The Qualifying Examination (QE) will be conducted by an Examining Committee made up of a QE committee chair, the student's advisor, one other member of the Advisory Committee, and two other members of the Graduate Faculty who are not members of the advisory committee. Normally, at least one of the QE committee members must be from outside the department in which the student is registered. That person may be a member of the advisory committee. The QE Committee Chair (Departmental Chair or the Graduate Officer) is responsible for making all arrangements for the qualifying examination.
The Examining Committee plays three major roles in the qualifying examination process: provision of questions for the written examination, questioning during the oral examination, and decision making regarding the student's performance in all aspects of the qualifying examination.