The department has three different pathways for pursuing a Ph.D. degree: pre-M.S. entry with a bachelor's degree, post-M.S. entry with a non-UW degree, and post-M.S. entry with a UW degree. The timing of the exam for these different pathways is described in detail below.

Pre-M.S. entry

Every full-time student in the department's pre-M.S. admission pathway is required to take the qualifying exam within 12 to 24 months after entry into the program. A student who has not passed the exam within 24 months after entry into the program will be asked to withdraw from the program.

Post-M.S. entry with a non-UW degree

Every full-time student in this pathway (Ph.D. following a non-UW M.S. degree) is required to take the exam within 6-18 months after entry into the program. A student who has not passed the exam within 18 months after entry into the program will be asked to withdraw from the program.

Post-M.S. entry with a UW degree

Every full-time student in this pathway (Ph.D. following a UW M.S. degree) is required to take the exam no later than 15 months after entry into the Ph.D. program. A student who has not passed the exam within 15 months after entry into the program will be asked to withdraw from the program. A student in this pathway may take the qualifying exam while still in the UW M.S. program.

Part-time students

Part-time status is available for Ph.D. students in the traditional post-M.S. pathways (following either a UW or a non-UW M.S. degree). Part-time students are advised to take the exam when they have completed 18 credits of graded coursework or within two years after entry into the Ph.D. program, whichever occurs first.

In other words, if a part-time student takes only one course each quarter (excluding summer), the student should take the qualifying exam by the end of the second year. If the part-time student takes more than one course per quarter, the student will need to take the exam earlier.

Occasionally, part-time students may not be able to take the qualifying exam within the suggested time frame. In this case, part-time students may file a petition to the Graduate Education Committee to defer the qualifying exam. Please refer to the petition section for the procedure. Also please note that the petition may or may not be granted.

Transfer students

Occasionally, students who have passed a qualifying exam at a Ph.D. granting institution transfer into the UW ME Ph.D. program. In this case, the students may file a petition to the Graduate Education Committee to waive or to defer the qualifying exam. Please refer to the petition section for the procedure. Also please note that the petition may or may not be granted.

Timeline

The Qualifying Exam committee consists of a minimum of four members. There should be a faculty advisor, at least two members, and a Departmental Representative (DR). At least three members from the student’s probable Ph.D. committee and at least two (including the faculty advisor) of these three committee members must be core Mechanical Engineering faculty. In the event the student has faculty co-advisors, an additional committee member is required. This committee may be adjusted between the Qualifying Exam and General Exam and does not need to be officially registered with the Graduate School.

The Departmental Representative (DR) must be the core ME faculty with whom the student’s adviser(s) have no substantive record of collaboration.

• A committee should be formed at least 6 weeks before the Qualifying Exam is scheduled.
• Committee members should be agreed upon by the student and advisor(s).
• It is the student's responsibility to identify all committee members (in consultation with the faculty advisor). Students must get an agreement from each potential committee member. Students will submit the full committee members when they submit their request to take the exam.

Role of committee members in Qualifying exam:

• Selection of the review paper is the responsibility of the student's advisor(s), though all committee members should concur with the selection.
• All committee members, including faculty advisor(s) and DR, are encouraged to question student to assess capabilities and potential successful pursuit of doctoral research during the exam.

Exam format

The Qualifying Exam consists of:

1. A written document (total of 3-5 pages, not including references). The components of the written document consist of:

• Paper review (1-2 pages) – in-depth knowledge of all fundamentals related to the research paper suggested by committee members.
• Literature review and context (1-2 pages) – perform a related literature review to understand broader context of proposed work, and identify specific strengths and weaknesses
• Proposed research plan (1 page maximum) - discussion of research plans, a brief description of well-scoped of your Ph.D. research project 

1. An oral exam presentation (total of 60-90 minutes)  

• 20 mins of student presentation. The oral presentation is open to other faculty and the general public
• 5-10 mins of questions by the general public
• 30–60 mins of questions by the committee on the critique and scientific and engineering fundamentals related to the paper and the logic behind student's analysis. 

Exam restriction

The written exam and oral presentation must be the sole product of the student. The student may not solicit or receive assistance from their peers, advisor(s), other faculty, or members of the general public. Soliciting or receiving such assistance constitutes academic misconduct.

Exam Procedure

In assessing the student, the committee looks for the following categories:

• Knowledge of scientific and engineering fundamentals.
• Ability to critically review and synthesize literature.
• Clarity and completeness of written document.
• Quality of oral presentation.

The committee will vote on the outcome, and the student will be verbally informed of the outcome at the end of the exam.

Pass exam

Student is asked to continue in the program.

Conditional pass

The student will be asked to continue in the program. The student is, however, generally required to fulfill specified requirements before taking the general exam (e.g., additional coursework with GPA requirements, TA a specific course).

Fail with permission to retake

The student will be asked to retake the exam. Please note that students who fail the exam in their first attempt may not automatically receive this option.

Fail and withdrawal from the Ph.D. program

The student must withdraw from the Ph.D. program. The Department will allow the student to stay in the program for two quarters as a transition to exit the program. There are two things to note:

• This outcome is possible for students who fail the qualifying exam in their first attempt.
• In compliance with US immigration laws, international students must maintain successful progress toward the degree while in the program. An international student may not be eligible for the two-quarter transition period if the compliance is violated.

Students may take the Qualifying Exam no more than two times. A retake following the failure of the exam must occur within 6 months.

Students wishing to ask for a variance or exception to policy should submit a petition to the Graduate Education Committee. The petition should include the following elements:

• A petition letter carefully addressing:
  • Reasons for petition
  • Proposed solutions (e.g., deferral of exam for 6 months)
• Documents or physical evidence to support your petition
• An endorsement letter from your Ph.D. advisor

Ph.D. students are required to take ME 564 and ME 565 (Engineering Analysis) plus three courses are chosen from the baskets listed below. Students will be expected to work with their faculty advisers to select an optimal set of courses for their programs of study.

Students must attain a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.5 in the core curriculum. If students receive below a 3.5 GPA in these core courses, the committee will determine appropriate remedial actions including retaking a course, TAing courses, taking additional courses, or completing an oral or written examination to synthesize material.

There may be a waiver granted for UW master's students who go on to complete a traditional Ph.D. but only in cases where the student’s master's coursework contributes to the basket requirement being completed. Three courses from the following list must be chosen (not necessarily from a single interest group), along with ME 564 and ME 565.

Students must complete all coursework requirements and at least 60 credits total before taking the general exam.

Engineering Analysis (required)

Energy and Fluids

Systems and Dynamics

Mechanics, Materials, and Manufacturing