to leave the Department of Plant Pathology graduate program.

FINAL ORAL EXAMINATION
When the student has completed the thesis research and has written the dissertation to the satisfaction of the student’s major professor, the student schedules the Thesis Research Seminar and Final Oral Examination. The Thesis Research Seminar should be scheduled within six months of the Final Oral Examination, and preferably just before the examination. The candidate may not take the Final Oral Examination until all other requirements for the degree have been satisfied. The Final Oral Examination covers the thesis and the general field of the major and minor studies. The examining committee, usually the Thesis Research Advisory Committee, is chaired by the major professor and has at least four other members, one of whom must be from outside the department (the minor professor for Option A students). The student should present each committee member with a copy of the thesis at least 7 days prior to the examination. A warrant must be requested from the Graduate School, via the Graduate Student Coordinator, at least three weeks before the final exam. When the candidate passes the examination, the committee signs the warrant. If significant thesis revisions are requested, the committee may wait for these revisions to be completed prior to signing the warrant.

The candidate may not take the final oral examination until all other requirements for the degree have been satisfied. Students have up to five years from the date of completion of their preliminary examinations to take the Final Oral Examination.