I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to provide a uniform procedural framework for the preparation, procedural requirements, and completion of the doctoral Qualifying Examination, including eligibility criteria, examination structure, and evaluation standards for the doctoral Qualifying Examination across all doctoral (Ph.D.) programs offered by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBMS) at New York Medical College (NYMC).
II. POLICY
It is the policy of NYMC that all Ph.D. students are required to pass the Qualifying Examination in order to achieve doctoral candidacy. The Qualifying Examination is an important academic benchmark designed to determine whether the student:
a. can utilize knowledge gained from foundational courses and scientific literature to formulate well-reasoned answers to questions regarding major current concepts and paradigms in the discipline of study; and
b. possesses general intellectual and scholarly tools needed to undertake a doctoral dissertation research project.
Passing the qualifying examination provides evidence that the Ph.D. student can advance towards Ph.D. candidacy in their chosen discipline/program
III. SCOPE
This policy applies to all students enrolled in Ph.D. programs at GSBMS who are undertaking their Qualifying Examination. This policy also applies to the Program Directors of the Ph.D. programs offered by the GSBMS, as well as members of Qualifying Examination Committees (also referred to herein as the Committee).
IV. DEFINITIONS
A. Qualifying Examination: a comprehensive assessment used to evaluate the ability of Ph.D. student to apply foundational knowledge and scientific literature to complex disciplinary questions and their readiness to undertake independent doctoral dissertation research. It serves a critical academic benchmark that Ph.D. students must successfully complete in order to continue in their program and advance toward doctoral candidacy.
V. PROCEDURES
A. Timing and Eligibility for the Qualifying Examination
1. All Ph.D. students must take the Qualifying Examination no later than one semester after the completion of core and program specific courses required by their respective program in a good academic standing (an overall GPA of 3.0 or above).
2. The Qualifying Examination may be delayed for students who did not complete program milestones in the expected time. All such deferments must be recommended by the student’s Program Director and approved by the Dean.
3. Scheduling of the Qualifying Examination and composition of Qualifying Examination Committee is determined by the student’s Program Director of the student’s program of study in consultation with the student’s Dissertation Advisor.
a. The Qualifying Examination Committee must include 2 to 3 NYMC GSBMS faculty members. At least two Committee members must be from the student’s program of study; the Committee may contain an optional member from a different graduate doctoral program.
b. Program Directors can also invite any graduate faculty member with appropriate expertise regardless of their departmental affiliation to grade at least some parts of the Qualifying Examination and to participate in the final assessment of the student’s performance.
B. Structure of and Time Frame for Completing the Qualifying Examination
1. The Qualifying Examination consists of two components, written and oral.
a. Refer to the Guidelines on Preparation for and Structure of the Qualifying Examination for information on the expected structure of the Qualifying Examination.
2. The order in which components are completed, grading weight of the written and oral components, and content of the examination is program specific as long as the overall scope and difficulty of Qualifying Examination are comparable across different programs.
3. Once started, the Qualifying Examination must be completed within a 3-week period.
a. Timeframe of the Qualifying Examination can be extended as detailed in Section C 3b and 3c.
C. Grading of the Qualifying Examination
1. The Qualifying Examination Committee is responsible for evaluating student performance on the Qualifying Examination and determining whether the student has successfully fulfilled the requirements for advancement.
a. Each member of the Qualifying Examination committee independently grades the written and oral portions of the Examination and fills out the Qualifying Examination Assessment Sheet. The student will be provided with copies of completed sheets from each committee member.
b. The Committee then discusses the student’s performance to reach a consensus. The results of the Qualifying Examination will be communicated to the student and Dissertation Advisor by the Program Director.
2. The student will receive a grade of Pass, Conditional Pass, or Fail, based on their overall performance during the Qualifying Examination.
a. To Pass the Qualifying Examination, the student needs to meet or exceed expectations in all competencies. For all programs, the benchmark for passing the exam is 80% of a maximum grade composed of the total of both written and oral portions.
i. Students that pass the Qualifying Examination are approved to become Ph.D. candidates.
ii. For the students that pass the examination, the Program Director must submit the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Report signed by all of the members of the Qualifying Examination committee to GSBMS office.
b. The student who displayed deficiencies and did not meet expectations in written and/or oral portion(s) of their examination (resulting in a grade between 60% and 79%) will receive a Conditional Pass, based on the magnitude of the insufficiencies. To convert a Conditional Pass to a final Pass, the student must successfully complete a make-up assignment assigned by the Committee within a 2-to-6-week period, as determined by the Committee, following the initial Qualifying Examination. The Qualifying Examination Committee is responsible for both determining whether a Conditional Pass is warranted and overseeing the remediation process. The Committee also evaluates whether the student has successfully fulfilled the requirements to convert the Conditional Pass into a final Pass.
c. The student who does not meet expectations during the Qualifying Examination, resulting in a grade below 59%, or a student who cannot adequately address their deficiencies during a make-up assignment after receiving a Conditional Pass will receive the grade of Fail.
i. Such students will be given a chance to retake the Qualifying Examination with the approval of the student’s Program Director in consultation with the Academic Standards Committee and the Dean based on the overall assessment of the student’s potential to complete the program successfully.
ii. The scheduling of the reexamination must occur within six months of the first attempt and will be determined by the Program Director in consultation with the Dissertation Advisor.
iii. No more than two opportunities to pass the Qualifying Examination shall be provided. A second failure will result in termination from the doctoral program and revocation of the financial aid package (stipend, tuition waiver, and medical insurance).
iv. The student who fails the Qualifying Examination on two successive attempts will be eligible to receive a Master of Science degree, upon successful fulfillment of the Master’s Literature Review / Research Thesis requirement, any additional required coursework, and approvals from the Program Director and the Dean.
D. Additional Considerations
1. A student who seeks a transfer from one Ph.D. program to another after having passed the Qualifying Examination in the first program must follow the normal procedures for requesting a transfer as set forth in the GSBMS Academic Catalog and may be required to pass a Qualifying Examination in the second program. The faculty in the second program may waive this second examination if, in their judgment, the student has demonstrated sufficient knowledge of the new discipline.
2. A student who wishes to transfer from one Ph.D. program to another after having failed the Qualifying Examination in the first program must follow the normal procedures for requesting a transfer, which requires acceptance by the second program and approval of the transfer by the Dean. If the student is admitted to the second program, a second attempt at the new Qualifying Examination may be granted. Such student, however, is also subject to the possibility of dismissal for failure to make timely progress towards a degree, as set forth in the relevant academic regulations in the GSBMS Academic Catalog.
3. A student who wishes to transfer from one laboratory to another in a different department without switching their program can work towards their degree in the discipline of choice with permission of the Program Director, new Dissertation Advisor, and the Dean.
VI. EFFECTIVE DATE
This policy is effective immediately.
VII. POLICY MANAGEMENT
Executive Stakeholder: Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Oversight Office: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Dean’s Office
