A student who does not already hold a master's degree in the planned field of PhD study must PASS the Qualifying Exam before the end of his/her fifth semester (not counting summers) in the graduate program in the Department of Nuclear Engineering. For example, such a student who enters the program in fall 2004 must pass the entire exam by December 2006.

A student who does already hold a master's degree in the planned field of PhD study must PASS the Qualifying Exam before the end of his/her third semester (not counting summers) in the graduate program in the Department of Nuclear Engineering. For example, such a student who enters the program in spring 2005 must pass the entire exam by May 2006.

If circumstances beyond the student's control warrant an extension of this time limit, the student and his/her advisor should explain the circumstances in a request submitted to the Graduate Coordinator. The Graduate Committee will make a recommendation to the Department Head, who will then grant or deny the request for extension. Changing subject areas or not completing key courses will not justify an extension.

Written Portion To pass the written portion, the student must select and pass three sections, one of which must be Interactions, Measurement and Theory of Radiation. The available sections are:

• 1. Interactions, Measurement and Theory of Radiation
• 2. Fission Engineering
• 3. Reactor Theory and Experimentation
• 4. Nuclear Materials Engineering
• 5. Theoretical Health Physics
• 6. Applied Health Physics

Each section of the written examination is typically 3 hours in length. The examinations are closed-book; all material needed by the student is provided as part of the exam packet. Normally, the examinations are scheduled during three consecutive days early in each fall and spring semester. Prior to the exam, examinees are required to notify the Department Head that they will take the exam and indicate which sections they will take. If a student indicates intent to take the examination but does not take it, then the examination will be recorded as a failure, unless the student provides evidence (such as a physician's letter) of a compelling excuse. A student may take one, two, or three sections during an examination week. The key requirement is that all sections must be passed within the time limit specified above.

Oral Portion The purpose of the oral examination is to examine those students whose performance on the written exam is weak such that a clear "pass" or "fail" outcome is difficult to declare. Students who clearly pass or clearly fail the written portion will not be examined orally. The oral assessment exam will be convened at the discretion of the faculty. The student may decline the oral assessment, thus opting to retake the exam at the next available opportunity (if the student is still eligible). However, failure of the oral assessment does not preclude taking the exam again if the student remains eligible.

Each of the three written exams taken by a student may have one of the following outcomes: 1) pass, 2) fail, or 3) needs assessment. In the event of outcome three, a committee will be formed to assess the student's knowledge. The student will be informed of their need for an oral assessment along with a description of the technical area(s) to be examined. The examination shall focus on the deficient written responses as well as the student's understanding of the underlying principles behind the original question(s). The committee will then make a pass or fail recommendation to the Department Head for the particular exam component under review.

Material Covered by the Exam The examination is not intended to be specifically a "course-work" examination. The goal is to assess a student's competence and educational background in the three selected areas. There are, of course, certain courses that a student would normally take to help establish the necessary background.