Admission to Candidacy: The Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination is given to determine whether a student has acquired sufficient mastery of the field of concentration to warrant admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. The exam should be taken as soon as a student has completed the major portion of the course requirements. It should be taken not later than four years after the student first registered in the Graduate School – New Brunswick.  Consult the catalog of the Graduate School – New Brunswick for additional details.

The qualifying examination committee consists of four members of the faculty in the Ph.D. program in Education who work in the student’s area of concentration. The student must obtain the application form for admission to candidacy from the office of the graduate school and submit it to the chairperson of the committee at the time of the qualifying examination. It she be properly signed by the four members of the candidate’s committee and the Ph.D. director and then returned to the Office of the Graduate School. Once a student is admitted to candidacy having passed the qualifying examination, he or she must remain registered (for courses or research credits) or lose his or her status as a candidate.

Qualifying examinations in the four areas of concentration in the Ph.D. program differ from one another. For specific information about qualifying examination in a particular area of concentration, consult the “Degree Requirements” information related to the area of concentration.