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Examinations
Overview
Preparing for Examinations
Written Preliminary Examinations (PhD only)
Oral Preliminary Examinations (PhD only)
Final Examination (MS, PhD, and MF students)
Overview
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Examinations are used to determine whether a student meets University and departmental requirements. These
examinations are (a) the departmental written preliminary examination (Ph.D. students only), (b) the oral preliminary examination
(Ph.D. students only), and (c) the final examination (all students; includes thesis defense if applicable). A Ph.D. student must
pass the comprehensive written and oral preliminary examinations before advancing to candidacy. The Graduate Advisory Committee
shares responsibility for ensuring that all university and departmental rules and standards are met, but the major professor is
responsible for determining when the student is adequately prepared for formal examinations.
For both the oral preliminary examination and the final examination, more than one negative vote from the Graduate Advisory
Committee means that the student has failed the exam. When a student fails, the committee may recommend permitting or not permitting
re-examination. No more than two re-examinations are allowed by the Graduate School, although the department may allow fewer than two
re-examinations.
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Preparing for Examinations (Read More »)
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Suggestions to Major Professors and Students. Our goal is to assure that students are adequately prepared and ready for their exams,
and that the likelihood of students passing their exams is enhanced. This requires active preparation by the student and pre-exam
evaluations by the major professor. The following are some suggestions to major professors and students for preparing for examinations.
Different students have different needs and may require different kinds of preparation; there is no single formula for preparing for an
examination. Of course, the student should have prepared for technical questions by studying class notes, books, and other materials well
before the examination. In addition, the following suggestions may be helpful.
- The major professor may conduct an interview with the student prior to the examination to determine if the student is, in fact, adequately prepared for the examination. If
difficulties are identified, additional interviews may be appropriate.
- The major professor may contact other faculty for opinions about the preparedness of a student. Sometimes other faculty, particularly
those who have had the student in classes, can lend insight into potential problems. “Assessment of Examination Readiness” is a form which
can expedite obtaining opinions from other faculty.
- The student may arrange for practice examinations with peers and with professors. The major professor should assist students in this endeavor. The student may participate
in examination practice sessions, which may be offered in the department or elsewhere.
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Written Preliminary Examination (Ph.D. students only)
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Three to four weeks before the Preliminary Oral Examination is planned, students take a comprehensive written examination covering
major areas in their field of study. This examination is administered by the major professor in consultation with the other members of
the student's Graduate Advisory Committee. The exam assesses the student's competence in the theory and practice of research and the use
of this information in natural resource sciences and management. The examination may be either open or closed book, as determined by the
committee; it will not exceed two eight-hour days in duration. Successful completion of this written examination is determined by the
major professor and is required before the Oral Preliminary Examination may be taken.
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Oral Preliminary Examination (Ph.D. students only)
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This examination is a University requirement, and is scheduled and administered according to the rules of the Graduate
School. Students may be examined in all fields related to their specialty, including topics touched upon in the written comprehensive
examination, course work, and other areas pertinent to their proposed area of research. In addition, all areas of competence may be
examined. This examination is at least two, but normally not more than three, hours in length. Graduate Advisory Committee members who
are Forest Ecosystems and Society graduate faculty have primary responsibility for examining students on departmental requirements and for judging
whether these requirements have been met.
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Final Examination (M.S., Ph.D., and M.F. students)
The final examination is a University requirement and is scheduled and administered according to the rules of the Graduate School. The examination includes a
public presentation of the thesis or paper, as well as a private defense and examination by the Graduate Advisory Committee. Students are
examined primarily on their theses (or their final papers or prescriptions for M.F. students) and on related topics, but questions on any
subject pertinent to their area of specialty may also be included. In addition, all appropriate areas of competency may be examined,
particularly those not touched upon in previous examinations and those in which a deficiency has been identified.
For M.F. in Silviculture students, the final oral examination will consist primarily of a defense of the silvicultural prescription
prepared by the student for the FS506/FOR506 class and departmental competencies, but other aspects of the student’s program may also be
examined. The exam will be conducted by the student’s Graduate Advisory Committee.
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