The Mechanical Engineering Department has established expectations for the timing of Qualifying and General Exams for Ph.D. students. While the Department recognizes that each Ph.D. student has a unique pathway and timeline for completing their degree requirements, in all cases, this requires steady and sufficient academic progress.
This policy specifically addresses cases where the Department is concerned that a student may be at risk of failing to complete their degree requirements within the 10-year window stipulated by the Graduate School. See Policy 1.1: Graduate Degree Requirements.
Required timelines
To maintain sufficient academic progress, Ph.D. students must have a faculty research advisor and pass exams within the following time limits:
- Pass their Qualifying Exam within:
- 24 months of entering the Ph.D. program without an MS degree18 months of entering the PhD program with a non-UW MS degree
- 15 months of entering the Ph.D. program with a UW MS degree
- Pass their General Exam within:
- 5 years of entering the Ph.D. program
- Pass their Final Exam within:
- 10 years of entering the Ph.D. program
These timelines are the upper limit for maintaining sufficient academic progress in the Ph.D. program. Per graduate school policy, these timelines are not altered by part-time status or leave and exceptions must be considered on a case-by-case basis. If the outcome of a Qualifying Exam is a failure with the option to retake or a pass with conditions, a petition is required if re-examination is unsuccessful or conditions are not be met by the deadlines list above.
The exam deadlines are independent. For example, a 6-month extension for the Qualifying Exam deadline does not automatically extend the General or Final Exam deadlines by 6 months.
Recommended timelines
The Department expects that most students will pass their exams well ahead of these limits. Specifically, students should plan to schedule their exams as follows:
- Qualifying Exam within:
- 18 months of entering the PhD program without an MS degree
- 12 months of entering the PhD program with a non-UW MS degree
- 9 months of entering the PhD program with a UW MS degree
- General Exam within:
- 18 months of passing the Qualifying Exam
Procedures
The quarter prior to an exam deadline, an Academic Notification will be sent to the student and their faculty research advisor. For example, a pre-masters Ph.D. student who enters the program in fall quarter of academic year 1 would receive an Academic Notification at the start of the spring quarter in academic year 2. This notification would inform the student and their research advisor that they must pass their Qualifying Exam by the end of summer quarter or submit a petition for an extension of the exam deadline.
If the student plans to complete the exam before the end of the next quarter, only an email acknowledgement is required. If the student is unlikely to complete the exam by the end of the next quarter, the student must request a deadline extension through email to the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) and Graduate Program Advisor (GPA).
This email request should be less than 1 page in length and describe:
- The reason required for an extension beyond the customary deadline AND
- The requested length of extension. The requested extension should be commensurate with the reason for the extension (e.g., a 6-month extension due to a 6-month industry internship). If a student is unsure if the requested extension is appropriate, they should consult with the GPC and/or GPA before making the petition. The petition must be received within 30 days of the end of the quarter with the exam deadline. The petition will be reviewed within 30 days of receipt and either accepted or denied by the GPC. If the student’s research advisor is serving as GPC, the petition will be reviewed by the Associate Chair for Academics.
- If justified, it is allowable to petition for multiple extensions of an exam deadline (e.g., serious illness/injury after an extension has been granted).
- If a petition is denied or the student does not respond to the Academic Notification, the student will be placed on Academic Alert for the next quarter. If the exam is not conducted in the quarter of Academic Alert, the student will be placed on Final Academic Alert for the next quarter. If the Final Academic Alert is not resolved by the end of that quarter, the next step is an Academic Drop. Academic Drop is the action that removes a student from the program and is recorded on student’s transcript [Policy 3.7: Academic Performance and Progress]. The department registers an Academic Drop to the Graduate School by the second week of the quarter and the drop is effective at the end of the quarter.
- If the exam deadline is resolved at any point in this process, the Academic Alert or Final Academic Alert status associated with this deadline will be removed. However, if an alert is in place for a different reason (e.g., cumulative GPA below department minimum), clearing the alert associated with the exam deadline will not automatically resolve a different alert.
- If a student loses their research advisor (i.e., advisor departs UW, student departs or is separated from a research group), the student will be placed on Final Academic Alert the following quarter. If the student is unable to identify and confirm a new research advisor by the end of that specified quarter, the department may recommend an Academic Drop in accordance with Graduate School policy [Policy 3.7: Academic Performance and Progress]. If the student identifies a new research advisor within the specified timeline, the Final Academic Alert status will be removed. For students admitted to the Ph.D. program without an assigned research advisor, this requirement will be waived during the first academic year.
- For either exam deadlines or loss of a research advisor, in extraordinary circumstances, the student may submit a brief written petition for consideration of removal of the Final Academic Alert status to the GPC, who will discuss the petition with the Department Chair. Students are also encouraged to reach out to the GPA throughout this process.
Pathways
Pathways for exam deadlines and loss of a research advisor are shown visually in the following diagrams. Questions about these timelines should be addressed to the GPC or GPA.
Pathways for exam deadlines
This text describes the academic progress process for completing a required exam. It outlines three possible pathways: Standard Pathway, Standard Exception, and Insufficient Academic Progress across four time periods.
Time period: –1 quarter
Standard pathway
- Notification is sent to the student and the research advisor.
- The exam is scheduled for the current quarter or the next quarter.
Standard exception
- Notification is sent to the student and the research advisor.
- A petition for an extension is submitted and accepted by the Graduate Program Committee (GPC).
- The exam deadline is extended.
Insufficient academic progress
- Notification is sent to the student and the research advisor.
- No response is submitted, or the petition for extension is denied by the GPC.
Time period: Quarter with exam deadline
Standard pathway
- The student completes and passes the exam (for example, passes the Qualifying Exam without conditions).
Insufficient academic progress
- If the exam is incomplete, the student receives an Academic Alert.
- The Academic Alert is removed if the exam is completed or if a petition is accepted by the Chair.
Time period: +1 quarter
Insufficient academic progress
- If the exam is still incomplete, the student receives a Final Academic Alert.
- The Final Academic Alert is removed if the exam is completed or if a petition is accepted by the Chair.
Time period: +2 quarters
Insufficient academic progress
- If the exam remains incomplete, the student receives an Academic Drop, meaning dismissal from the program.
- The Final Academic Alert is removed if the exam is completed or if a petition is accepted by the Chair.
Pathways related to loss of research advisor
The flowchart outlines two pathways concerning a student’s academic progress related to research advisor assignment. It is divided into two main columns: "Standard Pathway" and "Insufficient Academic Progress." The flowchart displays different scenarios based on time frames and outcomes:
Time period: Quarter when student loses research advisor
Standard pathway
- If the student loses research advisor and is able to identify a new one within the same quarter, they continue on the Standard Pathway.
Time period: +1 quarter
Insufficient academic progress
- If a student is unable to identify a new research advisor after one quarter, they will receive a Final Academic Alert
- The academic alert will be removed if an advisor is identified
Time period: +2 quarters
Insufficient academic progress
- If the student still has not been able to identify a new research advisor, the student receives an Academic Drop, meaning dismissal from the program.
- The Final Academic Alert will be removed if an advisor is identified
Extensions
Petitions to extend the length of a student’s Doctoral program beyond 10 years will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. If you have questions, contact the advising team at megrad@uw.edu