University of California, Berkeley Mechanical Engineering

ME Biomechanics Qualifying Examination

  1. The qualifying exam does not focus on coursework, and examiners explicitly do not examine students in a particular class. Students are not expected to review coursework only for the sake of the exam (however, if the material is relevant to their research, they are expected to correspondingly have mastered it).
  2. The exam is scheduled for a total of two hours. 
  3. The student is to present their research area broadly, and their specific research results. A typical exam would be:
    1. The student gives a seminar of no more than 35-40 minutes (timed without interruption – during exam presentation is expected to take longer due to discussions). This can break down as below (the sub-timings are loose suggestions only) – 
    1. [~2min] Start with their academic preparation, their planned graduation date (and any planned milestones along the way), and their career ambition (e.g., academia, industry, etc). 
    2. [~15-20 minutes] Present the broader area in which their research lies: what is the problem they’re working towards solving, what are the original contributions of their research, what are other approaches.
    3. [~15-20 minutes] Present their own work. It is OK if the results are only preliminary, it does not have to be published work. It should explicitly include planned next steps for the student, what are they hoping to achieve over the next year or so. Ideally, the student presents (at least an overview of) all the work they’ve done that they think will eventually go into the thesis.
      1. The committee may ask questions during the presentation, or questions after the presentation. Examiners may ask any question to determine whether the student possesses the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of their research area. Examiner time is not siloed per-examiner, but rather a broad discussion is encouraged.
      2. The committee is reminded of the objective of the exam, per the graduate division: The intent of the Qualifying Examination is to ascertain the breadth of the student’s comprehension in at least three subject areas related to the major field of study, and to determine whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas. The examination may consider a number of academic points of view and the criteria by which they may be evaluated.
      3. The committee will typically deliberate (often at two or even more distinct points in the exam, and with the student asked to leave the room), and the student will be informed of the outcome of the exam directly at the end of the exam. 

Besides evaluating the student (as per the above), the committee also attempts to provide actionable feedback that may assist in improving the student’s research impact, as well as for possible weaknesses to address for their post-graduation career goals.

ME Controls Qualifying Examination

  1. The qualifying exam does not focus on coursework, and examiners explicitly do not examine students on a particular class. Students are not expected to study or review coursework only for the sake of the exam (however, if the material is relevant to their research, they are expected to correspondingly have mastered it).
  2. The exam is scheduled for a total of two hours. 
  3. The student is to present their research area broadly, and their specific research results. A typical exam would be: 
    1. The student gives a seminar of no more than 45 minutes (timed without interruption, during exam presentation is expected to take longer due to discussions). This can break down as below (the sub-timings are loose suggestions only) – 
      1. [~2min] Start with their academic preparation, their planned graduation date (and any planned milestones along the way), and their career ambition (e.g., academia, industry, etc). 
      2. [~15 minutes] Present the broader area in which their research lies: what is the problem they’re working towards solving, what are the original contributions of their research, what are other approaches.
      3. [~20 minutes] Present their own work. It is OK if the results are only preliminary, it does not have to be published work. It should explicitly include planned next steps for the student, what are they hoping to achieve over the next year or so. Ideally, the student presents (at least an overview of) all the work they’ve done that they think will eventually go into the thesis.
    2. The committee may ask questions during the presentation, or questions after the presentation. Examiners may ask any question to determine whether the student possesses the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of their research area. Examiner time is not siloed per-examiner, but rather a broad discussion is encouraged.
    3. The committee is reminded of the objective of the exam, per the graduate division: The intent of the Qualifying Examination is to ascertain the breadth of the student’s comprehension in at least three subject areas related to the major field of study, and to determine whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas. The examination may consider a number of academic points of view and the criteria by which they may be evaluated.
    4. The committee will typically deliberate (often at two or even more distinct points in the exam, and with the student asked to leave the room), and the student will be informed of the outcome of the exam directly at the end of the exam.

4. Besides evaluating the student (as per the above), the committee also attempts to provide actionable feedback (in written form, and/or the chair has a later 1:1 meeting with the candidate) that may assist in improving the student’s research impact, as well as for possible weaknesses to address for their post-graduation career goals.

ME Design Qualifying Examination

  1. The qualifying exam is primarily based around a research presentation given by the examinee. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of the research material presented and will be asked questions by committee members related to their research presentation. While examiners do not primarily examine students on a particular class, if the material is relevant to their research they are expected to correspondingly have mastered it. 
  2. The exam is scheduled for a total of two hours. 
  3. The student is to present their research area broadly, as well as their specific research results. A typical exam would be as follows:
    1. Brief introductions, student leaves the room.
    2. Committee has a brief private discussion and reviews the student’s materials (transcript, etc.) provided by the department. 
    3. The student gives a seminar of no more than 35-40 minutes (timed without interruption – during exam presentation is expected to take longer due to questions and discussions). This can break down as below (the sub-timings are loose suggestions only) – 
      1. [~2min] Start with their academic preparation, and their career ambition (e.g., academia, industry, etc.). 
      2. [~10-15 minutes] Present the core motivation and background for the research. What is the problem they’re working towards solving? Situate the problem within the broader research field. What are the original contributions of their research, and what are other approaches?
      3. [~20-25 minutes] Present their own research. It is OK if the results are only preliminary, it does not have to be published work. It should explicitly include planned next steps for the student, what are they hoping to achieve over the next year or so. Ideally, the student presents (at least an overview of) all the work they’ve done that they think will eventually go into the thesis.
      4. [~2min] An outline of their anticipated timeline and major planned milestones, including graduation date. 
  4. The committee may ask questions during and/or after the presentation. Examiners may ask any question to determine whether the student possesses the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of their research area. Examiner time is not siloed per-examiner, but rather a broad discussion is encouraged.
      1. When questions are completed and the exam is close to time the committee will ask the candidate to leave and deliberate on the outcome.
      2. The candidate is invited back in and informed of the outcome. If it is favorable there will be congratulations and if not a thorough discussion of areas needing improvement and plan for a re-take, if recommended. Even for examinees who pass, constructive feedback is key for the exam to be a successful use of everyone’s time. 

5. The committee is reminded of the objective of the exam, per the UC Berkeley Graduate Division: The intent of the Qualifying Examination is to ascertain the breadth of the student’s comprehension in at least three subject areas related to the major field of study, and to determine whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas. The examination may consider a number of academic points of view and the criteria by which they may be evaluated.

6. Besides evaluating the student (as per the above), the committee also attempts to provide actionable feedback (in written form, and/or the chair has a later 1:1 meeting with the candidate) that may assist in improving the student’s research impact, as well as for possible weaknesses to address for their post-graduation career goals.

ME Energy Science & Technology Qualifying Examination

  1. Students are encouraged to take the ES&T Qualifying Exam as soon as course requirements are completed (https://me.berkeley.edu/gradbook/7-1-phd-degree-requirements/ , specifically please see the section titled “Qualifying Examination”).  
  2. The qualifying exam is primarily based around a research presentation given by the examinee. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of the research material presented and will be asked questions by committee members related to their research presentation. While examiners do not primarily examine students on a particular class, if the material is relevant to their research they are expected to correspondingly have mastered it. 
    1. For example, if the focus of the research is on optics or combustion, if heat transfer may even loosely play a role in the student’s research, apparatus, etc. committee members will typically ask at least one question about conduction, convection, or radiation related to their work. 
    2. Therefore, it is still recommended to study material from courses that may be relevant to the research presented, especially those courses taught by your committee members.
  3. The exam is scheduled for a total of two hours. 
  4. The student is to present their research area broadly, and their specific research results. The structure of the exam (loosely) is as follows:
    1. Brief introductions, student leaves the room
    2. Committee has a brief private discussion and reviews the student’s materials (transcript, etc.) provided by the department
    3. The student gives a seminar of no more than 20-25 minutes (if timed without interruptions; during the actual exam the presentation is expected to take longer due to discussions). This should include:
      1. A slide on their academic preparation, their planned graduation date (and any planned milestones along the way), and their career ambition (e.g., academia, industry, etc). This can also be two separate slides (before intro and after conclusion).
      2. Background on the broader area in which their research lies: what is the problem they’re working towards solving, what are the original contributions of their research, what are other approaches.
      3. Presentation of their own work. It is OK if the results are only preliminary, it does not have to be published work. It should explicitly include planned next steps for the student, what are they hoping to achieve over the next year or so. Ideally, the student presents (at least an overview of) all the work they’ve done that they think will eventually go into the thesis.
        1. If the work involves others, be sure to highlight the student’s own specific contributions to the research. 
      4. The committee may ask questions during the presentation, and/or questions after the presentation. Examiners may ask any question to determine whether the student possesses the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of their research area. Examiner time is not siloed per-examiner, but rather a broad discussion is encouraged. After the presentation the committee chair will often lead a round-robin to each committee member for final questions.
      5. When questions are completed and the exam is close to time the committee will ask the candidate to leave and deliberate on the outcome.
      6. The candidate is invited back in and informed of the outcome. If it is favorable there will be congratulations and if not a thorough discussion of areas needing improvement and plan for a re-take, if recommended. Even for examinees who pass, constructive feedback is key for the exam to be a successful use of everyone’s time. 
  5. The committee is reminded of the objective of the exam, per the UC Berkeley Graduate Division: The intent of the Qualifying Examination is to ascertain the breadth of the student’s comprehension in at least three subject areas related to the major field of study, and to determine whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas. The examination may consider a number of academic points of view and the criteria by which they may be evaluated.
  6. Besides evaluating the student (as per the above), the committee also attempts to provide actionable feedback (in written form, and/or the chair has a later 1:1 meeting with the candidate) that may assist in improving the student’s research impact, as well as for possible weaknesses to address for their post-graduation career goals.
  7. Exam Committee
    1. Students are encouraged to select committee members that generally have knowledge relevant to their research, whom they have taken classes from, or generally may contribute to their academic path in some way. 
    2. Students are encouraged to discuss the exam format with their committee chair before the exam
    3. Students are encouraged to give a brief overview of their research with committee members before the exam (not necessarily a presentation, even an abstract may suffice for some members of the committee), followed by a discussion on any recommendations on material they recommend studying. This is especially important for outside committee members. 

ME Fluids & Ocean Qualifying Examination

  1. The purpose of the qualifying exam is to gauge the students ability to complete a PhD and to provide guidance how student can become better prepared to complete their PhD
  2. The qualifying exam does not focus on coursework, and examiners explicitly do not examine students on a particular class. Students are not expected to study or review coursework only for the sake of the exam (however, if the graduate or undergraduate course material is relevant to their research, they are expected to correspondingly have mastered it).
  3. The exam is scheduled for a total of three hours. 
  4. Students should not provide any refreshments or snacks to the committee.
  5. At minimum two of the four examiners must be tenure track or tenured faculty in the student’s major field. At most one examiner can be an adjunct or emeritus. Committee has to be approved by the MFA.
  6. The student is to present their research area broadly, and their specific research results. A typical exam would be:
    1. The student gives a seminar of no more than 30 minutes (when timed without interruption, during exam presentation is expected to take longer due to discussions). This can break down as below (the sub-timings are loose suggestions only) – 
      1. [~2min] Start with their academic preparation, their planned graduation date (and any planned milestones along the way), 
      2. [~10 minutes] Present the broader area in which their research lies: what is the problem they’re working towards solving, survey of relevant research to date, what will be the original contributions of their research that advance the state-of-the-art. 
      3. [~238 minutes] Present a research proposal with, as applicable, progress to date. The student is expected to have made some preliminary research progress, although it  does not have to be at the level of published work. The presentation should concretely discuss  their future research plans and how these plans will contribute to completing their dissertation research. 
    2. The committee may ask presentation related questions during the presentation, or questions after the presentation. Examiners may ask any question to determine whether the student possesses the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of their research area. Examiner time is not siloed per-examiner, but rather a broad discussion is encouraged.
    3. After the presentation and presentation related discussion each examiner is encouraged to ask at least one question (with potential followup sub-questions) examining the students’ fundamental knowledge relevant to their research. (E.g. if a student’s research is on waves in shallow water a fundamental question on theory of waves, forces due to water motion, boundary layers, dimensional analysis, etc. would be something the student can be expected to be able to answer confidently.)
    4. The committee is reminded of the objective of the exam, per the graduate division: The intent of the Qualifying Examination is to ascertain the breadth of the student’s comprehension in at least three subject areas related to the major field of study, and to determine whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas. The examination may consider a number of academic points of view and the criteria by which they may be evaluated.
    5. The committee will typically deliberate (often at two or even more distinct points in the exam, and with the student asked to leave the room), and the student will be informed of the outcome of the exam directly at the end of the exam. 
    6. The student and at least two of the committee members (including chair) must be present in-person. If approved by MFA due to special circumstances, at most two committee members may participate online.
  7. Besides evaluating the student (as per the above), the committee also attempts to provide actionable feedback (in written form, and/or the chair has a later 1:1 meeting with the candidate) that may assist in improving the student’s research.

ME Manufacturing Qualifying Examination

  1. The qualifying exam primarily focuses on the student’s graduate research and does not focus on a specific course (however, if the material/course is relevant to their research, they are expected to correspondingly have mastered it).
  2. The exam is scheduled for a total of two hours. 
  3. The student is to present their research area broadly, and their specific research results. A typical exam would be:
    1. The student gives a seminar of no more than 30 minutes, with the following topics: 
      1. Start with their academic preparation, their planned graduation date (and any planned milestones along the way), and their career ambition (e.g., academia, industry, etc). 
      2. Present the broader area in which their research lies: what is the problem they’re working towards solving, what are the original contributions of their research, what are other approaches.
      3. Present their own work. It is OK if the results are only preliminary, it does not have to be published work. It should explicitly include planned next steps for the student, what are they hoping to achieve over the next year or so. Ideally, the student presents (at least an overview of) all the work they’ve done that they think will eventually go into the thesis.
    2. The committee may ask questions during the presentation, or questions after the presentation. Examiners may ask any question to determine whether the student possesses the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of their research area. Examiner time is not siloed per-examiner, but rather a broad discussion is encouraged.
    3. The committee is reminded of the objective of the exam, per the graduate division: The intent of the Qualifying Examination is to ascertain the breadth of the student’s comprehension in the subject areas related to the major field of study, and to determine whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas. The examination may consider a number of academic points of view and the criteria by which they may be evaluated.
    4. The committee will typically deliberate (often at two or even more distinct points in the exam, and with the student asked to leave the room), and the student will be informed of the outcome of the exam directly at the end of the exam. 
  4. Besides evaluating the student (as per the above), the committee also attempts to provide actionable feedback (in written form, and/or the chair has a later 1:1 meeting with the candidate) that may assist in improving the student’s research impact to achieve their post-graduation career goals.

ME Materials Qualifying Examination

Scope. The main purpose of the qualifying exam (QE) in the Materials major field is to determine whether the student has mastered the underlying fundamentals and experimental/analytical methods of the PhD thesis research. Consequently, the student is expected to also demonstrate good knowledge of the material covered in the courses consisting of the major and two minor areas. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that the student develops a thoughtful plan of course work in consultation with the research advisor (RA) and major field advisor (MFA). Importantly, the two minor areas together with the Materials major should form a coherent course program providing adequate breadth of knowledge that is complementary to the student’s PhD thesis research.     

Scheduling the exam. It is recommended to schedule the QE after 4-5 semesters from the start of the student’s doctoral studies, including the PhD thesis research, and the successful completion of 2/3 of the required courses in the Materials major field of study and at least one course in each minor area. In preparing for the QE exam, the student should study the material from courses relevant to the performed research, especially courses taught by QE committee members representing the major and minor areas.

The QE committee. The selection of the QE committee members should be carefully done in consultation with the RA and the MFA to include faculty who are familiar with the research and course work of the candidate. In the case of shortage of faculty representation for either the major or minor areas, the RA can be included in the committee as a participant member, but should be excused from the deliberation stage at the end of the exam.     

The exam. The QE can last up to two hours. The student is expected to make a comprehensive presentation of about 45-60 minutes, which will include the following topics (in order of presentation):  

  1. An outline of the student’s background, academic preparation, completed course work, and reason for selecting the particular research area (3-5 min).
  2. A timetable showing important milestones since the admission to the PhD program up to the expected graduation date and a brief statement of future career plans (8-10 min).
  3. An appraisal of the broader research area in which the student’s research topic lies, the current state-of-the-art in this area, the significance of the problem(s) under investigation, and the merits of the adopted methodology (10-15 min).
  4. A presentation of the work performed so far (preliminary results can be included), highlighting important findings, obstacles encountered, planned next steps, goals hoping to achieve within the projected time frame, and a back-up plan in case of unforeseen needs to reevaluate the research direction (20-30 min). 

The QE committee’s role. The committee members may ask questions during and after the presentation to evaluate the student’s ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and practical aspects of the research. The committee’s principal objective is to determine the breadth of the student’s comprehension in the subject areas related to the major field of study and whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and practical aspects of these areas. The committee will typically deliberate at several distinct points in the exam, with the student (and RA) asked to leave the room during that time, and the student will be informed of the outcome of the exam directly at the end of the exam. Besides evaluating the student (as per the above), the QE committee is also expected to provide actionable feedback, either in written form or in a meeting of the chair with the candidate, which may assist the student to achieve the set research goals and research impact in the field of study, and also to suggest ways for attaining the post-graduation career objectives.

ME Mechanics/Dynamics Qualifying Examination

  1. The qualifying exam will focus on coursework and broad knowledge of the field. It may be preceded by an optional 20-minute research presentation, which may furnish a point of departure for questions during the exam.
  2. The exam is scheduled for a total of two hours with an option to continue for an additional hour at the discretion of the committee.
  3. The committee will deliberate (typically at one point during the exam, and with the student asked to leave the room), and the student will be informed of the outcome of the exam directly at the end of the exam. 
  4. Besides evaluating the student, the committee will also attempt to provide actionable feedback that may assist in improving the student’s research and/or mastery of the field. 

MEMS/Nano Qualifying Examination

  1. The qualifying exam primarily focuses on the student’s graduate research and does not focus on a specific course (however, if the material/course is relevant to their research, they are expected to correspondingly have mastered it).
  2. The exam is scheduled for a total of two hours. 
  3. The student is to present their research area broadly, and their specific preliminary research results. A typical exam would be:
    1. The student gives a seminar of no more than 30 minutes (30 slides), with the following topics: 
      1. Start with their academic preparation, their planned graduation date (and any planned milestones along the way), and their career ambition (e.g., academia, industry, etc). 
      2. Present the broader area in which their research lies: what is the problem they’re working towards solving, what are the original contributions of their research, what are other approaches.
      3. Present their own work. It is OK if the results are only preliminary, it does not have to be published work. It should explicitly include planned next steps for the student, what they are hoping to achieve before graduation. Ideally, the student presents (at least an overview of) all the work they’ve done that they think will eventually go into the thesis.
    2. The committee may ask questions during the presentation, or questions after the presentation. Examiners may ask any question to determine whether the student possesses the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of their research area. Examiner time is not siloed per-examiner, but rather a broad discussion is encouraged.
    3. The committee is reminded of the objective of the exam, per the graduate division: The intent of the Qualifying Examination is to ascertain the breadth of the student’s comprehension in the subject areas related to the major field of study, and to determine whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas. The examination may consider a number of academic points of view and the criteria by which they may be evaluated.
    4. The committee will typically deliberate (often at two or even more distinct points in the exam, and with the student asked to leave the room), and the student will be informed of the outcome of the exam directly at the end of the exam. 
  4. Besides evaluating the student (as per the above), the committee also attempts to provide actionable feedback (in written form, and/or the chair has a later 1:1 meeting with the candidate) that may assist in improving the student’s research impact to achieve their post-graduation career goals.