Qualifying Exam

Qualifying Exam

Qualifying Exam

The Qualifying Exam (QE) has a twofold defined purpose of evaluating a student’s advanced knowledge of industrial and systems engineering (ISE) through graduate coursework and assessing their research aptitude through a scholarly literature review. The QE is the first milestone for Ph.D. students to complete before they can form a dissertation committee.

The exam takes place at the end of the first year of Ph.D. student study. Students entering the Ph.D. program in the Fall semester will complete the QE at the conclusion of the following Summer term, while students entering the Ph.D. program in the Spring semester will complete the QE two Summer terms after starting the program.

All students who enter the Ph.D. program directly from a Bachelor’s degree program may elect to defer their Qualifying Exam to their second year, but all students may only take the Qualifying Exam once. Eligible students who wish to defer the QE must formally request approval from the Graduate Program Committee before the second semester of their Ph.D. program. Please email the ISE Graduate Office (grad-office@ise.ufl.edu) for more information.

Examination Dates (for 2025)

Literature Review Proposal Due: February 17, 2025 (5:00PM EST)
Literature Review Paper Due: August 1, 2025 (5:00PM EST)
Literature Review Presentation: August 15, 18, & 19, 2025

Content and Organization of the Exam

The QE consists of two distinct parts: a Coursework Assessment and a Literature Review. Students must pass both parts of the exam in order to continue their Ph.D. program.

Coursework Assessment

This part of the QE is intended to assess advanced knowledge of ISE acquired through graduate coursework during the first year of study. The student and an advisor/mentor select three courses from the following pool for the exam with minimum requirements of two A- and one B+ course grades to pass. Some courses may not be offered every year; students must fulfil the coursework requirements with courses that are available during the year of their QE.

Currently available courses:

  • Data Analytics for Systems Monitoring (DASM)
  • High-Dimensional Data Analytics (HDDA)
  • Stochastic Modeling and Analysis (SMA)
  • Linear Programming and Network Optimization (LPNO)
  • Human Factors in Systems Design (HFSD)
  • Systems Safety (SS)
  • Fundamentals of Mathematical Programming (FMP)
  • Discrete Optimization Theory (DOT)
  • Applied Probability Methods in Engineering (APME)

If the above minimum grade is not achieved, a written examination (considered as a makeup exam to pass the coursework assessment) is required for each unsatisfied course. If a student does not earn the required grade(s) in a QE course, they may consult with the faculty member responsible for teaching the course to identify any shortcomings and to discuss how performance could be enhanced for the makeup examination. Makeup written exams are administered one week before or after a student’s literature review presentation. If a student does not pass the makeup written exam, the student will receive a fail for the Coursework Assessment and be dismissed from the Ph.D. program.

Any native MS/ME student who is admitted to the UF ISE PhD program must address the QE coursework assessment in one of two ways:

  1. Completing 3 PhD-level courses from the above QE course list while in the first year of the PhD program, or
  2. Passing a written examination of course content for any QE course(s) taken previously as a native MS/ME student

Any student who is accepted to the UF ISE PhD program, who completed an ME/MS at another University, and who is seeking to apply transferred credits for courses included in the QE coursework assessment, must pass a written examination of course content as an alternative to address the QE coursework assessment.

Literature Review

This part of the QE is intended to assess research potential through a literature review. The student conducts a literature review under the supervision of their advisor or mentor. It is optional for the student to enroll in a research (independent study) course during the spring or summer term of their first year of study to support this process. The student, with help from the advisor/mentor, will select a topic for the Literature Review, and the student will submit a proposal to the QE committee. The student’s QE committee can provide feedback (shared with the advisor) before initiation of the literature review, which must be addressed with a written response. The student will prepare both a written literature review on the proposed topic and an oral presentation for the QE committee. Requirements for these documents are outlined below:

Proposals should be a one-page document submitted to the QE committee with the following information:

  1. Title;
  2. Student and faculty names;
  3. Proposal content with references.

The number of references initially identified for the report should be between 10 and 12 papers.

The final literature review report should be 6-12 pages in length including references (1.5 spacing, 12-point font, 1 inch margins) and represent a stand-alone, readable document. Appendices are allowed but may not be reviewed by the QE committee.

Instructions on the Literature Review Presentation are as follows:

  1. All presentations will be held in person.
  2. Students may show up 5 minutes before their assigned presentation time to set up for their presentation, and presentations should begin at precisely the assigned time.
  3. The maximum length of oral presentations is 45 minutes (suggested a 30–45-minute presentation).
  4. A Question-and-Answer session lasting approximately 30 minutes will immediately follow the oral presentation.

It is optional for the student’s advisor to attend the presentation. However, during the presentation, the advisor should not answer questions on behalf of the student but may ask questions to the student. If present, the student’s advisor will be released from the committee discussion and vote. The QE committee will evaluate the students’ written literature review and oral presentation.

Outcomes for the literature review and presentation include:

  1. Pass – No further action is required from the student or the committee.
  2. Conditional pass – The student must submit a written response addressing the QE Committee’s concerns within one week of the presentation. If the response is satisfactory, the student will receive a passing evaluation.
  3. Fail – The student’s literature review and presentation are unsatisfactory, or the response to the conditional pass concerns is deemed insufficient. As a result, the student will be dismissed from the PhD program.

Evaluation of the Literature Review

  • Purpose – Assess a student’s research propensity/potential.
  • Standard criteria to be applied in the evaluation of the review:
    1. Student’s method for identification of papers.
    2. Student’s general knowledge of the topic area.
    3. Student understanding of specific aspects of various studies:
      • the research question/problem being addressed
      • the research methodology
      • limitations of the study
    4. Student understanding of strengths and weaknesses of each study.
    5. Student understanding of the relationship among studies.
    6. Student identification of gaps in existing knowledge and potential research topics.
    7. Student’s capability to accurately answer questions on the content of the review and research.

After Passing the QE

After a student has successfully passed both parts of the Qualifying Exam, the ISE Graduate Advising Office will enter the completed milestone in the student’s academic record. The student can then begin forming the doctoral dissertation committee. A student who passes the QE but does not have a current dissertation advisor must secure an advisor within one academic term of having passed the QE. Please email the ISE Graduate Advising Office (grad-office@ise.ufl.edu) for questions about this process.