Preliminary Exam
The Mechanical Engineering preliminary examination is a rigorous, multi-stage process designed to assess a doctoral student’s preparedness for independent research. The exam challenges students to demonstrate mastery of foundational knowledge in their area, a deep understanding of scholarly literature, and the ability to design and articulate a meaningful research agenda.Ìý
This process consists of two integrated stages:Ìý
- a written scholarly foundations assessment and
- an oral preliminary exam.
Together, these elements are designed to evaluate the student’s knowledge and research readiness as well as their capacity for critical synthesis and technical communication.
Exam Purpose and Scope: The primary goals of the prelim exam are as follows.
- It ensures that students possess a strong conceptual and theoretical grounding in the fundamental areas of Mechanical Engineering most relevant to their focus area(s) and intended research.
- It assesses students’ abilities to conduct a structured and critical engagement with, and synthesis of, scholarly literature.
- It provides an opportunity for students to define and communicate their planned research direction, including a rationale for their contribution to the field.Ìý
By completing the prelim exam, students demonstrate that they are capable of transitioning from coursework to research, and from knowledge acquisition to knowledge creation.Ìý
Examination Committee: The committee shall consist of the student’s primary advisor and two additional faculty (out of the three members, at least two must have appointments in Mechanical Engineering).Ìý
Timeline: The first component of the exam is a written scholarly foundations report. The topic(s) will be decided via discussion with the student’s primary advisor in the late spring to early summer of their first year. The scholarly foundations report is due August 15 prior to the student’s second year in the program. In addition to the report, the student must also submit their course completion plan.Ìý
The exam committee members will independently review and evaluate the submission by September 15. Each committee member provides written feedback, which is compiled by the primary advisor and shared with the student at the Annual Doctoral Progress Meeting no later than October 1.Ìý
Students must write a rebuttal that addresses the feedback provided by their committee on the initial scholarly foundations submission and revise their scholarly foundations report in response to committee feedback. This is akin to the standard process of revising a manuscript in response to peer review.Ìý
Students must complete the oral preliminary exam between October 15 and April 15 of their second year. Students must prepare a presentation containing two sections: 1) Scholarly Foundations (15 minutes) and 2) Research Proposal (30 minutes). The following documents must be shared with the Examination Committee at least one week prior to the oral exam:Ìý
- Revised Scholarly Foundations Report
- Rebuttal
- Research Proposal
- Course Completion Plan
Additional details on the preliminary exam, including the rubric by which students are evaluated, is provided in the Appendix of the Graduate Program Handbook.Ìý