All doctoral students are required to pass the Final Qualifying Examination near the end of their coursework. The Final Qualifying Examinations are held during the Fall and Winter terms each academic year. All doctoral students are notified via U.S. mail of the testing dates. Procedures for test registration are included in the mailing or may be downloaded from the links below:

Fall 2008 Letter to Doctoral Students

Policies & Procedures for Final Qualifying Examinations for Fall 2008

Final Qualifying Examination Form for Fall 2008

To verify your name on our Qualifying Examination mailing list, please contact Ms. Sonya Landrum at (313) 577-1635 or via e-mail at aj0044@wayne.edu.  

The Final Qualifying Examination test dates are posted on this website (see links below).

The Written Examination

The written examination shall be a minimum of nine (9) hours for the area of concentration (major field) and a minimum of three (3) hours for the cognate (minor) area. Students with a concentration (major field) in Instructional Technology shall have a minimum of twelve (12) hours for the area of concentration and a minimum of three (3) hours for the cognate area.

The Oral Examination

Prior to the date of the written exam, the major advisor and the student, in consultation with the committee, shall schedule a preferred date and time for the oral exam. This exam is to be administered within thirty (30) days following the written exam and a two-week grading period. The oral exam will proceed only if the written exam was successfully completed.

The oral examination shall cover both the area of concentration (major field) and the cognate (minor field).  The content of the oral examination can be similar to or different from the written examination.

Failing the Written Component

If the written component of the Final Qualifying Examination is not completed successfully at the first administration, the examination may be repeated only once. The major advisor shall convey to the student the Qualifying Examination Committee’s specific recommendations as to admitting the applicant to a second examination and specify any additional work that should be completed prior to such an examination. A second examination may not be held until at least one semester has elapsed, but must be held within one calendar year following the first examination. The same examination committee must preside over both examinations. The second written examination will be considered final.

Failing the Oral Component

If the oral component of the Final Qualifying Examination is not completed successfully at the first administration, the examination may be repeated only once. The major advisor shall convey to the student the Qualifying Examination Committee’s specific recommendations as to admitting the applicant to a second examination and specify any additional work that should be completed prior to such an examination. A second examination may not be held until at least one semester has elapsed, but must be held within one calendar year following the first examination. The same examination committee must preside over both examinations. The second oral examination will be considered final.    

Failing either the written or the oral component is considered failing the Final Qualifying Examination.    

Examination Information - The Day of the Test

• All outside materials are prohibited during the testing blocks unless sanctioned by your advisor in writing prior to the test by completing an Approval Form.

• Paper, pencils, pens, dictionaries, and thesauruses will be provided.

• For those using a computer, a storage disk will be provided.  Please check with your advisor prior to the testing day regarding any special page settings (margins, font size, etc…) .

• No other electronic storage devices are permitted except those provided by the College of Education.

• Instructional Technology students are encouraged to arrive on campus well in advance of the 12:30 p.m. orientation on Wednesday in order to secure a parking space.

• We make every effort to control the noise during the testing period; however, we know that some noise in the testing room and hallway is unavoidable. Some students found earplugs helpful.

• Watch alarms, cell phones and pagers must be off (even the vibrate setting is distracting). Please inform family and friends in the event of an emergency to call (313) 577-1605 to have a message delivered to you.

• You may not remove any testing materials from the testing room at any time.  No copies of the test questions or your responses will be provided.

• Lunch is from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. The testing room will be locked during lunch.

• The clock on the wall of the testing room is the official time for the start and end of each testing period. Do not use your own clock or the clock on the computer to keep time.