The Doctoral Examination Structure for Students Who First Enrolled in a WSU Mathematics Doctoral Program in Fall 2008 or Later

The doctoral examination structure consists of four examinations: Graduate Qualifying Examination, Doctoral Qualifying Examination, Preliminary Doctoral Examination, and Final Doctoral Examination. These examinations and the Program of Study are described below.

The Graduate Qualifying Examination (GQE)

The Graduate Qualifying Examination (GQE) is a single three-hour written examination based on undergraduate material covering advanced calculus (including vector calculus) and linear algebra. The GQE will be at the level of difficulty of upper division WSU mathematics courses. It will be 50% advanced calculus, 50% linear algebra. (Appendix A gives the list of topics.) The GQE will be prepared and graded by a committee of four faculty members chosen by the Chair of the Department. Rules concerning the GQE are:

(a)

Students will have at most two attempts to pass the GQE.

(b)

Students with a previous mathematics degree must pass the GQE by the end of their third semester in the Program (not counting summer semesters). All other students must pass the GQE by the end of their fourth semester in our Program (not counting summer semesters).

(c)

The GQE will consist of ten problems and the student will be required to respond to all the problems.

(d)

The GQE will be given in the second week of the Fall and Spring semesters each year. See §2 for specific dates.

The Program of Study

Soon after completion of the GQE a PhD candidate should choose an area of specialization and make arrangements for an appropriate faculty member to chair his/her Doctoral Committee. The Doctoral Committee, in consultation with the candidate, will decide upon a Program of Study and tentatively set a time for the Doctoral Qualifying Examination (see §8.4.1.3).

The Doctoral Qualifying Examination (DQE)

The Doctoral Qualifying Examination (DQE) is a written examination of approximately two hours in length and covers the candidate's area of specialization with the focus on appropriate mathematics graduate course work. The student's Doctoral Committee will define the material to be covered on the DQE, compose and grade this examination. Rules concerning the DQE are:

(a)

Students will have at most two attempts to pass the DQE.

(b)

Students are expected to pass the DQE by the end of their third semester (excluding summer sessions) after passing the GQE.

(c)

The DQE will be given at a time suitable for the student and the committee.

The Preliminary Doctoral Examination (PDE)

The Preliminary Doctoral Examination (PDE) is an oral examination which follows the Graduate School rules for Preliminary Doctoral Examinations except for the following procedures. The PDE will begin with a presentation by the student to his/her doctoral committee on a thesis research problem and a plan of research to be followed toward its solution. The examination will include questions and feedback from members of the doctoral committee on the student's presentation. Rules concerning the PDE are:

(a)

Students will have at most two attempts to pass the PDE.

(b)

Students must pass the PDE by the end of their second semester after passing the DQE.

(c)

The PDE will be given at a time suitable for the student and the committee.

The Final Doctoral Examination

The Final Doctoral Examination (FDE) will occur after the student has completed the thesis (see §8.5 or §10.5 as appropriate), and the thesis has been approved by the student's Doctoral Committee. It will be an oral examination following the rules of the Graduate School. The FDE is devoted mainly to a presentation of the content of the thesis by the student and includes questions from members of the doctoral committee.