EECS Ph.D. Comprehensive Exams Guidelines
(Effective Fall 2020)
Graduate students accepted in the EECS doctoral program may take comprehensive exam as early as the last semester of their coursework, and no later than one calendar year after completing their coursework. A Ph.D. student should take the doctoral comprehensive examination in three areas: two majors and one minor. These areas are to be chosen by the student in consultation with the advisor. The student should obtain the approval from his/her advisor and select 2 Major Courses and 1 Minor Course, one for each area.
The Examination in each of the three areas is worth maximum of 100 points. To pass the comprehensive examination, a student should score at least 60 points in each of the three areas and a minimum of total 210 points (equivalent to the 70% of the total score). If a student failed the examination, he/she should retake the exam in its entirety. The student may keep the three previous areas, select the three new areas, or combine the previous and new areas to retake the comprehensive exams. The three areas for retaking the exams must be approved by the advisor and the chair of the department. If a student fails the comprehensive exams twice, he/she will be dismissed from the Ph.D. program.
Structure of Comprehensive Examination
The course assignments in the three sessions of the comprehensive exam are as follows:
- Major Session I – Major course 1, 6 problems. A student can select 5 problems out of 6 to answer, each 20 points, total 100 points.
- Major Session II – Major course 2, 6 problems. A student can select 5 problems out of 6 to answer, each 20 points, total 100 points.
- Session III – Minor 1, 6 problems. A student can select 5 problems out of 6 to