Students who enter the doctoral program after having first earned an M.A. degree at UK should expect to sit for the qualifying examinations at the end of their third year of graduate study. Students who enter with the M.A. should expect to sit for the exams no later than during their second year of the doctoral program. All doctoral students—whether they are full-time or part-time—are required to sit for exams within four years of admission to the Ph.D. program. Students receiving assistantships or fellowships are to take the exams within two years of entering the Ph.D. program. A student may petition the DGS for an extension if he or she feels the extension is appropriate.
Qualifying Examination Policies:
- The qualifying examination is intended to test the capacity of graduate students to think historically, that is, to use the knowledge they have mastered to fashion historical arguments. They include examinations in each of the student’s fields of study.
- The examinations consist of essay questions designed to ascertain the student’s ability to analyze and synthesize information and to participate in a range of historiographical interpretations and debates. These competencies and skills are not only useful for exams, but also essential for writing a dissertation, teaching, and the public presentation of historical scholarship.
- Given the goals of the qualifying examinations, all or most questions are ones that students can answer without referring to notes or books. While students may have access to such materials, they should devote their time to their answers and not to searching for detailed information.
- Students may elect to take a closed-book exam. If they choose this option, this should be noted on the qualifying exam contract. The faculty examiner is responsible for monitoring the exam if it is closed-book and closed-note.
- Students have, at the discretion of the examining professor(s), up to seven hours to complete each examination. This includes picking up and delivering the exam to the departmental staff.
- Students must pick up and return each examination at the departmental office; questions will not be sent by fax or e-mail attachment, nor may answers be submitted that way.
- A student may, with the agreement of the major professor, substitute a substantial (30-50 page) historiographical essay for the examination in the specialty field. This essay must be approved by the major professor and must be provided to the other committee members two weeks before the oral examination is held.
- The examination will conclude with an oral examination of up to three hours over all of the student’s fields of study. All components of the qualifying exam should be completed within a two-week window during one of the department’s three scheduled exam periods.
- If in the opinion of a majority of the examining professors the student’s written examinations are not acceptable, the committee will cancel the oral examination.
Qualifying Examination Contract - The committee should meet with the student soon after its appointment to make formal recommendations on courses and reading and to help the student plan for the qualifying examinations. At this meeting, the committee and the student will prepare a contract specifying the nature of the fields, whether the field will be satisfied by an examination or an extensive historiographical essay, the length of the exam, and whether the exam will be closed- or open-book. The advisor, the student, and the DGS must sign the contract, and one copy should be given to the advisor and one to the student. It is advisable for the student and the student’s committee to meet once a year to discuss progress toward exams or toward finishing the dissertation.
Preparing for the Qualifying Examination - Students prepare for the exam fields by taking courses and by further reading on their own. Ideally, a student should plan to have two courses containing general readings as a basis for a major field, and at least one for a minor. The members of the advisory committee should recommend courses appropriate for preparing for the exams. Students may also prepare reading lists for members of the advisory committee to review, but this should be done at least three months in advance of the exam.
Scheduling and Taking the Qualifying Examination - Students are eligible to schedule the qualifying examination only if they have fulfilled the language requirement(s), have completed all the required courses, have satisfied the pertinent portions of the residency requirement, and are not carrying an incomplete grade. The Graduate School prohibits the scheduling of a qualifying examination for any student with an Incomplete.
There are three qualifying exam periods-August 15 to September 15, January 5-31, and March 15-April 15. The written exams and the oral exam should be taken over a period of no more than three weeks during one of the exam periods. (Students may petition the DGS to take the exams at some other time if they can present a strong reason for doing so.)
Students who wish to sit for the qualifying examination must notify the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Assistant when to arrange an appropriate date and time for committee meetings and exams.
In case of failure, the student may repeat the examination, but not before four months have elapsed. A second examination must be taken within one year after taking the first examination. The Graduate School prohibits a third attempt.
In cases where in the judgment of the committee a student does exceptionally well on the Qualifying Examination, the Chair may add a statement for the student’s file indicating that the examination was ‘passed with distinction.’
Fields and Specific Requirements - The specific fields, the number of exams, and specific requirements for the major specializations are linked below.