Written And Oral Exams

Master of Science

Students electing either a Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (non-thesis) program are required to pass a final oral examination. The exam is administered by a committee identified by the adviser and student and approved by the DGS and Graduate School . The final examinations cover the major field and the minor or related fields, and may include any work fundamental to these fields. The final oral for the master's degree is conducted as a closed examination, attended by only the student and the examining committee. In general, MS Plan A examinations often are primarily a thesis defense whereas Plan B examinations will focus more on general information from coursework. Immediately prior to the examination, CB students almost always present a public seminar on their thesis. The examining committee must be present during this summer because a separate presentation will not occur during the closed session.

Doctor of Philosophy

Students in the PhD program are required to pass a written exam, a preliminary oral exam, and a final oral exam. The written prelim exam, explained below, should be taken no later than 2.5 years after beginning the program. Preliminary examination groups will be assembled without regard to track designation. The Graduate School requires that the prelim oral must take place at least one academic term (15 weeks) before the final oral defense.

PhD Written Prelim. Exam

The written preliminary examination, required for PhD students, is a two-step process. Each year, all students desiring to take the exam identify themselves to the Prelim Committee and participate in a process to select a topic for study during the next semester. Students enroll in CBio 8095 and produce a group paper. Members of the prelim committee review the paper and write questions for the written preliminary examination based on the concepts covered in the paper. The written preliminary examination is an individual exam that is taken in one day.

The goals of the Written Preliminary preparatory course (CBio 8095) and exam are:

  • To provide experience in the kind of cooperative group work that conservation biologists will typically encounter in their post-graduate professional lives.
  • To create an environment in which students interact with each other and prepare jointly for the written examination.
  • To build on the diverse backgrounds of the students and take advantage of the broad nature of the subject of conservation biology.
  • To provide experience in writing on demand, which conservation biologists typically encounter in their post-graduate professional lives.
  • To ascertain the extent to which a student demonstrates competence and effectively communicates on topics critical to conservation biology.

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PhD Prelim Oral Exam

The preliminary oral examination is taken after passing the written examination and before the end of that academic year. The preliminary oral examination is administered by the student's oral examining committee that is approved by the DGS and the Graduate School . As stated by the Graduate School ‘This exam will cover the major field, the minor or supporting program and any work fundamental to these areas including possible plans for thesis research. Specialized training and knowledge related to specific tracks can be addressed in this exam. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule the preliminary oral with the examiners and with the Graduate School , 316 Johnston Hall, at least one week in advance.

PhD Final Oral exam

Each doctoral student is required to successfully defend his/her thesis in a final oral examination within five calendar years after passing the preliminary oral examination. To be eligible for the final oral examination, a student must have completed all coursework listed on the official doctoral degree program form; must have passed both the written and oral preliminary examinations; must have an approved thesis proposal on file with the Graduate School; must have maintained active status; and must have satisfied the thesis credit requirement. In addition, the thesis must have been certified by the readers as ready for defense. The student must schedule the examination at least one week in advance with both the committee and the Graduate School .

The final oral examination consists of a seminar in which the candidate presents the thesis and to which the scholarly community is invited. The seminar may take place only after the thesis has been judged ready for defense. A closed meeting between the candidate and the appointed examining committee immediately follows the thesis presentation. The examination is limited to the candidate's thesis subject and relevant areas and will not exceed three hours. The candidate is then excused and a vote is taken on whether the candidate passed the examination.

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