• Graduate Programs
• Overview
• Program of Study
• Course Work
  
• Candidacy Examination
• Dissertation
• Oral Examination

Students: Graduate Information

About Our Programs: The PhD program

Candidacy Examination

(Revised Jan. 31, 2003)

The Candidacy Examination must be taken no later than three quarters after the completion of course work. In order to retain funding for the fourth year, students must complete the Exam no later than the winter quarter of the third year. Students must register for English 996 with the Chair of the Examination Committee while preparing for the Candidacy Examination.

The Candidacy Examination consists of a take-home written portion and a two-hour oral portion. The "Doctoral Notification of General Examination" form must be filed with the Graduate School at least two weeks before the oral examination. The written exam is a three-day take-home exam with a limit of 5000 words. It should address two questions, one of which is dedicated to the student’s field, and one of which relates the student’s focus to the student’s field. The purpose of these questions is to show the student’s ability to write about the given texts from both the field and focus lists and to articulate the intersection between them. The questions are written by the student’s Exam Chair in consultation with the other members of his/her committee. The questions are given to the student only at the time the written exam is administered.

The written exam must be taken over a seventy-two hour period and turned in to the Graduate Office by 4:00 p.m. on the last day of that period. Students may opt to pick up the exam on a Monday, Tuesday, or Friday, so that it is due respectively the following Thursday, Friday, or Monday in the Graduate Office by 4 p.m. The exam is limited to a total of 5000 words (about 20 pages at 250 words/page). This word limit is strictly enforced (students must submit a word count along with a printout of the exam), and failure to adhere to the word limit constitutes failure of the entire Candidacy Exam. No endnotes of any kind are permitted, but students are allowed to cite relevant primary and secondary works in their answers to the questions. The main purpose of these citations, however, should be to serve the student’s argument rather than only to show that the student has done the reading. In other words, the student’s goal is not solely to demonstrate awareness of sources but to exhibit an ability to present and develop his or her own arguments within the context of the field.

The oral examination must follow no sooner than a week but within two weeks (i.e., 7-14 days) after the written examination is completed and turned in. The written exam should be regarded as the beginning of the discussion that will be continued during the oral. Prior to the oral, the student should meet with the Candidacy Exam Chair to clarify expectations for the oral exam. The oral exam lasts two hours, and covers both the candidate’s field and his or her focus area. The Chair of the committee should ensure that at least 60 minutes are devoted to the field. The last thirty minutes of the exam can include a discussion of the dissertation project as described in the student’s Program of Study.

The Candidacy Examination Committee consists of four faculty members selected by the student, and is chaired by a member of the Graduate Faculty with "P" status. The Committee meets with the student prior to the Examination to discuss the reading lists and to formulate the focus area. The Oral Examination Committee also includes a fifth faculty member, a representative appointed by the Graduate School.

Students are responsible for distributing the following materials to all members of the committee, including the Graduate School representative, at least one week before the oral examination:

• The Program of Study
• The written exam
• The Field and Focus reading lists (if updated from the Program of Study)
• The official description of the Candidacy Exam, available from the graduate office.

Failure of the Candidacy Exam occurs if the Committee considers either of the following to be the case: a) the written and/or oral portions of the examination indicate that the candidate is not ready to proceed to a dissertation, owing to insufficient knowledge of the field; b) the candidate is insufficiently focused on a dissertation project, which makes it unlikely that he or she will be able to submit an approved prospectus within two months. In case of failure, the Committee can specify the nature of the repeat examination, but it, too, must contain a written and an oral portion. A second failure means dismissal from the Ph.D. program (see Graduate School Handbook). A successful pass must be a unanimous decision of the Committee. The Chair of the Committee is required to submit a written report on the Candidacy Examination to the Graduate Director. Failure, in whole or in part, may occur if any one member (including the outside examiner) is not satisfied with the results. In the case of failure, each individual faculty member of the Committee may specify areas or material on which a re-examination must take place and so instruct the student. The chair of the committee will then submit a written account of what will be required of the student to repeat the Examination.

For a graduate student perspective and study tips, click here.

The Department of English, 421 Denney Hall, 164 W 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210-1340 Phone: (614) 292-6065 Fax: (614) 292-7816

This Web site, all content and related materials are ©2003-2008 by the The Department of English, the College of Humanities and The Ohio State University. If you have difficulty accessing any portion of this site due to incompatibility with adaptive technology, or if you need the information in an alternative format, please contact the department at .