Handbooks

Doctor of Philosophy in
Nursing Science Handbook

Preliminary Examination

The purpose of the preliminary examination is to determine the student's readiness to undertake dissertation research. Passing constitutes formal admission to Candidacy. The examination serves as the last major step toward the PhD degree except for the completion and defense of the dissertation. The examination provides the student with timely feedback of the faculty's view of his/her potential for completing the PhD program. The preliminary examination is distinct from the oral defense of the dissertation proposal. Only students in good academic standing [GPA = 3.0 or above] may be admitted to the examination. A PhD student in nursing science is expected to take and pass the preliminary examination at the end of course work [required nursing, statistics and advanced coursework], usually after 2-3 years of full-time or 3-4 years of part-time study. The preliminary examination cannot be taken before one full year of coursework is completed. In addition one year must separate the preliminary exam and the defense of the dissertation. Eligibility for preliminary examination includes:

•  Completion of all/most required courses for the PhD degree [required nursing, statistics and advanced coursework]

•  GPA of at least 3.00

•  Registration in the term for which the preliminary examination is scheduled [ > 1 hour]

•  The student's research advisor, the Associate Dean for Nursing Science Studies, and the Dean of the Graduate College must approve the membership of the preliminary examination committee.

The student and research advisor work together to identify the preliminary examination committee. The Committee Recommendation Form must be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate College for approval not less than 8 weeks before the scheduled preliminary examination. For any members of the committee from outside UIC, a curriculum vita must accompany the Committee Recommendation Form. The student is responsible for completing the form and should verify with the advisor that the advisor has received the Examination Form at least one week in advance of the oral exam. The committee for the preliminary examination is appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College upon recommendation of the department or program . The committee's composition must meet the following requirements:

•  Minimum of five members

•  Chair must be a member of the UIC College of Nursing graduate faculty

•  At least three of the members must be UIC College of Nursing graduate faculty

•  At least one member must be non UIC College of Nursing graduate faculty [this member may come from another UIC academic unit, or from another university; if from another university, the curriculum vita of this member is necessary for approval]

•  At least 2 of the members must be tenured faculty, at least one of who is from the UIC College of Nursing.

For College of Nursing PhD students, the preliminary examination serves two purposes: demonstration of the student's mastery of content in the PhD in nursing science program and the student's readiness for research. The preliminary exam is to verify student's comprehensive knowledge of advanced research design, measurement, philosophy of science, theory, analytic methods [quantitative and/or qualitative methods], and the student's identified substantive area of scholarship. The format of the preliminary examination includes both a written and oral component. As described below, the written component of the examination can take alternate forms. Both the written and oral portions of the examination are critical. However, it is important to remember that the UIC Graduate College considers the oral portion to be the examination. Thus, its importance cannot be overstated. All committee members must be present and sign the examination form upon completion of the examination. The content and format of the written portion of the preliminary examination is to test the student in the areas of theory and research in nursing science and other fields as they are related to the students identified area of scholarship. The written format may be: