PhD Degree

PhD Degree: Second Year and Beyond

PhD Comprehensive Exam

Complete the PhD comprehensive exam within the first 2 years of your graduate program. 

This exam consists of a written research proposal followed by an oral proposal defense combined with a general examination administered by your graduate committee and an outside examiner appointed by the Graduate School.

Research Proposal: Several months in advance of your examination your committee will provide specifications on the format and scope of the proposal (e.g. Project Summary, with sections for intellectual merit and broader impacts (1pg); Project Description (<10 pgs, including figures); references; & budget). Once your committee has agreed the proposal is ready to defend, a date will be set for the oral exam, which will include a general examination. The oral portion is usually within 1-2 weeks of the proposal approval but no later than 2 months.

General Examination: Several months in advance of your examination your committee will provide guidance on the preparation for this portion of the exam. This could take the form of a reading list and/or a list of questions or topics of broader scope than your dissertation research focus. Your knowledge of these broader topics will be examined during your oral proposal defense.

Request an outside examiner two weeks prior to your scheduled exam by completing and submitting the Request for Outside Examiner online form located on the Graduate School's web site.  An outside examiner representing and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School is required at all Ph.D. oral examinations. The appointed examiner will be from a different department than the student and the chair of the advisory committee. The outside examiner is present to determine that a stringent, unbiased examination is fairly administered and evaluated. Following your oral exam, complete the Report on Comprehensive Exam.

There are three possible outcomes: pass, conditional pass, and fail. A "conditional pass" requires that the student retake a portion of the exam. Once conditions are met, a new "Report on Comprehensive Exam" form must be completed, signed and submitted as above. The policy of the Biology and Wildlife Department on a failed comprehensive exam of either the oral or the written portion of the comprehensive exam is that a student may retake the failed portion of the exam once, within 6 months of the failed exam.  Any assessment other than "pass" on the second attempt, including both "conditional pass" and "fail," will result in dismissal from the program.

Student Learning Outcomes Assessment (SLOA) of PhD Comprehensive Exam

Scientific thinking, research design, proposal-writing, and communication

  • Ability to prepare a grant proposal in the style and format used by NSF, NIH, or other agency relevant to the student’s career interests
  • Ability to formulate study questions, hypotheses, and predictions
  • Ability to design experiments (if applicable) and data analysis methods appropriate to testing hypotheses
  • Ability to synthesize literature in thesis-relevant fields to understand the history and current state of the science
  • Capacity to communicate scientific information accurately, clearly, and concisely in:
    • Written form - targeting an expert audience
    • Oral form - to an expert audience
  • Demonstrate the relevance of student’s sub-discipline and research topic in the broader scheme of science
  • Demonstrate ability to generate ideas for broader impacts
    • Engagement education/outreach on the research topic to broader audiences (e.g. public, schoolchildren, other target non-science audiences)
    • Describe how the outcomes contribute to greater scientific understanding

Subject area knowledge

  • Your committee is encouraged to prepare a list of subject-specific SLOAs for your exam.
Complete coursework

Complete coursework as determined by your committee.

Committee meetings

Hold at least one committee meeting per year and submit an Annual Graduate Student Advisory Committee Report form. We recommend that you meet with your full committee at least once per semester. Submit an Annual Report, including substantive comments regarding academic and research progress provided by the committee chair and a research progress report written by the student, at least once per year. This is usually done in conjunction with a committee meeting. If you are within 2 years of completion of the degree this must include a realistic timeline for completion of requirements. Note: If you do not submit an Annual Report, or if progress is unsatisfactory, you will be considered "not in good standing" and may not be eligible for TA and RAships. We will work with you and your committee to get you back on track and in good standing.

Advancement to Candidacy

After approval of the GSP, completion of at least 2 years of graduate studies (including 9 UAF credits) and completion of the oral and written comprehensive exam, you may apply for Advancement to Candidacy. When you apply to graduate this form is used by the Graduation Department to determine whether you are eligible.  The deadline for submitting the form is by the Graduate School's published date during the semester before you graduate. If you are an RA or a TA when you Advance to Candidacy, there will be an increase in your stipend.  Submitting this form simultaneously with your "Report on Comprehensive Exam" will insure the most timely stipend increase.