Oral qualifying examinations

If the performance on the field examinations is satisfactory, the student must nominate a doctoral committee and proceed to take the Oral Qualifying Examination. This examination may range over general sociology, the student's specific fields, and the student's dissertation plans. It is given by the doctoral committee not later than six months after the completion of the written examination. The student must submit a 2‑page abstract of the dissertation proposal to the Graduate Affairs Advisor for distribution to faculty and students within two weeks of the oral qualifying examination.

In addition to the 2‑page abstract, a full‑length dissertation proposal shall be required at the time of the preliminary oral examination. A dissertation proposal approved by the committee must be filed with the Department reasonably soon after the preliminary orals. In the event of a major revision in the topic or methodology of the dissertation, a revised prospectus approved by the committee is required, and will be filed in the same manner as the original prospectus. Minor changes in the methodology and hypotheses, which normally take place as a student carries out the dissertation research, do not call for a revised prospectus.

Students who successfully complete both Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations will advance to candidacy upon submitting the report form on the oral qualifying exam to the Graduate Division. They then will be billed for the candidacy fee.