Qualifying Exam Stage (Q) (Semester Type: QUALIFYING)

Qualifying Exam 

  • The student has to register for the Qualifying Exam at no later than the fifth semester. The registration status has to be Q.
  • At the beginning of the Q semester, Graduate Studies Coordinator studies the Q-ReCEF forms of the registered students. If a student does not have a Q-ReCEF form or it does not show that the student has the necessary breadth, then the grade of the qualifying exam is given as F. All the other students have to contact the Qualifying Commission to start the procedure for the Depth Measurement Exam and Oral Exam. ///In October 2018, it has been decided that the students that do not have a sufficient breadth to start a PhD program should register to the scientific preparation program before starting the regular PhD program. Hence, the students who start PhD program in Spring 2019 or later need not present a Q-ReCEF form.
  • At the beginning of the Q semester, an examination committee (QEC) on the research field of the candidate is formed. QEC consists of five full-time professors* as follows:
    • thesis advisor
    • one full-time professor from the department
    • one full-time professor from BÜ (CmpE or another department)
    • two full-time professors from another university.
  • QEC decides on the resources (papers, books, etc.) that the candidate should study for Depth Measurement.
  • The candidate is responsible for a publication that he/she produced, in addition to the resources given by the QEC. 

Depth Measurement Exam

This exam evaluates the candidate's proficiency to do research and to express the obtained results in written format. It is given by the QEC to the candidate. This exam is based on the resources given by the QEC at the beginning of the semester and may consist of a take-home exam and/or an in-class written exam. Passing grade from this exam is 70/100. A student is eligible to take the oral exam if and only if he/she passes this written exam successfully.

Oral Exam

This exam evaluates the candidate's communication abilities and his/her knowledge in answering scientific questions orally. Usually it takes place just after the Depth Measurement Exam. It is given by the QEC to evaluate the knowledge of the candidate on the given resources and the essential topics for his/her research field. In the first fifteen-minutes of the oral exam, the student may present his/her current research work. Passing grade from this exam is 70/100.

Important Notes

  • A student passes the Qualifying Exam if he/she successfully fulfills all Breadth Measurement, Depth Measurement  and Oral parts. 
  • If a student fails from the Qualifying Exam once, he/she may ask for a change of advisor. 
  • If a student fails from the Qualifying Exam two times, then he/she has to leave the program.
  • QEC may ask the student to take at most three courses after the Qualifying Exam.

*: A full-time professor is a faculty member with the title of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor.

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Department of Computer Engineering, Boğaziçi University,
34342 Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey

  • Phone: +90 212 359 45 23/24
  • Fax: +90 212 2872461
 

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