Ph.D. Oral Examination

Scope and Purpose
The Ph.D. Oral Examination is intended to verify that the student is prepared to undertake doctoral-level research in the student's declared area of dissertation interest. It is not necessary to have a completed dissertation proposal before taking the Doctoral Oral Exam, but most students do.

The scope of the examination will be selected by the guidance committee in consultation with the student. The committee will inform the student in writing of the scope of the exam well in advance.

The scope will include areas of weakness identified on the Doctoral Written Examination (the CCE) or on the Qual, preparation for dissertation research, and other subjects judged by the committee to be relevant to the area of the student's dissertation. The scope is often proposed by the student and subsequently amended by the committee. By whatever means, the scope of the exam is made known to the student in advance.

If, after passing the Doctoral Oral examination, the student undertakes dissertation research in a different area, the doctoral committee appointed for the new dissertation may require the student to take a further Doctoral Oral examination on the new area.

Preparing for the Exam
The Doctoral Oral examination may be taken by any student who has passed the Doctoral Written examination, and whose program of study has been approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. By the end of the semester in which the Doctoral Oral Exam is held, the student must have fulfilled the minimum residence requirement for the Doctorate and all required courses in the approved Program of Study (Form CS-6).

The student must be registered during the semester when the Ph.D. Oral Exam is held.

Administration
The examination, normally two to three hours in length, will be administered by the student's doctoral guidance committee.

Evaluation of Results
The result of the exam will be determined by the student's doctoral guidance committee and reported on the appropriate Graduate School form.

Consequences
If the student passes the exam, the result is reported by the department to the Graduate School.

If the student fails the exam, the examination may be retaken, once only (except by petition), after a lapse of at least three months (http://handbook.unc.edu/phd.html).