Title

BME Qualifying Exam: Mutual Expectations Document

Sections

The purpose of this document is to align expectations between the graduate student and qualifying exam committee. Any question or concern that arises may be directed to either the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies or Director of Graduate Training.

Policies

Students must be in good academic standing, meaning a minimum 3.0 GPA, no more than two “I” grades, and no “F” or “U” grades, to complete the written and oral exam.
Students may discuss the scope of the project and relevant literature with an advisor and/or colleague.
Students may not share the written exam with an advisor and/or colleague or receive verbal or written comments in advance of evaluation by the qualifying exam committee.
If a student is submitting a grant and requires feedback and guidance from the student’s advisor in advance of the qualifying exam, the student may submit the individually prepared written exam to gradstudies@bme.gatech.edu prior to receiving feedback on the document.
Students may meet with members of the qualifying exam committee in advance of the exam. Committee members may not reveal specific exam questions in advance of the oral portion of the exam.
Advisors should attend the oral portion of the exam as observers to ensure that the student receives a fair examination.

Timeline

Oral and written portions of the exam must be completed between August 1 and November 1 of the student’s second year.
The committee chair must receive the written portion of the exam at least three weeks before the scheduled oral exam.
If the written portion is not received by the required time, the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies or Director of Graduate Training must be notified and the exam must be rescheduled.
Students who fail to complete the written and oral portions of the exam by November 1 will be placed on academic probation, will be ineligible for program support funds, and will forfeit financial support. Sanctions will be lifted when the exam is completed.

Exam Format

The exam should not exceed four pages and should include the following sections:
- Project Summary/Abstract
- Specific Aims, two to three
- Research Strategy:
  - Significance
  - Approach, with one specific aim described in detail
- Bibliography and References Cited, which are not included in the four-page limit
The following formatting rules apply:
- Font must be 11 points or larger.
- Type density must be no more than 15 characters per linear inch.
- Line spacing must be no more than six lines per vertical inch.
- Arial, Georgia, Helvetica, and Patino Linotype are recommended to meet the preceding requirements.
- Figures must be readable and must be included in the page limit.
- Paper size must be 8½ inches by 11 inches.
- Margins must be at least one-half inch on the top, bottom, left, and right of all pages.
- Do not use headers or footers.
- A single-column page format is recommended for ease of reading.
- The total limit is four pages, not including citations.
The exam contains an oral portion lasting 60 to 90 minutes. The oral portion addresses fundamental engineering and bioscience concepts relevant to the student’s research, as outlined in the written exam.

Assessment

Committee members will assess both the written and oral portions of the exam.
Written exams are evaluated on a pass/fail basis and serve to narrow the scope of questioning for the oral exam.
Only oral exams are assessed using the milestone rubric form. Written exams have no separate rubric and are evaluated as pass/fail on the Decision Form.
Results for the written and oral portions are compiled by the chair, who will facilitate a separate pass/fail vote for each portion of the exam.
Votes may be open but must be conducted by secret ballot if requested by any committee member. The vote is binding, and voting must take place before the exam committee adjourns.

Pass

If the vote is 3–0 or 2–1 in favor, the student passes that portion of the exam.
The committee may place conditions on the pass. Conditions must be completed within the following academic term or the next term in which the applicable course is offered. All conditions must be recorded on the Qualifying Exam Decision Form completed by the chair.

Fail

If the vote is 1–2 or 0–3 and the exam is being conducted for the first time, the student must retake the exam.
The committee may fail either the written portion, the oral portion, or both portions.
The student is required to retake only the portion that received a failing decision.

Retake

A student may retake the written and oral exam only once.
At the time of the retake, the student must be in good academic standing.
An oral exam retake should be scheduled as early as possible, contingent upon the student’s readiness and completion of any conditions, and must take place within three months.
A written exam retake should be submitted as early as possible and must be submitted within one month.
A student must pass both the written and oral portions of the exam.
If the committee votes to fail either the written or oral exam retake, the student may elect to complete a terminal, thesis-based master’s degree or be withdrawn from the program.

Notification

The chair of the qualifying exam committee must complete the Qualifying Exam Decision Form and collect Milestones Evaluation Forms from each committee member before adjournment.
The chair should deliver the evaluations to the BME Academic Office.
Students and faculty advisors will receive the results of the qualifying exam through an electronic copy of the decision form, rubrics, and a letter from the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
Students may meet with their exam committee chairs to debrief the exam.
Exam committee members may provide comments on the written exam, but comments are not required.
A student who does not pass will meet with the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, exam committee members, and thesis advisor to discuss the results and make appropriate plans for next steps.