Any student who is holding their Prelim must have a report form, which is signed by the student's committee and indicating if the student passed or failed. To receive this report form, you must first submit a Graduate School Form 8 "Request for Appointment of Examining Committee" to the COE Office of Graduate Studies. This request form may be picked up in the COE Office of Graduate Studies or accessed at: http://www.gradschool.purdue.edu/faculty/forms.cfm.
The signed Graduate School Form 8 "Request for Appointment of Examining Committee" must be submitted to the COE Office of Graduate Studies with enough time for the form to be processed and forwarded to the Graduate School at least two full weeks before the desired exam date (Graduate School Policy). Otherwise, the form will be returned unprocessed and will need to be resubmitted with a later exam date that will comply with the stated policy. Normally exceptions will not be granted. If there are extenuating circumstances why this policy cannot be adhered to, submit a memorandum, signed by the major professor and the department head, with the request form asking for an exception to policy and stating the circumstances as to why the form could not have been submitted earlier. (Non-availability for signature is not a valid circumstance.)
Policy on Co-Chairs of Committees:
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A student entering a graduate program will be appointed a temporary Major Professor (a graduate program advisor who is a faculty member in program area). This advisor will monitor the student's academic progress.
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It is desirable that a student file a Plan of Study by the end of the first year in the program. At this time the student is responsible for designating a Major Professor, who may or may not be the person initially assigned to be the temporary Major Professor.
a. A simple majority of a student's committee must be Purdue faculty in the student's program with regular certification approved by the Graduate School.
b. One member of the student's committee must be from the student's related area. (Department Policy)
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A student who is ready to begin working on the dissertation must designate a Major Professor to serve as the chair of the dissertation committee (thesis advisor). This person may be the existing Major Professor or a different faculty member. The thesis advisor takes over primary oversight of the student's progress in the program and dissertation. The student's dissertation committee is chaired by the designated Major Professor (thesis advisor).
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The practice of having co-chairs for a Master's or Doctoral committee is not advantageous nor desirable except in the specific instances that follow:
a. A co-chair who reflects the student's matriculation in a different program area or department (e.g., if a student is admitted to a program area in Educational Studies but is doing research that is cross-disciplinary and has a major component in another department, such as Curriculum & Instruction).
b. Co-chairs in the same department at different campuses or institutions may be advisable in cases where the student's thesis advisor relocates.
c. Co chairs within the same program area are acceptable if the faculty and student can agree to a clear delineation of responsibilities (
in writing) at the time that the co-chairs are determined.
d. In the event that a student's committee is co-chaired, the signature of both co-chairs is required on all committee documents (e.g., dissertation proposal, changes to the plan of study, thesis examination documents, etc.).
e. Program areas may propose exceptions to this policy, which will be reviewed for approval by the Curriculum and Graduate Committee.
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The student may change the Major Professor / Dissertation Committee Chair / committee members at any time assuming that the new Major Professor / Dissertation Committee Chair / committee members have agreed to the change.
(Department policy, Approved August 15, 2007)
The purpose of the preliminary examination, integrating both written and oral components, is to assess the student’s readiness to proceed with the independent research and writing that will lead to the completion of a doctoral dissertation. The successful completion of the preliminary exam is based upon a composite evaluation of both written and oral components.
Written Portion(s) of the Preliminary Examination:
1. Purpose: It is the responsibility of the examining committee to determine whether or not the student is qualified and ready to undertake or continue research and proceed toward the Ph.D. degree.* The purpose of the examination is to provide effective written evidence of a prospective candidate’s:
a. research skills
b. knowledge of the fields of study
To become eligible to take the examination, the student must have demonstrated written English proficiency, filed a plan of study, satisfactorily completed most of the formal study, and satisfied any foreign language requirements.
2. Examining Committee: The preliminary examining committee must consist of a minimum of three (3) members of the graduate faculty who need not be faculty members with whom the student has taken course work. The Chair (or at least one Co-Chair) of the examining committee must be a faculty member in the Department of Educational Studies and from the student’s program/section area. Minimally two faculty members are from the area of concentration and one from an outside program area within the College of Education or from a program area outside the College of Education.
3. Administration of Examination(s): The written preliminary examination will be conducted by the examining committee.
4. Scheduling: Planning the preliminary examination will be coordinated by the major professor and may include a meeting with the examiing committee and student. The examination should be scheduled as soon as possible (after the requirements outlined above are completed) and must be finished at least two sessions before the expected date of the doctoral final examination.
5. Format, Content and Scope: The format, content and scope of the written examination(s) are to be determined by the examining committee. The examining committee is encouraged to establish ground rules for the written examination(s) in consultation with the student. All preliminary examinations should address the following areas: research competency; knowledge of the student’s fields of study. The first three (3) chapters of a student’s dissertation cannot be the sole basis of his or her preliminary examination.
Oral Portion of the Preliminary Examination:
1. Purpose: The purpose of the oral preliminary examination is to explore the student’s depth of understanding of the written portion(s) of the preliminary examination content and knowledge of the field. The oral exam focuses on the student’s knowledge and skills and it allows the examining committee as a whole to witness the prospective candidate’s ability to respond knowledgeably and professionally to questions and issues related to the candidate’s field(s) of study.
2. Administration of Examination(s): The oral preliminary examination will be conducted by the examining committee. (NOTE: the Graduate Council has recommended that oral examinations not last more than two hours. If additional time is needed, the examination may be continued at a later date.)
3. Scheduling: The oral examination is scheduled after the completion of the written examination(s) and should include all committee members but must include a majority Those not present must provide written feedback to be discussed at the oral examination. The oral examination will be scheduled by the major professor, who must submit a Graduate School Form 8 "Request for Appointment of Examining Committee" to the COE Office of Graduate Studies at least three weeks in advance of the examination date.
4. Format, Content and Scope: The examining committee decides on the format of the examination and the distribution of materials. The major professor is responsible for distributing such written materials to all committee members at least 2 weeks before the oral examination is held. The dissertation proposal will not be the sole focus of the preliminary oral examination. However, if time remains, the dissertation proposal may be discussed.
5. Passing the Preliminary Examination: To pass the preliminary examination, a minimum of 3 members of the examining committee must agree that the prospective candidate has completed the examination successfully. Those not present must provide written feedback to be discussed at the oral examination. If the candidate fails the preliminary examination, the examining committee will communicate to the student the reasons for not passing. If the report is unfavorable, the examining committee may recommend that the student be permitted to request a second examination by submitting a new request (Graduate School Form 8 "Request for Appointment of Examining Committee"). Committee members may also suggest ways that the student may prepare for a second attempt at a later date. There must be as least one semester between the two examinations. Should the preliminary examination be failed twice, the student may not be given a third examination, except upon the recommendation of the examining committee and with special approval of the Graduate Council.
6. Following the Oral Examination: The major professor will report the results of the written and oral portions of the preliminary examination by completing the Report of Preliminary Examination (Graduate School Form 10 "Report of Preliminary Exam") immediately following the examination. The form may not be submitted until the written examination(s) and the oral examination have been completed.
Other:
1. Individual program areas may have additional requirements.
2. Appeals Concerning Academic Standards: Graduate students who wish to appeal decisions concerning matters of academic standards may seek redress according to procedures specified in Part 5, Section III-C of University Regulations and to other procedures detailed below that have been established in accordance with the authority thereby delegated to the Graduate Council (Part 5, Section III-E-2e, of University Regulations).
*Italicized material refers to wording taken directly from the 1992 Purdue University Graduate School Policies and Procedures Manual for Administering Graduate Student Programs.
(Department Policy, Approved by Educational Studies Faculty, March 24, 1995)
(Department Policy, Approved by Educational Studies Graduate Committee, March 16, 1995)
(Department Policy, Approved by Educational Studies Faculty, April 15, 1999)
The student must have an approved plan of study on file and have satisfactorily completed most of their coursework before scheduling a date for their Prelim Exam. The student must pass their prelim at least two sessions (including Summer session) before the date of the final examination. For example, a doctoral student who passes the prelim exam during a spring semester is not eligible to take the final examination (provided that the student is registered for the subsequent Summer session and Fall semester) before the following Spring semester.
A Prelim must be passed before the last day classes end in a session for it to count for that session.
If a student fails the Prelim Exam, the committee may recommend that the student be permitted to request a second exam by submitting a new request form. There must be at least one semester between the two examinations.
Should the Prelim Exam be failed twice, the student may not be given a third examination, except upon the recommendation of the students committee and with special approval of the Graduate Council.
A student has five years from the date they pass Prelims to successfully pass their final defense. If a student exceeds the five year limit, the students Prelim becomes invalid and will have to be retaken. (College Policy, September 1993)
A preliminary examination passed by a student whose graduate study and/or professional activity has been inactive for five years or more is invalid. (Graduate School Policy)
