DrPH Qualifying Exam Checklist

Guide to Graduate Policy

Welcome to a special edition newsletter, designed to answer all of your questions and concerns about the upcoming DrPH Qualifying Exam. All applications must be submitted 3-4 weeks prior to the proposed date for the examination.

Have you met all the Pre-Requisites?

To be eligible to take the Qualifying Examination, a student must:

Be registered for the semester in which the exam is taken or, during the winter or summer break, be registered in either the preceding or the following semester.
Have completed at least one semester of academic residence.
Have at least a B average in all work undertaken in graduate standing.
Have no outstanding grades of “Incomplete.” Have satisfactorily completed all DrPH breadth and core requirements OR be completing these requirements by the end of the same semester when the orals exam is taken.

OVERVIEW

The DrPH Qualifying Examination has two components:
(1) preparation of a detailed written dissertation prospectus and
(2) an oral examination of the student’s depth and breadth of knowledge in his or her defined areas of expertise.

* The dissertation prospectus must be approved by the dissertation chair prior to taking the oral examination. The prospectus must also be reviewed by each member of the Qualifying Exam committee at least once prior to the oral examination. Once the prospectus has been approved, it should be submitted to the DrPH Program Manager to be added to the program’s prospectus library.

Qualifying Exam Checklist pdf

Who Constitutes as The Qualifying Exam Committee?

Committee members should be selected to represent three areas of expertise relevant to the student’s proposed research as well as the broad scope of Public Health. The student is expected to speak directly with prospective Examination Committee members about their willingness to serve and to define their three field areas.

Please make sure to...

Consult with your faculty adviser concerning appropriate members of the faculty to serve on the Qualifying Exam Committee.
Take into account Graduate Division regulations on committee appointments (summarized below):
- The Qualifying Examination Committee is composed of four faculty members: a chair, an Academic Senate representative from outside the School of Public Health, and at least two additional members.
- The Chair of the Committee must be a member of the Berkeley Academic Senate from the School of Public Health. (Senate members include individuals with the following titles: Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Professor Emeritus, Professor in Residence, University Professor, Senior Lecturer with security of employment, and Lecturer with security of employment.)
- The UC Berkeley Academic Senate representative must be chosen from outside of the School of Public Health to ensure that the committee is conducted in a fair and professional manner.
- The Additional Members must be chosen and added such that at least half of the committee members are from the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate in the School of Public Health. Other members may be Berkeley Academic Senate members in another degree granting program or approved non-Academic Senate members.

*In preparation for the exam and the field areas, the student should meet at least once with each committee member to clarify expectations for what she or he is expected to prepare for the exam. It can be useful for the student to prepare a preliminary reading list in each area of expertise as a starting point for this discussion with each of their Qualifying exam committee members. Committee members can also request additional readings that the student should cover to prepare their field areas.

Dissertation Prospectus

The dissertation prospectus is developed by the student in consultation with their dissertation chair, qualifying exam chair, and other committee members.

It should provide:

» A description of the proposed research question(s).
» A concise background and literature review that clearly describes how the student’s proposed project builds on previous work and justifies the need for the study.
» A description of the proposed methodological approach that will be used to answer the research question.

* The dissertation prospectus should be given to the Qualifying exam committee chair and the exam committee members well in advance of the Qualifying exam date (no less than four weeks prior is recommended) so that exam committee members have ample time to provide feedback and the student has time to incorporate that feedback into a revised prospectus prior to the examination.
* Once the prospectus has been approved, it should be submitted to drph@berkeley.edu to be added to the program’s prospectus library.

Oral Examination

The oral examination will include questions to focus the discussion on core and chosen specialty areas in addition to the content of the dissertation prospectus. The oral exam is designed in part to test the student’s knowledge of and familiarity with conceptual, methodological, substantive, and related areas necessary for successful completion of the dissertation project and research questions as outlined in the prospectus.

What does the oral examination entail?
» The exam will take 2.5 to 3 hours, sometimes with a break in the middle.
» At the beginning of the exam, you will be asked to leave the room, during which time the Chair asks the committee members to offer an assessment and review the student's file if needed.
» You will then be asked to talk briefly (3-5 minutes) about your background and interests and then provide a short formal presentation (15 minutes) on your dissertation prospectus.
» The chair then invites examiners, typically in the order that you have requested, to take about 20-25 minutes each to ask their questions. Here is the time to show your knowledge and expertise!
»The majority of discussion during the oral exam will focus on the student’s areas of expertise and the prospectus.

BUT Because the student will have completed course work in at least four DrPH core areas (management, research design and methods, public health ethics, and leadership) as well as two of the four breadth areas (health politics and policy analysis, public health interventions, global health sciences, and environmental health sciences), she or he should expect to be tested in these areas as well.

»You will then be asked to leave the room again so that the examiners can discuss their reactions to your demonstrated knowledge. The committee will then decide whether you will receive a pass with distinction, pass, conditional pass, partial failure, or no pass.
» You will then be invited back into the room, the chair reports the committee’s decision, and he or she facilitates discussion of additional feedback on the dissertation prospectus.
» Following the Qualifying Examination, the chair will collect signatures from committee members and transmit the signed Report to the Graduate Division on the Qualifying Examination to the DrPH Program Manager in the Student Services Office.

The Qualifying Examination (prospectus and orals exam) should be completed by the end of the spring semester of the second year or at the beginning of the fall semester of the third year at the latest.

How do I apply to take the Qualifying Exam?

Students must apply to take the Qualifying Examination no later than three weeks before the exam date is scheduled. Students must list on their applications at least three subject areas to be covered during the examination. For the application, click here.

Before submitting the Qualifying Exam application, students should ensure that their summer residency paperwork is on file with the DrPH Program Manager.
Students must contact the DrPH Program Manager in the Office of Student Services & Admissions well before submission of the Application for Admission to the Qualifying Exam to ensure that proper forms are on file and that Graduate Division requirements are met.
Following approval, a student’s eligibility to take the Qualifying Exam is valid for 18 months.

How do I schedule the Qualifying Exam?

To schedule the examination, students should confer with the chair of their Qualifying Exam Committee to determine their dates of availability and then confer with their remaining committee members to determine a date that works for all.

*Remember to also pick a date that allows you adequate time for studying, meetings with committee members, and dissertation prospectus revisions!

Once an exam date has been set, please use this form to reserve a date, time, and room for both your practice session with peers and for the actual Qualifying Exam.

Two days before the exam date: The administrative staff will give the Qualifying Exam Chair the student’s file and an envelope with the above forms for the committee to sign when the student passes the exam.

Day of exam: At the end of the exam, the student’s folder and the signed Qualifying Exam Report should be returned to the DrPH Program Manager by the Chair of the committee. Please allow 3-4 weeks for results to be reflected in CalCentral.

After passing the exam: Submit the "Application for Candidacy for the Doctoral Degree" (part of the Higher Degree Committee eForm in CalCentral).

For further inquiries, please refer to the student handbook and follow these guidelines:

DrPH Student Handbook

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drph@berkeley.edu

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