21 Overview of Preliminary Examinations

Near completion of all coursework, a doctoral student will take preliminary exams in two examination areas approved by the department (presumably in areas most relevant to the student’s teaching interests and dissertation topic). Students are expected to demonstrate a high level of expertise in these examination areas, appropriate for teaching advanced undergraduate and graduate classes. Students must pass the preliminary examinations before enrolling in Dissertation Research (ENGL 7640). The Doctoral Readings course (ENGL 7909) may be taken while taking the preliminary examinations.

Ph.D. preliminary examinations are designed to ensure that Ph.D. students have the breadth and depth of knowledge expected of candidates for the highest degree in English. It is at the level of exams that doctoral students creatively define their specialties, which are further developed and more sharply focused in the dissertation. The exam structure is designed to ensure that students master broad fields of study beyond the narrower focus of their dissertations. Students ought to peruse the annual Job Information Lists published by the Modern Language Association and other such sites to get a sense of the range of expertise that colleges and universities are looking for in the faculty they hire.

Students preparing for the examinations are expected to read extensively in their chosen areas and well beyond the texts covered in their coursework. They should recognize that their course readings, no matter how thorough, reflect only a partial perspective on their exam fields. Course readings alone almost certainly will not be adequate to prepare students for the preliminary exams. One course alone, no matter how well a student performs in it, is not adequate preparation for a preliminary examination in any field.

Students will either pass with distinction, pass, low pass, or fail. A student who fails any exam may rexamine only once more, in the semester following the first attempt. A student may choose to change exam areas but would have one attempt to pass in the new area. If the student who has failed a prelim opts to re-take an exam in the same area, the second exam will not be identical to the first. A student who fails a preliminary exam twice will not be able to advance to candidacy or continue in the program.

For all exams, students will be on the honor system, and university policy on plagiarism will apply.

Accommodations will be made only for students with documented disabilities and will adhere to the recommendations of MTSU’s Disability & Access Center.

The Graduate Program Director will report the results of exams to students and to the College of Graduate Studies. For further information on assessing the quality of graduate examinations, see  “Criteria for Assessing the Quality of Ph.D. Preliminary  Exams” that concludes this section of the handbook.