• Three qualifying exams from these courses: 503 or 536, 502 or 565, and 580 or 584.
• One qualifying exam from any other course not in the same area as the three above.
• Must complete all four exams by the end of the third semester.

Students wishing to take a qualifying exam must indicate their intentions by the end of the 12th week of the semester.

The Qual 2 process consists of passing 4 qualifying exams, 3 of which are from required areas. A student must pass either CS 503 or CS 536 and CS 502 or CS 565 and CS 580 or CS 584 and a course of their choosing from another area. Qualifying exams are left to the discretion of the professor. They are usually supplemental exams that accompany the final examination. However, sometimes they are a certain subset of the problems on the final exam or a required grade on the final exam. All Qual 1 exams are graded by two graders. If a student fails a qualification exam they are allowed retake the other exam in that area. However, if they fail to complete that exam as well the student must petition the graduate committee.

Before you sign up to retake a Qual 1 exam, you must petition for an extension from the graduate committee. In order to do this, you must e-mail a request to Professor Park. In this e-mail, you must describe the reasons you wish to retake the qualifier and provide a description of what progress you have made up to this point in the department. The description of progress should include independent study projects, publications, or any other note worthy work that was not included in your regular course load.

• The Qual 2 must be completed by the end of the fourth semester
• The Qual 2 can only be completed after completing the Qual 1.

The graduate committee reserves the right to appoint a committee and set an examination date for any student who has not completed the qualifying examination by the end of the fourth semester.

The Qual 2 requires one to complete an oral examination in one of the areas in the “Areas and Courses” table. The student is free to choose the area, but it is usually the same area the student plans to do research in for his/her Ph.D. The type of questions and manor in which the exam is given is completely decided by the faculty members administering the exam. The exam is administered by three faculty members, none of which can be your adviser, appointed by the graduate committee. For department issued requirements see Section 3.3 and the department website.

Steps for completing the Qual 2:

• Indicate an area of research
• Select a thesis adviser
• Secure approval from the assistant to the head to schedule the examination
• On the day of the exam pick-up form XXX from the assistant to the head and bring it to the exam.

The examination may be repeated once and additional repetitions must be approved by the graduate committee. Additional repetitions must be petitioned for in writing to the graduate committee. Additional repetitions are almost never granted expect in special situations.