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Procedures for IGPMS First-Year Written Qualifying Exams for Students in Ph.D. Degree Programs.
The qualifying exam is a written, one-day exam that includes a choice of 2
out of 3 short-essay questions in each of the 4 core course areas
(biological oceanography, geological oceanography, physical oceanography,
and chemical oceanography) plus a choice of 2 out of 3 integrative
questions. Thus there are five sections with two questions in each section,
= ten questions total.
The questions are composed and graded by the instructors teaching the core
courses. The questions are generated and reviewed by sub-committees of two
people for each of the five sections. Integrative questions are reviewed by
all participating faculty. This will help to ensure that the questions are
fair, explicit, and written clearly. As in the past, each question will be
graded by the principal author of the question; however, if a student
"fails" a question, their answer to the question will also be reviewed by
the second member of the sub-committee. If the sub-committee cannot agree,
the director may provide or seek a third opinion.
**To pass the written exam, students must receive a pass on 8 out of the 10
questions, and must not fail two questions in the same section.**
**Students that fail three or more questions overall on the written exam in
Spring quarter must take an oral exam by the end of November** before a
faculty committee of three or more members, comprised of faculty
representing the core subject areas of the failed questions plus the
student's faculty advisor. The outcome of the oral exam must be one of the
following: 1) no pass; student is out of the IGPMS program; 2) pass with
conditions specified by oral exam committee (e.g., student must take certain
courses and earn at least a B, etc.); 3) pass with no conditions.
**Students that fail two questions in the same area on the written exam in
Spring quarter must take an oral exam by the end of November** before two
faculty members in the core subject area of the failed questions. The
outcome of this oral exam must be one of the following: 1) pass with
conditions specified by oral exam committee; 2) pass with no conditions. If
the failed area is the research area of the student, then the student's
advisor also must be on the oral exam committee as a third member, and a
possible outcome of the exam includes 3) no pass; student is out of the IGPMS
program.
The scope of the oral exams will be limited to core course material and
focused on the subject area(s) where a student's proficiency on the written
exam was inadequate.
Students will receive letters signed by the GPMS director informing them of
the outcomes of all written and oral exams. These letters will be placed in
the students' files, and copies will be sent to their advisors.
When progress reports are sent to students and their advisors at the end of
each academic year, students with outstanding conditions on their qualifying
exam will be informed that they cannot schedule their oral PhD Candidacy
exam (which should be taken no later than the end of Fall quarter of the
third year) until they either have fulfilled the specified conditions and
hence passed their qualifying exam, or they have obtained a letter of
postponement or waiver for their file that is approved and signed by the
IGPMS director.
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