Course Overview

The purpose of the Ph.D. Candidacy Exam is to evaluate the student’s success in attaining expertise in a related set of scholarly areas sufficient for conducting original, advanced research, and successful graduate teaching in those areas. In consultation with the student’s main advisor, the student will identify several scholarly areas in which the student wishes to attain expertise. Once competency areas have been defined, the next step is to identify prospective faculty mentors/examiners for each area (3-4 including the main advisor). The student will register for 1 credit under each committee member to prepare for the candidacy examination. It is the responsibility of the student, with the guidance of the mentor for each scholarly area to:(1) develop a reading list/bibliography, (2) write a comprehensive literature review essay, and (3) prepare for the oral exam. The course is an individual instruction course, graded P or F.

Faculty