Preliminary Examination
Qualifying Standards for Examination
To take the preliminary examination, PhD students must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a scale of 4.0. There are no exceptions.
For students who began the program with an MS degree, the GPA is calculated using six 4-credit hour graduate courses, all of which must satisfy the requirements of the PhD program. Students who enter the PhD program with an MS degree may retake or substitute up to three 4-credit hour graduate courses to meet the minimum GPA requirement.
For students who began the program with a bachelor’s degree, the GPA is calculated using 12 4-hour graduate courses, all of which must satisfy the requirements of the PhD program. Students who enter the PhD program directly with a bachelor’s degree may retake or substitute up to five 4-hour graduate courses that satisfy the requirements of the PhD program to meet the minimum GPA requirement.
Note: The GPA for transfer students is determined using grades that UIC assigned to their courses when transferred.
Preliminary Examination Timeline
Once students complete their PhD coursework and satisfied the minimum-GPA requirement, they have up to 12 months to pass the preliminary examination. The clock begins running when the coursework is completed with the minimum GPA requirement satisfied, not when the director of graduate studies receives the examination request form.
The preliminary examination must be taken no later than one semester prior to the student’s final defense.
Preliminary Examination Requirements
The preliminary examination consists of a written component and an oral component.
Written Component
- First, the student submits their written document to the thesis committee. This component takes the form of a research proposal. It is the responsibility of the student to demonstrate fundamental understanding of the material in this proposal.
- The written document must be received by the committee at least two weeks ahead of the scheduled oral examination date. Students are welcome and encouraged to attach copies of accepted or published journal articles to supplement the written component.
- The written document must be 10 to 15 single-spaced pages in Times New Roman (11 point) font with 1-inch margins. This is exclusive of references.
- The written document should be prepared using the National Science Foundation Proposal Guideline Criteria and must address Intellectual Merit of Research.
Oral Component
- An oral examination will be held once the committee has reviewed the written component.
- The oral examination must be conducted in person with the full committee present. Remote examinations are not permitted unless prior approval has been granted by the Graduate College. To request approval for a hybrid or remote examination/defense, please follow the instructions provided here and include Hamed Hatami-Marbini, Director of Graduate Studies, on your email request.
- External committee members are encouraged but not required to attend the oral examination.
Examination Outcomes and Progress Reporting
If a student passes the preliminary examination, the student moves on to the dissertation phase of the PhD program, under the guidance of the faculty advisor.
If a student fails the preliminary examination, the student has up to six months to retake the exam and must wait at least one semester before the defense.
PhD advisors are expected to stay informed about their students’ progress, including academic transcripts. In addition, the director of graduate studies oversees a spreadsheet of all PhD students’ trajectory in the program.
UIC’s Graduate College requires that students who enter the PhD program with an MS degree complete the doctoral program within seven years of the date of initial registration.