The Preliminary Exam

The preliminary exam is part of the Graduate School Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree. This link contains the Graduate School's rules governing the exam. There are additional Mathematics Department procedures for satisfying some of those rules, described in the second year of the graduate student timeline.

The primary purpose of the preliminary examination is to determine if the student has acquired the specialized knowledge necessary to begin dissertation research.

The syllabus for the preliminary examination

The student and the committee should agree upon a syllabus for both the major and minor topics. These must be sufficiently separated. The syllabus must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval.

The timing of the preliminary examination

Normally the preliminary exam should be taken and passed during the fall or spring semester of the student's third year. The Graduate School Requirements describe these time limits, and procedures for requesting exceptions under unusual circumstances. A student who has not passed the examination by this time must file with the Dean of the Graduate School a statement, approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, explaining the delay and setting a date for the examination. Except under unusual circumstances, extension will not be granted beyond the middle of the fourth year. In the summer, the preliminary examination may be scheduled only between the opening and closing dates of the summer session, and only if the student is registered for the summer session.

Satisfactory completion of the preliminary examination

This occurs when 3 of the 4 committee members, one of whom is the chair, cast an affirmative vote. (For a 5 member committee, 4 affirmative votes are required.) See the Graduate School Requirements for further information.