Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Protocol for Qualifying Examinations

1. as an option for any student already enrolled in the program and writing their qualifying exam after May 2012
2. as standard operating procedures for all students admitted to the program after January 2012

Qualifying Examination – Detailed Description

Preamble and Disclaimer

This is intended to guide students and faculty through the procedures of the Qualifying Examination. It is not a code of conduct or a policy document, for which any breach of details can be used as a basis for an appeal in the event that a student fails the examination. It is understood by all that minor variations in the details, timing and manner in which the various steps are addressed or completed are allowable.

The student is responsible for following the steps and ensuring that there are no omissions. Any questions, disagreements, appeals, etc. should first go to the Program Director. If the issue cannot be resolved informally, it should go to the Graduate Coordinator. If that fails, it goes to the Department of Public Health’s Appeals Committee, then to the Chair of the Department and if all else fails, the issue will go to the School of Graduate Studies.

Principles:

A number of principles are adopted that will guide the format and approach of the qualifying exam.

1. Recognizing that prior theoretical commitments shape research questions, but also that more empirically focused students often begin with a particular problem framing, the SBHS QE will encourage students to identify a broad problem framing, explore relevant theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, and propose one or more specific research questions as an outcome of the QE which could form the basis for their dissertation proposal.
2. The examination, unique to each student, will focus around a problem statement posed by the student. This should be a broader formulation than the research question around which the thesis proposal will be written, and to establish competence and command of a broader (sub)field within the discipline.
3. The process and product should contribute to a final thesis proposal, but would not be a replacement for a thesis proposal or proposal defense.
4. All students will be expected to address the conceptual/theoretical work related to their chosen topic area; however flexibility will be granted as to the inclusion of discussion of relevant methodological approaches, in consultation with the thesis supervisor and committee.
5. Recognizing that the QE also contribute to establishing the student’s knowledge of a broader (sub)field within their discipline, the scope of the QE should be broader than a specific research question (i.e. broader than the research question around which the dissertation proposal will be subsequently written).

Purpose of the Qualifying Examination

The overall purpose of the examination is to evaluate the student’s suitability for continuing in the doctoral program. The examination would normally occur after all course work has been completed and prior to proceeding on thesis work. The examination would normally occur in the fourth term (or pro rata for part-time students), which is when the student will most likely have decided upon a research topic.

The evaluation of the qualifying exam will be based on i) a written paper and ii) an oral examination of the paper.

The qualifying examination will provide the student with the opportunity to contextualize and organize material, around his/her research topic area, that will not normally occur in individual graduate courses. It will assist faculty in forming an overall opinion with respect to the intellectual abilities and suitability for proceeding in the doctoral program. Further, it should aid in the identification of weaknesses and strengths in the student’s understanding of theory and method, which should be helpful to the student and his or her supervisor and thesis committee.

Initiation of the Process

After the selection of a topic area and a preliminary review of the relevant literature, the student will develop an outline for the qualifying paper that addresses the focus, scope, and anticipated structure of the QE paper, as well as a proposed reading list. This will be done in consultation with the supervisor and other faculty members who may serve on the student’s future thesis committee. The supervisor and committee will advise the student on the scope and direction of the outline. The outline will be approved by the supervisor, committee members who have been determined, and the program director prior to proceeding on the development of the paper. The outline should be no more than 10 pages in length plus references.

Qualifying Paper – Focus and Content

Once the outline has been approved, the student is expected to write the paper independent from of the supervisor and thesis committee (i.e. questions of clarification will be entertained but supervisor/committee will not comment on drafts). The written component should demonstrate the student’s scholarly independence (including clarity of thought and writing, synthesis and analysis, critical thinking, creative interpretation/innovation, focus, thoroughness and organization). This paper requires the student to contextualize the theory and method relevant to a research question selected by him/her, to develop a focus, and to provide a critical analysis of theoretical and methodological materials relevant to it. Some of the important elements to be included are described below.

An introduction will provide a clear statement of the issue, policy or problem area which the student plans to examine. The introduction provides an overview of the selected topic along with a statement of the rationale for pursing the topic of interest.

The paper will provide a concise statement of the focus within which the issue, policy or problem will be examined.

The paper will identify a number of theoretical perspectives from which the topic can be considered, and will more specifically examine 2 of these. It will situate the main theoretical perspectives within the broader domain of theories and will indicate what is to be excluded from the critical analysis and reasons for exclusion. Students wishing to focus on theory will put more emphasis here.

The paper will reflect upon several possible methodological approaches that may be applied to the broad topic area. It will provide an analysis of the value and contribution of different methods. Students wishing to focus on methodology will be expected to put more emphasis here.

The paper will propose one or more feasible study questions, which might be undertaken in future study, and that arise from the broad consideration of the topic gained through the literature review, theories and methodologies.

In the paper the student will select a specific research question that appears to be promising and provide a rationale for the selection of this and an appropriate methodology. This should be the research question the student considers him/herself most likely to pursue in the dissertation.

The paper will include a full bibliography and a reading list.

The paper should be written succinctly and should not exceed 8000 words, excluding references, figures and tables. The final word count should be displayed at the top of the first page.

Submission of the Qualifying Paper

Following the submission and approval of the outline, the student will prepare the final paper. Combined, the process of developing the two elements (qualifying paper outline + qualifying paper) and the oral examination of the qualifying paper should be completed within 6 months of completion of the student’s coursework.

N.B The preparation of the comprehensive is envisaged as part of the learning experience of the student. The student, supervisor and thesis committee members (i.e. those who have been selected as committee members) are encouraged to meet as frequently as possible during the preparation of the paper outline to discuss the scope, direction and content. The supervisor will assist in ensuring that there is breadth in the theory and methods discussed, and that the student is able to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topic. The supervisor will monitor the student’s progress and will alert the Program Director of the impending completion date to ensure that the flow of work continues and to avoid delays due to scheduling problems for the oral examination.

Oral Examination of the Qualifying Paper

a) The Qualifying Examination Committee normally will be comprised of at least three persons:

• Program Director or designate (1 vote)
• One external examiner (a departmental member who is not directly involved in the student’s thesis and may be considered to be at arm’s length, or someone from outside of the department who will not serve on the student’s final thesis examination) (1 vote)
• The supervisor (1 vote)

Other potential thesis committee members are encourage to attend the defense but not as voting members of the examination committee.

The external examiner for the qualifying exam will be chosen by the Program Director in consultation with the supervisor. The student may provide suggestions.

The three primary members of the examination committee will be given one vote each. While other thesis committee members may participate in the examination, only one vote, that of the supervisor, will be permitted.

Additional members of the examination committee may be added should the Program Director and supervisor consider that it is necessary to augment the committee with a person who may have specific expertise in the students chosen topic area. The additional members will not be eligible to cast a vote. Their function is to contribute to the examination committee’s deliberations.

b) The oral examination should focus on both the substance of the paper and the specified domain of background reading. The decision of the Qualifying Examination Committee should be based on the quality of the paper and the student’s presentation and response to questions. The student will make a 20-minute presentation summarizing the paper prior to the commencement of the questions from the qualifying examination committee.

c) At the completion of the examination, the student will withdraw while the committee reaches its decision. The Qualifying Examination will be rated by the committee as pass or fail, based on the paper, and the student’s presentation and responseto questions.

The possible outcomes of the examination are:

1. Pass – No revisions required. Suggestions for additional reading and suggestions for consideration in the preparation of the thesis proposal may be made; however no revisions are necessary to the qualifying paper.

2. Pass with revision – this may include recommendations for revision of the paper and may also includerequirements for additional reading. Emphasis here should be on revisions required to establish competence to proceed (as distinct from suggestions for future work (e.g. thesis proposal). Written recommendations should be given to the student at the end of the defense. A revised paper, addressing the required revisions must be submitted to the supervisor and the thesis committee within one month of the oral examination. The supervisor and thesis committee should certify to the Program Director and the Graduate Chair that the agreed upon revisions have been made satisfactorily.

(iii) A failure on either of the two components of the examination will require a re-sit of the examination. After one failure, the student is permitted to re-sit the Qualifying Examination only one more time and must do so within 3 months of the date of the first examination. Students must leave the PhD program if they have a second failure or there is a passage of three months without re-examination (unless a time extension has been given based on medical or other compelling grounds). The composition of the examination committee should remain the same if at all possible. The Program Director, in consultation with the supervisor, will approve the replacement or additional members of the examination committee, if required.

The decision of the committee is by simple majority.

The student will be informed of the decision of the Committee at the conclusion of the examination.

The approval of the qualifying paper and examination is an end in and of itself. It is not linked necessarily to the thesis.