Normally, a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.5 in graduate program leading to a master's degree is required before taking the written/oral portion of the qualifying exam. If the GPA is below 3.5, students may request to take a written examination to demonstrate their mastery of the systems engineering or engineering management topical areas. Instructor input, performance during the written/oral portion of qualifying exam, and prior academic performance all contribute to successful completion of the qualifying exam and admittance to the PhD program.

Written/Oral Portion of the Qualifying Exam
1. Three weeks before the scheduled exam date, every member on the committee should provide the chair of the committee a question (open ended questions are ok) in the topical area the candidate has chosen for his/her research.

2. The chair will present these to the candidate who then has two weeks from receipt of the questions to provide the committee with answers. The answers should be organized in a report format complete with title page, table of contents, references, etc.

3. The chair will return to every member of the committee the completed package. The committee will have one week to review the questions and answers.

4. The committee will formally meet as a group at the end of this week. At which time the candidate will present his/her answers to the questions in the form of a briefing. This briefing should present the answers in a general context (i.e., thought process, similar works in the literature, etc.). The candidate should spend no more than 5 minutes on each question. No more than five slides should be used to address each problem. At this time, the committee will have the opportunity to explore the candidate's knowledge of his/her PhD topical area.

5. Upon successful completion, the candidate will be admitted as a candidate to the PhD program. If the committee is not satisfied with the candidate's work, they can:

a. Recommend that the candidate apply his/her course work toward a master's degree and not be admitted to the PhD program,

b. Allow the candidate to retake the exam (maximum of 2 times total),

c. Ask the candidate to expound, clarify, etc., portions of the exam, or

d. Conditional approval (take more courses, teach to improve communication skills, etc.).