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MEMO: Service on Qualifying Examination Committees

Office of the Dean
Graduate Division
University of California, Berkeley

February 2002

To: Chairs and Members of Qualifying Examination Committees
From: Mary Ann Mason, Dean, Graduate Division
Subject: Service on Qualifying Examination Committees

Enclosed with this letter is a copy of a "Policy Statement Approved by the Graduate Council Regarding Qualifying Examinations for the Doctoral Degree," which I urge you to read carefully. I hope you will keep the points addressed in mind as you participate in future examinations. I would like to remind you also that the Qualifying Examination should be designed, among other things, to reveal the extent of the student's knowledge in terms of breadth, depth, and sophistication of reasoning. The examination should also give the student an opportunity to demonstrate his or her ability to synthesize the factual information and training in techniques learned through course work and seminar research. It is not to be concerned solely with the dissertation prospectus. Based on the student's performance, the faculty should determine whether the candidate is ready to enter the research phase of graduate studies.

It is the Chair's responsibility to insure that the examination is handled fairly. The Chair should do all in her or his power to put the student at ease in the oral examination, perhaps by asking a few general questions of a personal or professional nature before the questions concerning formal fields of knowledge begin. Also, it is our tradition that the committee ordinarily allows the candidate to state a preference for the order in which the subject areas will be discussed. Should it become necessary for the committee to discuss the progress of the examination in the student's absence, an explanation should be given to alleviate undue concern.

That all members of the examining committee be present for the entire examination is obligatory. Non-voting observers who are members or visiting members of the faculty may be invited or not, upon the unanimous consent of the committee and the candidate. At times, the mere presence of a faculty member who knows the candidate well but who does not participate in the examination may be a strong source of support for the student.

The purpose of these suggestions is to continue our efforts to humanize an inherently difficult examination without lowering standards. Ideally, the examination should be a source of genuine satisfaction for all parties concerned. Failure is unavoidable in some cases, but serious frictions can, for the most part, be averted. In summary, I am most concerned that the student be given a fair examination and that the committee members feel free to express themselves to me personally if they believe that all or part of the examination was not conducted in a fair and reasonable manner.

The student may be recommended for conferral of the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree (which is offered by the department, school, or group) upon successful completion of the Qualifying Examination and formal advancement to candidacy.

Enclosure: Policy Statement
February 2002