1. Preliminary Examination for the Ph.D. Degree
a. The preliminary examination should be scheduled at a time when most required coursework has been completed, preferably before the sixth quarter of academic work.
b. The Soil Science graduate faculty requires that a student pass a written departmental examination before taking the oral preliminary examination for the Ph.D. degree. The written examination tests the student’s ability to integrate knowledge from different subject areas, to reason, and to apply principles to solutions of problems relating to soil science.
The student’s major professor is responsible for arranging the written part of the preliminary examination. The examination will consist of two questions in each of the following areas:
(1) Soil Chemistry
(2) Soil Genesis, Morphology and Classification
(3) Soil Biology and Biochemistry
(4) Soil Physics
In addition, there can be two or more questions from the student’s graduate committee members whose discipline is not soil science. When appropriate for the student, questions on larger scales (nutrient cycling at ecosystem level, watershed water dynamics, etc.) or practical applications (nutrient, water or tillage management, etc.) should be arranged.
The authors of the questions must indicate which questions are open book or closed book and approximately how much time should be allotted to answer the questions (1 to 2 hours). Open-book questions can be answered using text or library resources if the student so desires. The answers will be returned by the major professor to the authors of the questions, who will indicate to the major professor whether the student passes their question(s). All questions should be evaluated within two weeks of the test date. If a student does not pass one or more sections of the examination, they will have one opportunity to be re-examined and successfully pass those sections. Additional course work may be suggested by the graduate committee as a result of this examination, or the student may be encouraged to work towards an M.S. rather than Ph.D. degree. All written examination answers will be provided to the student's graduate committee and will be considered in deciding whether the student passes the Preliminary Qualifying Examination.
c. After passing the written examination, the Ph.D. student will then take the oral preliminary examination within six months. In preparation for the oral exam, the student will prepare a research proposal that is not related to his/her thesis topic. Exceptions to this time line must be approved by the student’s graduate committee and the soils graduate faculty.
The oral preliminary examination is intended to evaluate a Ph.D. student’s ability to utilize scientific literature, to think critically, to write creatively, to articulate ideas, and to demonstrate understanding of general and specific fields of study. This examination will also test the student's ability to develop, investigate, and defend an original research idea. The originality, scholarly quality, and the technical feasibility of the proposal will be evaluated. The preliminary examination will consist of two parts:
i. Written Research Proposal:
1. Before the time of the written preliminary exam, the Ph.D. student must submit a one-page abstract/outline on a topic for a research proposal to his/her graduate program committee for approval.
2. The topic of the proposal must be different from the student’s thesis research project.
3. The topic of the proposal must be reviewed and accepted or rejected within one week of submission. The committee may accept a topic with one dissenting vote.
4. A research proposal on the approved topic is then written and must include the following sections: introduction, objectives; rationale and significance, research design and methods; timeline, literature cited, budget with justification, and personnel required to achieve the objectives.
5. The written research proposal is limited to 30 double-spaced pages (references, budget, and personnel information will not be included in the page count).
6. The written proposal and a written proposal checklist and approval form (see Checklists and Timetables section for the form) must be submitted to the Ph.D. student’s committee at least six weeks prior to the anticipated date for the oral exam.
7. Within one week of submission, the committee must vote to approve the proposal as suitable for the exam.
8. In the event that the proposal is not approved by two or more members of the committee, the student will have two weeks to modify and re-submit the proposal to the committee for a second decision.
9. Within one week of re-submission, the committee must vote to approve the revised proposal
10. A Ph.D. student will fail the oral examination if the revised proposal is not approved by two or more members of the committee.
ii. Examination
The examination will start with a 20-minute presentation of the proposal (open to all interested) followed by an examination by graduate committee. This examination is comprehensive (not just on the proposal) and evaluates the student’s general knowledge and ability to convey and discuss scientific ideas, theories, and techniques. It is the responsibility of the student to have the appropriate pre-examination Graduate School paperwork completed and to schedule the exam.
Note: A Written Proposal Checklist and Approval Form (see Checklists and Timetables section for the form) should be attached to the written proposal when submitted for review by the student's committee. Upon review, the student's committee members should return the written proposal, review comments, and a completed form to the student.
2. Final Oral Examination for the Ph.D. Degree
a. At least one complete academic term must elapse between the preliminary oral and the final examination.
b. The formal oral presentation by the candidate is open to all interested persons. The student and major professor should publicize it.
c. Examination of the candidate and final deliberation will be conducted by only the graduate committee.
d. The examination normally concentrates on the thesis.
e. It is the responsibility of the student to follow OSU Graduate School guidelines with regards to scheduling and pre-examination forms.
3. Final Oral Examination for the M.S. Degree
a. The thesis and course work examinations are combined into one examination for M.S. degree candidates. The candidate should expect to be examined on both parts.
b. The formal oral presentation by the candidate is open to all interested—the examination is restricted to the graduate committee. The student and major professor should publicize the presentation.
