The Qualifying Exam (PhD)

The QE Committee consists of four U-M faculty members, all of whom must be tenure-track or tenured faculty with an appointment in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

1. Chair of the Committee – a faculty member on the Qualifying Examination Standing Committee
2. Adviser – the student's research adviser
3. Academic Mentor – the student's mentor (see the Mentoring (MS and PhD) page)
4. Member – a faculty member with expertise in the student's field of research.

The Student must discuss the committee members with the advisor and mentor and confirm that members #2, #3, and #4 are willing to serve on the committee. The student suggests their preferred choices for the Chair and the other three members using a google form shared with students before their second year.

The Grad Chair must distribute the workload of the QE Standing Committee members and ensure breadth on the committee, so students may not get their first choice for the Chair. The final decision about the members of the QE committee rests with the Graduate Chair and research advisor. 

The writing exam contains three pieces:

1. Writing sample,
   
2. Public facing summary,
   
3. Adviser statement.
   

They will be shared by the student, QE Committee members, the Grad Chair, and the Academic Program Manager. The materials must be sent by email to the Academic Program Manager on or before the due date.

The writing sample must represent the student’s original work and cannot be a previously used thesis or class assignment unless approved by the Grad Chair. The length of the writing sample is roughly 5,000 words, excluding references and figure captions. If a longer journal article is being prepared for submission, then the student must provide an “abridged version” as the writing sample.

Effective writing samples

• include an introductory section that is comprehensible to QE Committee members from different sub-disciplines within EARTH,
  
• relates the work to big-picture topics in earth and environmental science,
  
• include new data, models, or techniques that are generated by the student,
  
• have high-quality graphics,
  
• have appropriate referencing, following customary scientific journal formats.

and have the IMRaD form and style of a journal manuscript or a research prospectus with the following sections

1. Abstract/Summary
   
2. Introduction
   
3. Methods and Data
4. Results
   
5. Discussion and Conclusions
   
6. References
   

The Public facing summary has a length of 400–700 words. It should be written independently of the adviser. It should not be the same as the “Abstract/Summary” of the writing sample but written for a broad audience of earth or environmental scientists, outside the field of the student's specialization.

The adviser statement, written by the adviser, describes the role of the faculty adviser in the student's writing sample. This can include, but is not limited to, project conception, development, and degree of editing of paper drafts.

All materials are due on either February 15 (for a QE in the Winter term) or October 15 (for a QE in the Fall term). Send them by email to the Academic Program Manager.

To request an extension of the deadline for the writing materials or to postpone the QE to the following term, the research adviser must contact the Grad Chair with a justification.

Committee members must evaluate the writing sample and return comments within two weeks of submission using the QE Writing Sample Grading Rubric. They should email this rubric to the Academic Program Manager.

The Committee Chair will discuss the evaluation with the committee members, resolve discrepancies, and if, necessary, let committee members revise their rubrics. The Chair will write a Summary Evaluation which includes a single score: 4 = HIGH PASS; 3 =  PASS; 3; 2 = MARGINAL; 1 = FAIL. If the average score is below a PASS (3), the committee may decide to

1. proceed to the oral exam,
2. ask the student to correct and resubmit the writing sample,
3. postpone the oral exam,
4. discontinue the student in the program,

and consult with the Grad Chair on these four options.

The Summary Evaluation and rubrics must be sent to the Academic Program Manager. The Academic Program Manager will send the rubrics and the Summary Evaluation to the student.

After studying the Summary Evaluation and before the oral exam, the student should meet with each of the committee members to discuss the writing sample and to learn how to prepare for the oral exam. Ideally, the students hear from the Committee the strengths and weaknesses of the preliminary research and the writing sample, how well they communicated broadly their work in the independent abstract, and what topics for questions they should expect in the oral exam.

The oral exam is about three (3) hours long and has the following format (typically there will be a short break after an hour or so):

• 10 minutes – Without the student present, the QE committee members discuss the student’s record and the strengths and weaknesses of the writing sample. They decide the order in which committee members ask questions.
• 20 minutes – The student gives a (PowerPoint) presentation of the research based on the writing sample and the committee’s evaluation of the writing sample.
• 4 x 20 minutes – Each committee member asks the student questions on the research, including research goals, the broader context, theoretical background, methods, data, modeling, and preliminary results.
• 5 minutes – Without the student present, the committee discusses whether a second round of questions is necessary.
• 4 x 10 minutes (optional) – Second round of questions not necessarily by all committee members and those who ask questions may not take the same amount of time.
• 10–15 minutes – Without the student present, the committee members discuss the student’s overall exam performance, strengths and weaknesses, and potential to succeed in the PhD program.
• 10–15 minutes – Discussion with student on strengths and weaknesses and explanation that the result of the exam will be given after the committee had some time for reflection.

Upon completion of both components of the qualifying examination, all members of the QE Committee will use the QE Oral Exam Grading Rubric to evaluate the examination and indicate whether the student passed, failed, or passed with stated conditions. They are encouraged to take a day or two to reflect on the exam and to articulate carefully the student's performance in the exam and whether and how weaknesses can be corrected. The members must send their Rubrics to the Grad Chair and the Acdemic Program Manager by email. Within a week after the Oral Exam, the Grad Chair, the QE Committee Chair, and the student's adviser discuss the committee evaluations and determine the exam outcome in light of the exam performance, the student's overall academic progress, and extenuating circumstances.

The student will receive a Summary Evaluation of the Qualifying Exam.

If the student fails any portion of the examination, the Committee must recommend whether and when the student will be permitted to take a second examination. If a second examination is granted, it must be taken in the subsequent academic semester and with the understanding that failure of any portion of the examination typically results in immediate termination from the graduate program.

The student, research advisor, and academic mentor are encouraged to discuss the exam outcome, revise the mentoring plan, and discuss the next steps.

Fall Exam in Year 2 (Term III)

September – The student and adviser (with approval of the Grad Chair) identify the QE Committee Chair and a fourth member. The student schedules a three-hour block for the Oral Exam after checking the availability of all QE Committee members (using when2meet or a different survey tool). 
October 15 – Writing Exam materials are due.
October 29 – The evaluations by QE Committee members of the Writing Exam materials are due.
Early November – Students schedule individual meetings with committee members following the written exam and prior to the oral exam.
Middle November–December – The Oral Exam should be held before the end of the term (but scheduled as soon as the QE Committee is known).

Winter Exam in Year 2 (Term IV)

December – The student and adviser (with approval of the Grad Chair) identify the QE Committee Chair and a fourth member. The student schedules a three-hour block for the Oral Exam after checking the availability of all QE Committee members (using when2meet or a different survey tool). 
February 15 – Writing Exam materials are due.
February 29 – The evaluations by QE Committee members of the Writing Exam materials are due.
Early March – Students schedule individual meetings with committee members following the written exam and prior to the oral exam.
Middle March–April – The Oral Exam should be held in the same term (but scheduled as soon as the QE Committee is known).

To request an extension of the deadline for the writing materials or to postpone the QE to the following term, the research advisor must contact the Grad Chair with a justification.

General comments

1. Hopefully, you have begun your preparation on Day 1 of graduate school and are transitioning successfully into an independent scientist. Take advising and mentoring seriously. Attend group meetings, keep a research notebook, go to seminars and defense talks, proactively learn research tools outside the lab and classroom, keep up with the scientific literature, and ask critical questions.
   
2. Consider the QE preparation time as a mini-retreat from the daily chores and dedicated to reading and thinking. Solidify your background in basic concepts and form connections between your research and the high-level research questions in your discipline. Focus on learning.
3. The QE Committee is genuinely interested in a scientific conversation and exchange of ideas. You set the topics of the conversation in the writing sample and oral presentation. Expect "softball" questions to get the conversation going. Expect follow-up questions that get progressively deeper down to the nitty-gritty of your research methods or digress into aspects of science you may not know much about. The QE Committee is searching for the boundaries of your comfort zone and determining how well you can analyze and reason. Don't worry if you do not have answers to all questions asked. Neither do the Committee members.

Advice on the Writing Exam ...

• Start early.
• Explore resources on scientific writing such as Sweetland's Writing Guides. Almost all advise a good structure (e.g., IMRaD), a clear message, concise and precise language with an active voice and without fluff, and frequent editing.
• Pay extra attention to the Introduction section. The QE Committee often identifies the inability to contextualize the research as a weakness.
• Check the accuracy of your claims and make sure you understand in detail the topics you write about.
• Ask your adviser, academic mentor, and people in your lab for feedback (not rigorous editing) on the style, organization, and clarity of your writing materials.
• Turn in professional documents. Check the spelling of the text, the legibility of your figures and tables, and the formatting of your references.

... and the Public-facing summary.

• Do not use the Abstract/Summary of your writing sample as the Public-facing summary.
• Write the public-facing summary for a general earth and environmental science audience. To check whether you have succeeded, ask graduate students who are not in your lab for feedback.

Advice on what to do after the Writing Exam ...

• Study the feedback on your writing example.
• Schedule a meeting with each member of your Committee.
• Ask the Committee to identify your strengths and weaknesses, topics they plan to raise during the oral exam, and advice on oral exam preparation.
• Follow up on these meetings. Study research articles and textbook chapters on topics you do not know well.

... before the Oral Exam ...

• Prepare a (PowerPoint) presentation with fewer than 15 slides.
• Ensure that slides contain only essential information. Use bullets and avoid full sentences.
• Ask students in your lab to help you rehearse your talk. Memorize the first two lines of your talk.
• Study your Committee members' research pages and talk to students in the groups of the Committee members.
• Ask students who have taken the QE (recently) about their experiences.
  

... and during the Oral Exam.

• Come well rested.
• Bring something to eat or drink for yourself. Do not bring refreshments for the Committee members.
• Dress professionally but formal attire is not necessary.
• Listen attentively to questions and answer the questions directly. If a question is unclear, ask for clarification.
• If you don't know the answer to a question, say so. The Committee member will help you along.
• If you use the whiteboard, allow yourself time to draw neatly. 
• Ask for a break if you need one.