Doctor of Philosophy Qualifying Exam Policy

Objective

The Qualifying Exam’s (QE) objective is to assess a student’s capability of successfully conducting Doctor of Philosophy-level cutting-edge research under faculty leadership.

The assessment is based on two elements:

The student’s assessment of a select journal paper which is delivered via an oral presentation to a designated faculty committee.
The student’s responses (provided during an oral examination) to faculty-formulated questions founded on the assessed journal paper.

Successful Performance Expectation

Students are expected to critically assess the research presented in the paper developing their own opinions on the quality of the work. Students are expected to understand the basics and the methodology presented in the paper.

QE Faculty Committee Composition and Role

The student’s Doctor of Philosophy QE committee will be comprised of three members:

The committee chair who might be selected from the student’s designated research area or ultimately be from one of the five research tracks within the department. The QE committee chair cannot be the student’s advisor.
The second member may be the student’s advisor, or a faculty member in the student’s designated research area if already identified and declared.
The remaining committee member will be selected from the distinct research tracks areas outside the student’s designated research track. This member cannot come from the same research track as student research advisor or the QE committee chair.

If a student does not have a designated research area and/or advisor but has submitted the intent to take the Doctor of Philosophy QE, then the three-member committee will be composed of two representatives from the department’s five research tracks – computational methods, materials, health physics, power and nuclear security. The department graduate faculty advisor will be stepping in acting on behalf of a student faculty advisor.

The committee membership process is to be initiated either by the student advisor if already identified or by the graduate faculty advisor upon receiving the QE intent declaration form. The QE committee is to be confirmed by the full faculty of the department. The student’s QE committee may or may not become the student’s actual Doctor of Philosophy committee.

The QE committee’s roles include:

Selecting the journal paper for assessment by a student.
Conducting the oral examination.
Assessing and delivering its results and recommendation to the department head (DH).

Format

The QE exam begins with a take-home examination portion, immediately followed by the oral examination portion. The student has two attempts to pass the QE.

Take-home examination portion: The take-home portion of the QE is based on a journal paper chosen by the student’s QE faculty committee. The paper selection will be done by the student’s QE committee and shared with the full faculty. The student is required to study the selected journal paper and prepare a presentation on its topic and its nuclear engineering foundational elements. The assessment of the given journal paper will require extensive understanding of the background information supporting the paper.
Oral examination: The oral exam is scheduled immediately upon conclusion of the three-week take-home portion designate for developing the presentation assessing the paper. During the oral exam, the student presents the assessment of the paper focusing on its subject and its nuclear engineering foundational elements.

Permitted Number of Attempts

The number of permitted attempts are as follows (limits do not account for summer terms):

• Two times during the first three semesters (excluding summers) for students with Master of Science degrees in nuclear engineering.
• Two times during the first five semesters (excluding summers) for students without Master of Science degrees in nuclear engineering.

Unless a Texas A&M nuclear engineering student has already taken the QE, defense of a master thesis (or graduation with Master of Engineering) resets the QE clock starting it with two semesters. If a Texas A&M nuclear engineering student has already taken the QE prior to defending a Master of Science thesis or completing a Master of Engineering, the outcome of that examination will prevail.

Arbitration

Any aspects of the QE process can be contested by writing an appeal to the department head. Each appeal is considered on its own merits. The department head will review the appeal and present to full faculty for review and resolution. The case resolution instrument is the repeat of the QE.

QE Process – From Start to Finish

Declare intent: Students must declare their intention to take the Doctor of Philosophy QE no later than the end of the semester preceding the semester when the examination is planned to occur. To declare their intent, a student must submit their request through their research advisor or designee, through the graduate program faculty advisor, and to the department head. On the form, the student must identify their research advisor. If unknown, the department’s graduate program faculty advisor will act as the student’s designee. Students will also list their designated research track. For students without advisors, they will need to identify their research track of interest.
QE Committee formation: Upon receiving a student’s intent declaration form, the graduate program faculty advisor will present the student’s request to the faculty. If the faculty approve, then a QE faculty committee will be formed. The QE committee will then select the journal paper. The committee chair will share the paper with the full faculty. If the research track is not identified, the QE committee will assign a paper that falls within the broad scope of nuclear engineering as defined by the departmental five research tracks.
Examination period: Once the date for the oral exam is set, the student will be allowed three weeks to study the selected journal article. Upon conclusion of the three weeks, the oral exam takes place. QE exams are expected to occur during spring and fall semesters. The journal article is given to a student only after the oral exam date is set.
Decision: Upon completion of the oral examination, the QE committee reports the findings to the DH, including the committee’s pass/fail recommendation. The DH will then have the QE committee present its recommendation at the first available faculty meeting to review and certify the results.

Guidance on the Nuclear Engineering Expected Body of Knowledge

The selected journal paper will provide the general guidance on the exam scope expectation. Students are advised to consult research track fundamentals as they are provided for each track.

Transition Process to the New QE Policy

Effective Jan. 1 2022 (spring 2022), the Doctor of Philosophy Qualifying Exam will follow as stated below:

For students taking the exam for the first time in spring 2022 and after, this exam policy is in effect.

There are no opt-out opportunities offered from this policy.