DMA Exams
General Information
Finding a Topic for Your Doctoral Project
Re-entering the Program (including Timeline)
Format Requirements for Dissertation, Thesis, and Scholarly Essay
Qualifying Exam
The qualifying exam is a six-hour written exam. The major exam is 4 hours long, and the cognate exam is 2 hours long. The schedule is 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (major), a lunch break from 12:30 to 1:30, and then the afternoon exam from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (cognate).
Qualifying exams are administered during the school year when school is in session, not over the summer.
All written exams occur in the Academic Affairs hallway, in a testing room.
Request to Schedule the Qualifying Exam – Students must confirm the written exam date with Academic Affairs before submitting the request form. Students must confirm the oral interview date and time with the committee members and upload email confirmations to the webform. If an oral interview is required, the major and cognate committee members must be present for the oral interview. It is important to remember that the qual exam must be scheduled three weeks before the intended exam date.
Exam Day Information for Students – IMPORTANT
Preliminary Exam
Students should submit their requests through the Graduate College Student Portal. Video tutorials on how to use the portal are available here.
Students should submit their committee appointment request three weeks before the exam date. This is essential so all relevant units can review and approve the committee before the exam. If the committee is not appointed before the day of the exam, it could mean that the exam must be rescheduled.
It is important to understand that the research director must approve the project proposal before scheduling the preliminary exam. Please do not schedule the preliminary exam with the committee until the research director has approved the proposal. Once they have done so, you may schedule the exam and send the committee a copy of the proposal at least three weeks before the intended exam date.
When filling out the form, please remember that if you have a member who is not part of the Graduate Faculty, the approval process may take additional time, so submitting the request three weeks in advance is crucial.
For the location of the exam, please type ‘in person’ or ‘zoom.’
Beginning January 2024, your request will be denied if the preliminary exam request form is not submitted at least three weeks before the intended exam date.
Preliminary Examination – Frequently Asked Questions
Format requirements for Dissertation, Thesis, and Scholarly Essay
Final Exam
Students should submit their requests through the Graduate College Student Portal. Video tutorials on how to use the portal are available here.
Students should submit their committee appointment request three weeks before the exam date. This is essential so all relevant units can review and approve the committee before the exam. If the committee is not appointed before the day of the exam, it could mean that the exam must be rescheduled.
Please do not schedule the final exam with the committee until the research director has given you approval to do so. Once they have done so, you may schedule the exam and distribute a copy of your paper (dissertation, thesis, or scholarly essay) to your committee at least three weeks before the intended exam date.
When filling out the form, please remember that if you have a member who is not part of the Graduate Faculty, the approval process may take additional time, so submitting the request three weeks in advance is crucial.
For the location of the exam, please type ‘in person’ or ‘zoom.’
Beginning January 2024, your request will be denied if the final exam request form is not submitted at least three weeks before the intended exam date.
Recital Scheduling
Deposit Deadlines
Format requirements for Dissertation, Thesis, and Scholarly Essay
Timeline for Final Defense and Graduation