Candidacy Exams

This oral examination can take place at any time mutually agreed upon by the Examining Committee and student. Students entering with a Bachelor’s degree must pass the Candidacy Exam by the beginning of their 6th semester of study (by the beginning of the 4th semester of study for those entering with a Master’s degree). A second and final attempt is permitted following a failed attempt.

The student should take the following steps to organize their oral examination and are advised to allow ample time for the process:

1. Contact four faculty to act as an Examining Committee. Since the student must be examined on two topics, normally two faculty will be expert in each area. One examiner should be the adviser if the student has already chosen an adviser.
2. After the faculty agree to serve as examiners the student should contact the Director of Graduate Studies at least six weeks in advance of the proposed examination date and supply the following information:
   • Date of the exam.
   • Names of the examiners making up the Examining Committee.
   • Choice of topics.
3. Final approval of the Examining Committee and topics rests with the Graduate Studies Committee. Only after the Graduate Studies Committee has approved the Examining Committee and topics may the exam take place.

The scheduling, topics and composition of the Examining Committee will be announced to the faculty. It is the responsibility of the examining committee to decide the duration of the exam (typically 2-3 hours). They should report the results of the exam and a recommendation of Pass or Fail with written justification to the Director of Graduate Studies within two days of the exam. A final decision on the outcome of the exam is the responsibility of the Graduate Studies Committee.

In this examination a student must choose two topics from the following table:

Topic	Relevant Courses
Algebra	M650 and M845
Applied Mathematics	M616, M617 and M810/M835
Discrete Mathematics	M688 and M689
Numerical and Functional Analysis	M611, M612 and M806
Probability	M630, M631 and M850
Functional Analysis and PDE	M806 and M836

Another subject area may be substituted for one in the table above by petition to the Graduate Studies Committee based on two graduate level courses and if it is supported by a faculty member. Should a candidate fail a part of the Candidacy Exam, the candidate need only retake the failed topic. In no case will a candidate be allowed to take the candidacy exam more than twice.