Code of Practice of Doctoral Candidate Qualifying Examination

1. Format of the qualifying examination: Option i. Designate curriculum. Option ii. Written exams

2. The designate curriculum includes the following graduate-level courses offered by each sub-division.

3. PhD students must choose respectively two and one courses to be taken from his/her major and minor sub-divisions designated by the student's supervisor according to the student's research interests. Specifically, the student must receive a letter grade A (or above) or rank top 33% in the two major courses and receive a letter grade A- (or above) or rank top 50% in the one minor course to pass the qualifying examination.

4. In case of failing to meet the grade requirements in the course, students are allowed to apply to the department office before the beginning of the other semester for retaking the same course multiple times. The student is obliged to eventually fulfill the specified requirements in the course to pass the qualifying examination; nevertheless the course credits are counted only once.

5. PhD students are allowed to complete the qualifying-examination requirements instead through the written exam of each subject equivalent to the designated course. The written exams take place every semester specifically in March and October. The students can take up to three subjects each time and pass the exam by receiving a score higher than 70%.

6. The written exam of each subject are prepared by a faculty member, usually the instructor of the equivalent designated course, appointed by the department head.

7. Details of the written exams:

i. The duration of the written exams should be 120 minutes.

ii. The completed written exams should be sealed and graded anonymously.

8. Any designated course completed by the PhD student within five years at this department, despite the fact that the course was taken prior to his/her admission into the PhD program, are eligible to meet the qualifying-examination requirements.

9. PhD students who fail to complete the qualifying-examination requirements within two year after his/her enrollment into the PhD program should be mandatorily withdrawn from the program; except for those students who enrolled in the Direct-PhD program may transfer to the master program.

10. The above code of practice and amendments have been approved in the departmental faculty meeting and become effective immediately by announcement.

03/08/2022, Amended and approved at Academic Committee meeting

Last update: Oct. 2023