Examinations

Some programs may require a comprehensive examination for master’s students, which is used to determine whether the student has acquired the knowledge commensurate with the courses taken as part of the program. The examination may be oral, written, or both. The academic unit determines the form, scope, and time of the examination. The master’s thesis examination (see below) may serve as the comprehensive examination. Scheduling of the examination as well as specification of the examination committee is submitted on Form G300 for approval by Academic Affairs. In the case of an oral examination, at least two tenured or tenure-track faculty members from the student’s academic unit (including the committee chair) must be present to serve in the student’s committee at the examination. The academic unit head may nominate additional voting members of the committee from any Illinois Tech academic unit or professionals from other organizations with the approval of the VP of Academic Affairs. A resume should be attached to the nomination for members outside Illinois Tech. 

A passing result for the examination must be agreed upon by a majority of the voting committee members.The examination result must be submitted on Form G303 according to the deadlines published by the Office of Academic Affairs. The graduate student must be registered in the semester in which the examination is given. 

A student who fails the comprehensive examination may repeat the examination once after a period of at least 30 days from the initial examination. Any additional consideration must be petitioned, supported by the academic unit head, and approved in writing by the VP of Academic Affairs. The result of each exam must be reported to Academic Affairs.

For master’s of science (MS) degree-seeking students pursuing a thesis option, the master’s thesis examination is used to evaluate the quality of the project or research described in the thesis and the student’s knowledge and proficiency in the field. The form, scope, and time of the examination are determined by the academic unit.  

Scheduling of the examination as well as specification of the examination committee is submitted on Form G300 for approval by Academic Affairs. The thesis adviser shall be the chair of the examining committee and is responsible for all aspects of a thesis degree, including research and thesis advising, forms, and research credits. A thesis adviser may be any tenured or tenure-track faculty member from any academic unit, provided that the person is approved by the student’s academic unit head.  

In addition to their primary thesis adviser, a student may have a co-adviser, but at most one may be from a unit outside the student’s primary unit.  All approved thesis advisers have joint responsibility for a student's research and thesis, their thesis research credits will be accepted toward the thesis requirement, and they shall be listed as thesis advisers on the final submitted thesis. In the case of two thesis advisers, the primary adviser will be chair of the thesis committee to be chosen by mutual agreement of the thesis advisers.  

In cases where there are two thesis advisers, or the thesis adviser is from a unit other than the student's primary unit, the minimal thesis committee will require one additional tenured or tenure-track faculty member from the student's academic unit (three total). 

The university also allows one optional external member from outside Illinois Tech as an additional committee member or co-chair (i.e., co-thesis adviser) with voting privileges. External members are experts in the field from industry, research institutions, or other universities, who are nominated by the committee chairs with the approval of the academic unit head and Academic Affairs. The VP of Academic Affairs requires a short resume of an external member to establish their credentials and eligibility to serve on a committee. 

Insofar as faculty holding formal joint appointments in the student’s academic unit have all of the rights and privileges of regular faculty members in the unit, they are treated as such with respect to MS committees.  

A passing result for the examination must be agreed upon by a majority of the voting committee members. The examination result must be submitted on Form G303 according to the deadlines published by the Office of Academic Affairs. The graduate student must be registered in the semester in which the examination is taken. 

A student who fails the thesis examination may repeat the examination once after a period of at least 30 days from the initial examination. Any additional consideration must be petitioned, supported by the academic unit head, and approved in writing by the VP of Academic Affairs. The result of each exam must be reported to Academic Affairs.

A qualifying examination is required for all doctoral students to evaluate the student's academic background in order to determine their potential for achieving a doctorate. The examination may be oral, written, or both. The form, scope, and time of the examination, as well as the composition of the qualifying examination committee, is determined by the academic unit. The exam may be given along with the master’s comprehensive examination. Students must be registered in the semester in which the qualifying examination is administered. 

While the timing of the qualifying examination is set by the academic unit, it is strongly encouraged that students’ first attempt be in their first year of Ph.D. study if they have completed a master’s degree. The results of the qualifying examination must be submitted on Form G303 according to the deadlines published by the Office of Academic Affairs. 

If the student fails the qualifying examination, the examining committee may recommend a re-examination. At least one semester of additional preparation is considered essential before re-examination. The second chance for taking the qualifying exam is regarded as final. Any additional considerations must be petitioned, supported in writing by the academic unit, and approved in writing by the VP of Academic Affairs. The result of each exam must be reported to Academic Affairs. 

After passing the qualifying examination, and within a period of time specified by the academic unit, the student must complete the comprehensive examination. The objective of the comprehensive examination is to determine the student's level of competency in conducting research in the area of their thesis. The comprehensive examination is completed at least one year prior to the final oral defense examination and is typically taken at the end of the second year of Ph.D. study. The student must be registered in the semester in which the examination is taken.  

The examination may be oral, written, or both. The form, scope, and time of the examination is determined by the academic unit. A proposal for the doctoral dissertation is normally presented as part of the comprehensive examination. 

In preparation for the comprehensive examination, the student, in consultation with their research advisor, should assemble their Ph.D. committee. The committee is nominated by the academic unit head for approval by Academic Affairs. The nominations must be submitted on Form G301A, which also includes the proposed date and time for the exam. 

The composition of the Ph.D. committee is as follows: 

1. The thesis adviser shall be the chair of the examining committee and is responsible for all aspects of the Ph.D. degree, including research and thesis advising, forms, and research credits. The thesis adviser may be any tenured or tenure-track faculty member from any academic unit, provided that the person is approved by the student’s academic unit head. 

2. The entire committee, including the chair, is comprised of a minimum of four individuals, three of which must be from the student’s academic unit and one outside member from another academic unit at Illinois Tech. Two of the three members from the student’s academic unit must be tenured or tenure-track faculty, and the outside member must also be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member. Any non-tenured or tenure-track committee members in the required four must hold an “affiliate” faculty position at Illinois Tech as described subsequently.  

In cases for which the thesis adviser (chair) is from an academic unit other than the student's primary unit, the minimal thesis committee will require one additional tenured or tenure-track faculty member from the student's unit to achieve the minimum of three, resulting in a minimum of five total committee members. 

Insofar as faculty holding formal joint appointments in the student’s academic unit have all of the rights and privileges of regular faculty members in the unit, they are treated as such with respect to Ph.D. committees.

3. Affiliate faculty are those that hold formal non-tenured or tenure-track faculty appointments at Illinois Tech. This includes active emeritus faculty, formerly tenured faculty within one year of leaving the university, former faculty with courtesy adjunct appointments, adjunct faculty, teaching faculty, research faculty, clinical faculty, industry professors, or professors of practice. 

4. In addition to their primary thesis adviser, who serves as chair, a student may have an additional co-chair who may or may not be from the student’s academic unit. The co-chair is not considered one of the minimum four required members or the three required faculty within the student’s academic unit. A co-chair, but not the chair, may have “affiliate” faculty status as described previously. The primary adviser will be chair of the thesis committee and is chosen by mutual agreement of the thesis advisers.  

All approved thesis advisers have joint responsibility for a student's research and thesis, their thesis research credits will be accepted toward the thesis requirement, and they shall be listed as thesis advisers on the final submitted thesis.  

5. An optional external member from outside Illinois Tech is permitted with the approval of the thesis adviser, academic unit head, and Academic Affairs. External members are experts in the field from industry, research institutions, or other universities. They can serve as an additional voting member or co-chair, but not chair. Any such external member is in addition to the minimum number of committee members and the makeup of the committee as described previously. The VP of Academic Affairs requires a short resume of an external member to establish their credentials and eligibility to serve on a committee. 

6.The VP for Academic Affairs is an ex-officio, non-voting, member of all examination committees.

The chair of the committee is responsible for the conduct of the examination, and a passing result for the examination must be agreed upon by a majority of the voting committee members. Examination results are reported on Form G309 according to the deadlines published by the Office of Academic Affairs. 

A student who fails the comprehensive examination may be re-examined after a period of 30 days has elapsed. Students failing the examination twice will be asked to terminate their graduate study at the university. In extenuating circumstances, the academic unit head may show cause why a third examination should be given. A re-examination after two failures requires the approval of the VP of Academic Affairs. Failure of the third examination will result in termination without recourse. The result of each exam must be reported to Academic Affairs. 

The final oral defense examination should be scheduled at least one year after the comprehensive examination and consists of an oral defense of the student’s doctoral research as described in the Ph.D. dissertation.  

The oral defense is open to all faculty and the general public, but only the appointed committee members may vote, and the committee may conduct a “closed-door” session with the Ph.D. candidate without the public present.  

The Ph.D. committee that conducts the final oral defense is subject to the same requirements as those for the comprehensive examination and is typically comprised of the same members as the comprehensive examination committee. However, changes must sometimes be made, and the final committee is approved by Academic Affairs through submission of Form G301B, which also notifies Academic Affairs of the schedule for the examination. 

A student who fails the thesis examination may be re-examined after a period of 30 days has elapsed. Students failing the examination twice will be asked to terminate their graduate study at the university. In extenuating circumstances, the academic unit head may show cause why a third examination should be given. A re-examination after two failures requires the approval of the VP of Academic Affairs. Failure of the third examination will result in termination without recourse. The result of each exam must be reported to Academic Affairs.