The Qualifying Examination is one of the requirements for a PhD degree mandated by the UCB Graduate Division. The following are some excerpts from a document entitled: "Policy Statement Approved by the Graduate Council Regarding Qualifying Examinations for the Doctoral Degree". The full text of this document can be found at the following UCB web address: http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/degrees/gual_exam.shtml.

The Purpose of the Examination. The examiners should satisfy themselves, by unanimous vote, that the student is clearly expert in those areas of the discipline that have been specified for the examination, and that he or she can in all likelihood design and produce an acceptable dissertation. The examination will ordinarily consider a number of studies and points of view and the criteria by which they may be evaluated.

The Oral Component. The oral examination of candidates for the doctorate serves important professional functions. Not only teachings, but the formal interaction with one's students and colleagues at colloquia, annual meetings of professional societies and the like, often require the ability to synthesize rapidly, organize clearly, and argue cogently in an oral setting. To fulfill his or her professional responsibility adequately, the holder of the doctorate will frequently be called upon to display these skills, and it is consequently necessary for the University to ensure that a proper examination is given incorporating them.

Consistent with these guidelines, our qualifying exams are oral. (In the Synthetic Program, a written proposal is also required.) Exams are taken in front of a four-member committee; no slides or overheads are allowed, but a chalkboard will be available. They consist of two parts (described in more detail below) in which student's knowledge of his/her major research area, and of an "outside area" in chemistry, are examined. To provide sufficient time to cover both areas, the exam is scheduled for 3 hours, but may take less.

The qualifying exam committee consists of three chemistry faculty members and one additional UCB faculty from another department who represents an area of science related to the research topic. According to the Department of Chemistry regulations, a student's research advisor cannot also be a member of that person's qualifying exam committee. Examination committees are appointed by the Vice-Chair in charge of the program (physical or synthetic) in consultation with the student. Specifically, students are asked to suggest the names of the four members of their examination committees. These suggestions should be made after consultation with the research advisor and should be guided, as much as possible, to achieve a good overlap between the suggested professors' research interests and expertise and the student's PhD research topic. This overlap is likewise the first criterion used by the Vice-Chair in considering these suggestions and appointing the qualifying exam committee.

Preparation for the qualifying exam should reinforce rather than interrupt your research. Disappearing from you research group for a long period of time to prepare for your exam is strongly discouraged.

In view of the guidelines of the Graduate Division, the goals of the qualifying exam can be summarized as follows:

1) To test the student's understanding of the major scientific goals of her/his PhD project, and of the various strategies and approaches developed to achieve these goals. To this end, the student should be able to convince the committee that she/he is already in reasonable control of the major element of the PhD project.

2) To test the student's understanding of the background materials at the level necessary to successfully continue her/his research. The student is expected to show good command of the material typically covered in undergraduate chemistry textbooks in the broadly defined area of their research. Naturally, the committee's expectations in regard to the quality of that command can be expected to increase with the proximity of the various background topics to the student's research area.

3) To test the student's ability to discuss and debate, in a professional manner, a range of scientific issues related to his/her current and future research with the members of the committee acting in the role of professional peers. To paraphrase, the student is expected to demonstrate scientific maturity and to show his or her ability to organize, synthesize and articulate thoughts in a clear and precise manner; the student should also be able to argue and defend his or her own points of view in verbal exchanges with the committee members.

The two parts of the exam are:

(A) Candidate's Research Topic: The first part of the exam focuses on the student's research as described in his or her GRC or GRS presentation. The student should come to the exam prepared to provide a five-minute summary of their research project at the beginning of the exam. Following this, the questions generally focus both on detailed aspects of the research project as well as on the related background materials as discussed above. The student should discuss these areas with the committee chair well in advance.

(B) Outside Research Topic in the Physical Chemistry Program: In order to assess student's ability to critically evaluate the research literature and to encourage a broader approach to research, the students are required to present an appraisal of an outside research topic. "Outside" means that the topic should not be one that the student would not ordinarily encounter in her/his own research, although it may be in the same general research area (e.g., chemical physics, biophysical chemistry). Students generally choose a paper from a recent issue of a major journal as the centerpiece of this part of the exam. The selected paper should represent a thoughtful analysis and critique of the work. The resulting discussion during the exam can, and often does, go well beyond the specific research in the paper to examine, for example, student's background. Students are expected to be conversant with the general area of research the paper represents. It is anticipated that the outside topic appraisal will demonstrate the student's ability to think clearly and to be constructively critical. For example, students may be asked how they would improve on the research described in the paper. The choice of an appropriate outside topic must be discussed with and approved by the chair of the qualifying exam committee.

(B) Outside Research Topic in the Synthetic Chemistry Program: Students in the synthetic chemistry program are required to write and defend a research proposal. The goal of this exercise is to test the student's creativity and imagination, and to assess their ability to think critically in an area of chemistry outside of their own research. The idea behind the proposal must be novel and the student should avoid suggesting ideas that are simple derivatives of known chemistry.

What constitutes an appropriate research area? As a rule, the topic should not be in the same subdivision of chemistry that the student is conducting research. It should require the student to learn new chemistry, along with the techniques and methods appropriate to its study.

A few weeks before the examination, the student should discus potential ideas for the proposal with the Chair of his or her committee. The Chair's main responsibility is to ensure that the subject area is appropriate and, in particular, that it is not too close to the student's current research topic. Some Chairs will also comment specifically on the idea itself, and may offer suggestions for improvement.

The written proposal must be given to each member of the committee at lease one week in advance of the examination. Students will be provided with written guidelines regarding the length, format, and other particulars concerning the proposal before the start of their second year. Questions regarding any general issues should be addressed to the Vice-Chair for Synthetic Chemistry.

In the qualifying examination, after discussing their research, the student will usually be given 60-90 minutes to discuss the proposal. Questions from the committee may address issues specific to the proposed chemistry, but can also cover peripheral areas of chemistry of a more general nature.