The three main milestones that must be passed for partial fulfillment of the Ph.D. degree are the qualifying examination, the research proposal (candidacy exam), and the dissertation defense.
The Qualifying Exam
The Qualifying Exam consists of a written and oral part and is usually given after most formal coursework has been completed. In general, the qualifying examination will test your scientific knowledge pertinent to your PhD training.
Guidelines for the Written Qualifying Examination
A written qualifying examination must be completed by every Ph.D. student, and it is expected to be completed prior to the end of the fifth semester of study. If a student enters the Ph.D. program with a Master’s degree, the examination is expected to be completed prior to the end of their third semester of study at WVU subsequent to initiation of the Ph.D. program. It is the responsibility of the student major advisor to assure that the written qualifying examination is scheduled at an appropriate time within the student’s degree program.
The written qualifying examination developed and administered by the major advisor and the doctoral graduate committee may include test contributions from faculty members in the student’s area of study, and any other areas deemed appropriate. The exam may consist of a combination of in class and take home exams over a two week period as determined by the doctoral committee. The examination process will be initiated on behalf of the student by the major advisor, who will first meet with members of the doctoral graduate committee for the purpose of determining the composition and schedule for the examination.
The primary advisor will then give notice, by written memorandum, which includes the format, date(s), and procedures for the examination, to all examination contributors, the student examinee, and the graduate program director. The major advisor will be responsible for all scheduling and administration protocols related to the examination. The results of the examination must be reported to and approved by the graduate committee members, reported to the student and reported to the office of the assistant vice president for graduate education for the Health Sciences Center using the “Qualifying Examination” approval sheet, with a copy sent to the graduate program director.
A one-time only re-examination in those areas of the written qualifying examination deemed not satisfactorily completed should be accomplished in a time frame acceptable to the student, the major advisor, and contributing examiners. A remedial study plan will be established and implemented prior to the re-examination. Unsatisfactory completion of any portion of the written qualifying re-examination can result in the expulsion of the student from the program.
Guidelines for the Oral Qualifying Examination
A two-hour oral exam follows the written exam in which committee members may follow-up on the questions from the written exam or may ask new questions. Upon completion of this exam, committee members sign the appropriate form for submission to the Office of Research and Graduate Education.
The satisfactory completion of the written qualifying examination is a prerequisite for taking the oral qualifying examination. The oral exam typically happens within 3-4 weeks after the written exam. The major advisor or designee will schedule a time agreeable to the student and members of the student’s doctoral graduate committee for administering the oral portion of the qualifying examination. As with the written qualifying examination, it is the responsibility of the major advisor to assure that the oral examination is completed in a timely manner. One re-examination of the oral qualifying can be scheduled with consent of the student, the major advisor, and members of the doctoral graduate committee. The composition of the oral exam is based on the answers from the written exam and any additional follow-up questions.
The results of the oral examination, with the approval of the doctoral graduate committee, just be reported to the student, the graduate program director, and the HSCGC (HSCGC "Qualifying Examination" Approval Sheet). Doctoral students are allowed no more than three years after their arrival to complete qualifying examinations.
Dissertation Proposal Defense (candidacy exam)
Successful defense of a proposal outlining your dissertation research marks the entrance to PhD candidacy in the HSOR graduate program. Timely completion of this benchmark not only provides a guide for the remainder of your research but also provides an excellent springboard from which to apply for an external fellowship. The Proposal Defense begins with the preparation of a grant application, often times (based on advisor preference) in the style of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) or pre-doctoral fellowship or a R03 application. The proposed research is presented in a formal seminar to the faculty, graduate students, and other interested people, followed by an oral defense of the proposal to your dissertation committee.
It is recommended that the proposal be defended early in your third year in graduate school. If you fail the defense exam, you have the opportunity to retake the defense one more time after petitioning your dissertation committee for a retake. Successful defense of the research proposal must occur on or before the last working day of Year 3, which is usually the 3rd Friday in August. Failure to do so may lead to the loss of stipend support and/or dismissal from the PhD program. With successful completion of the dissertation proposal, you have advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree and also have started the 5-year clock for completion of the degree.
Before or usually after defense of the proposal, you should seek a fellowship from a national funding agency. Your Dissertation Proposal provides the cornerstone of an application for an individual pre-doctoral fellowship from agencies, such as the AHRQ, NIH (F31, F31 diversity) or other such organizations. Successful defense of your Dissertation Proposal strengthens your ability to obtain a pre-doctoral fellowship because the research plan has received an internal critique. Examples of deadline dates for a Ruth Kirschstein NRSA F31 application to NIH are the first weeks of April, August, and December; the F31 diversity fellowship deadlines are the first weeks of May, September, and January.
NOTE: Successful defense of the research proposal must occur on or before the last working day of Year 3, which is usually the 3rd Friday in August. Failure to do so may lead to the loss of stipend support and/or dismissal from the PhD program.
Dissertation Defense
Upon completion of the research, a dissertation is submitted by the student to the members of the student’s doctoral graduate committee at least 10 working days prior to the final oral defense date. During this period, the graduate committee members will review the dissertation and may make recommendations for its revision prior to its defense and final acceptance. Your dissertation research must be original and make a contribution to the scientific literature.
For scheduling the dissertation defense, a Shuttle Sheet (“Shuttle Sheet Request Form”) is to be requested from the HSCGC within 6-8 weeks into the graduation semester but no later than 10 working days prior to the date for the defense.
You defend your dissertation research for the Ph.D. degree by presenting it orally in front of a public forum, and defending it in private to your dissertation committee.
To pass, you must receive the approval of 4 of the 5 members on your committee. The results of the final oral examination for the Ph.D. candidate must be signed by all the examining graduate committee members present and must be reported to the HSCGC via the Shuttle Sheet within 24 hours after the examination.
Following the successful oral defense you are required to make all the changes that the graduate committee asks of you in the written dissertation. HSOR students must submit the remaining two manuscripts from their dissertation for publication prior to submitting their dissertation via ETD. It is the major advisor’s responsibility to verify the submission of the manuscripts for publication and satisfactory completion of the changes required by the graduate committee members prior to the submission of the final dissertation electronically to the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) program at WVU - http://etd.lib.wvu.edu/
Subsequent to the submission of the student’s dissertation using the ETD and prior to departing from WVU, the student must “check-out.” Check-out includes returning all equipment, materials and supplies to their owners, returning of all keys signed out, cleaning up work space, returning library materials, and turning over all materials used in the course of completing the student’s research to their major advisor. The required signatures must be obtained on the Exit Form. It is the major advisor’s responsibility to insure that this form is completed. Moreover, upon signing the Exit Form the advisor is confirming that the above items have been satisfactorily completed and will take full responsibility in the event that they have not. An exit interview with the graduate program director and the assistant vice president for graduate education of the HSC is required for program assessment purposes.
Note: All committee members must be present at the defense. Please see the University regulations controlling this exam. http://catalog.wvu.edu/graduate/advisingcoursesdegrees/degree_regulations/#thesesdissertationstext
Note: You must have met your three publication requirements and at least one first-author manuscript based on your Ph.D. dissertation research submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal before you defend your dissertation research. In the case of joint first-author manuscripts, the manuscript can only fulfill this requirement for one author.
Time Limit to Degree
University policy states that if you do not successfully defend your dissertation research within 5 years of reaching PhD candidacy, you must retake the Proposal Defense. For more information see: http://catalog.wvu.edu/graduate/advisingcoursesdegrees/degree_regulations/#timelimitstext