Below are detailed instructions regarding the required Qualifying Exam (QE) for QSB Ph.D students - QSB students are expected to complete the QE by the end of their second year. Know your rights and responsibilities! Please read through the P&Ps carefully. Note that the P&Ps in place when you matriculated apply to you.
For any linked forms, the signed forms will need to go to Graduate Services at gradservices@ucmerced.edu and QSB Program Staff at qsb@ucmerced.edu . Graduate Division will notify you once the forms are processed. Once you pass the Qualifying Exam, you can then request the link to the Advancement to Candidacy Form from QSB Program Staff at qsb@ucmerced.edu .
Steps for the qualifying exam:
1. Establish your committee. You need to ensure your committee is composed of at least three faculty, two of which are UC Merced faculty, and the third is faculty from any UC campus (or under some circumstances a non-UC faculty member). Your thesis advisor(s) is not a member of the qualifying exam committee. If you need a third member, please recruit them as soon as possible (they may be a temporary member for the purposes of the exam.) Non-UC faculty are allowed to serve as the fourth member of your committee.
- Note that all members of your committee must be physically present for the exam to proceed. Exemptions are made for non-UC Merced faculty that live more than a two-hour drive from the UC Merced campus.
- QSB will reimburse for mileage for non-UC Merced faculty. If a member is unable to be physically present, you may request that the committee be reconstituted by filling out a Request for Reconstitution of Committee form and sending to Graduate Division for approval.
- Please ensure you are meeting regularly with your committee prior to your qualifying exam and continue to meet with them on a (minimum) yearly basis post-adancing to candidacy.
2. Schedule early! It is sometimes difficult to find a time that works for everyone.
3. Confirm you have completed all your coursework by checking your Degree Audit - if you notice any courses missing from your record, contact the QSB Staff.
4. The qualifying exam consists of a written document and an oral exam. The written part is in the form of a grant proposal that is common for your field of study. Please consult with your advisor and committee to set the specifics. The written part must be approved by your committee chair one month in advance of the oral exam. You should schedule a 3 hour time block for your oral exam.
5. Below are the forms required for completing your Qualifying Exam. All signatures must be completed prior to your submission – to submit, email the signed forms to Grad Services (gradservices@ucmerced.edu) and QSB Staff (qsb@ucmerced.edu ).
- Application for Qualifying Exam - must be completed and sent to Graduate Division minimum one month prior to the Qualifying Exam oral defense.
- If any of your committee members are external (ie, non-UC Merced faculty), you will need to include that committee member’s CV in your email submission.
- Qualifying Exam Report - completed after the exam. Bring a copy of this form to your oral defense.
- Advancement to Candidacy – once Graduate Division processes your Qualifying Exam Report, the QSB Staff will provide the link to this form. There is a $90 fee to advance; you will have to pay the fee when you submit, but you will automatically receive a reimbursement from Graduate Division a few weeks after completing the form. Questions regarding this reimbursement should be directed to gradfunding@ucmerced.edu .
- Please note the Advancing to Candidacy deadline for a given term is continuously updated on this webpage and will dictate when you will receive you are officially considered a PhD candidate and can receive the MAW.
6. Upon passing your qualifying exam, if you would like to request a Master’s Along the Way (we recommend you do), check the “Master’s Along the Way” box in the Academic Information section of the Advancement to Candidacy form. Please let your committee know that you plan on pursuing the Master’s Along the Way prior to filling out the form. More information can be found on the QSB Master's Along the Way webpage.
7. If you do not pass your exam, you will be given 6 months from that exam date to retake it.
If you are an international student, please note:
- The QSB Policies and Procedures (P&Ps) state: "Students are expected to take and pass the qualifying examination during their second year of graduate study unless they successfully petition the Graduate Program Chair to take it at a specific later date." (Section IV.F, see attached)
- According to the Graduate Division Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) policy, International students are eligible to receive a NRST award for 6 semesters to specifically cover the NRST fees per the Policies and Procedures Handbook, pg. 17. This policy covers non-resident international Ph.D. students who have not advanced to candidacy. If you do not advance within that time frame you will be responsible for your own NRST fee. Additionally, the program and/or advisor can also cover the cost until you advance. To request an NRST exception, you would need to write a statement and obtain a letter of support from your advisor explaining why you haven’t advanced yet and what you have left to complete, then you’ll send both items to Dean Hratchian for review.
last updated: 10/3/2025
