Qualifying for doctoral candidacy is a multi-faceted process. Required core area courses are an integral part of the qualifying process, as is the other coursework you have completed, your annual student review, and any requirements your area of specialization may have. 

Purpose

The purpose of the qualifying exam is to allow students to demonstrate readiness to advance to candidacy. This process is one component of a comprehensive evaluation. Readiness to advance to candidacy involves that the student meets the following standards: 

1. has a base of knowledge relating to a specific field,
2. is able to integrate prior literature and synthesize it to generate new ideas,
3. can design a study based on their research question, using methods appropriate to the research question,
4. understands how to conduct analyses, aligned with their research question and their method,
5. situates their study back into the broader literature, showing sufficient understanding of the implications as well as the limitations,
6. can draw upon prior knowledge to reason through questions, even where there is no clear answer.

Required Coursework

All doctoral students must register for two semesters of EDP 395R Qualifying Process Research before the end of the semester in which they go through the qualifying process. Summer registration is contingent on approval of the qualifying process adviser and the adviser’s ability to supervise the student’s work during the summer.

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