Appendix III: Qualifying Examination Timelines and Responsibilities Chart

Form QE Committee

Task Timeframe Responsible
Submit signed QE Committee Appointment Form to Graduate Program Assistant Mid-April Advisor
Overview of QE process to QE committee members external to the department End of April Graduate Program Coordinator

Contextual Statement and Reading List

Task Timeframe Responsible
Provide PhD students and QE committee members access to ARES. End of April Graduate Program Coordinator
Submit contextual statement and reading lists to committee for review. Ensure separate sections for each of the 3 groupings (i.e., Sociological Theory-40 units, selected Specialization Field-40 units, and Student's Research Area-10 units). Mid-April to Mid-May Student
Provide feedback and 10 additional Student Research Area readings related to research area for student to incorporate into their contextual statement and reading list. Mid-April to Mid-May QE Committee
PhD QE Contextual Statement and Reading List Approval Form (with attachment) submitted to Graduate Program Assistant. QE committee and student receive the final approved version of Contextual Statement and Reading List document. First week of June Advisor
Review Reading Lists and ensure that readings required by multiple students are accessible via ARES. By Mid-June Graduate Program Coordinator

Reading

Task Timeframe Responsible
Student carefully read their reading lists, paying attention to the 4 QE learning outcomes. Mid-April to end of August Student

Written Component

Task Timeframe Responsible
Decide who will provide which type of QE question (Reminder: 2 related to sociological theory; 2 related to their specialization field; 1 related to their research area and 1 that cuts across the research area and at least one of the core reading lists). Between May and beginning of August Advisor in collaboration with QE Committee
Compile questions received from QE committee members, edit if required to avoid duplication and send questions back to the QE committee for approval prior to submitting to the student. Mid to end of Aug Advisor
Release 6 take-home exam questions to student (cc QE committee and Graduate Program Assistant). Students respond to at least 1 question from each grouping (sociological theory, specialization field, and research area) along with another question from any of the groupings. First week of Sept (date specified in the Contextual Statement and Reading List Approval Form) [Must be sent to the student by 9am on a weekday] Advisor
Submit written responses to the 4 selected QE questions to QE Committee Members 4 weeks after receipt of take-home exam question. All responses saved in one document, with the question noted at the beginning of each response and a reference list at the end of each response. First week of Oct (date specified in the Contextual Statement and Reading List Approval Form) [Must be submitted by 4pm on a weekday] Student
Submit request for QE paperwork (i.e., Report on Qualifying Exam) to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (OGPS) First week of October Graduate Program Assistant
Practice Oral QE Component Third week of October 1st, 2nd and 3rd year PhD students
Individually assess written reading response and document feedback related to each of the 4 Learning Outcomes. NB: 65% is the minimum level for a pass at a graduate level. Last two weeks of October QE Committee
QE Committee meets to discuss collective assessment. Within a couple of days of above (date specified) in the Contextual Statement and Reading List Approval Form) QE Committee (includes QE Chair)
Notify student of the outcome of the collective deliberations (cc QE committee and Graduate Program Assistant). 3 weeks after student submits their written response Advisor/QE Chair communicates outcomes to the student.

Re-written Component (if applicable)

Task Timeframe Responsible
Submits PhD Advisory Committee Qualifying Examination Research Evaluation Form to QE committee during deliberations and submit a copy to the Graduate Program Assistant (to archive in student’s file). Within three weeks of student's re- submission Advisor/QE Chair communicates outcomes to the student.

Oral Component

Task Timeframe Responsible
Student provides a 15-20-minute oral presentation (See PhD Handbook for suggested types of content to consider covering) (date specified) in the Contextual Statement and Reading List Approval Form)

Student

QE committee

Prepare PhD Advisory Committee Qualifying Examination Research Evaluation Form

  • Present to QE committee during deliberations
  • Post-oral: submit a copy Graduate Program Assistant (to archive in student's file).
 Prior to oral component of QE Advisor (with input from Advisory Committee)
Committee discusses student's performance During deliberations QE Committee Members

Post Qualifying Exam

Task Timeframe Responsible
Provide student with a summary of strengths and areas for improvement for each of the four QE Learning Outcomes for both the written and oral components. Send a copy to the Graduate Program Assistant (to archive in student's file) [Optional Template: Summary of Qualifying Examination Committee Feedback) 1 week post successfully Oral Component Advisor