Reich College of Education

The Qualifying Examination (QE) enables students to continue the process that leads to the dissertation stage of the program. The QE is a hallmark transition event to full engagement in the research process leading to the successful completion of a doctoral dissertation

Qualifying Examination Characteristics

The QE provides the first formal opportunity for students to identify and present a research question, an appropriate literature review, and methodological procedures to address the research question. The QE is followed by the Dissertation Proposal, and the Dissertation.

Ideally, there is a virtual flow from the conclusion of coursework to the QE and on to the Proposal and Dissertation. Much of the groundwork for the QE will have been started in coursework, and the QE is an opportunity for enriching work already done.

The QE is an exercise to demonstrate one's capacity to identify and define a significant issue for educational leadership, to synthesize literature about the issue, and to lay out some methodological procedures for research about the issue.

Qualifying Examination Committee

After students have completed at least 30 hours of their required course work, they will meet with the Director of the Doctoral Program to select a QE Committee chairperson who will assume the role of advisor as the student prepares for the QE. The chair and student will consult, during the completion of coursework, in preparation for the QE. No later than the completion of coursework the chair and student will select two additional faculty members to serve on the committee. Committee membership should reflect the purpose and characteristics of the student's program of study. The chair and committee guide the student in the articulation of a research issue and the major elements that will be the basis for the QE.

Qualifying Examination: The Issues

Typically, upon completion of coursework, the student will take the QE. The examination consists of a three part paper with a single bibliography at the conclusion. The actual content of the QE and a time frame for its completion are established by the committee and student. The three parts of the paper may be informed by the following guidelines:

1. Write a draft chapter that identifies an issue to be researched within or connected with the field of educational leadership. Introduce the readers to the issue/problem and establish your study protocol by addressing the following: a definition of the issue/problem, its context, the debates that may surround it, a purpose statement for the proposed research, the research question(s), the significance of the proposed study, the meaning of the issue for the student, and a definition of terms.
2. Write a draft chapter that presents an appropriate scholarly literature review for the study outlined above. Your review should include a general introduction to the literature and proceed to address major works in the field and review pertinent research that informs your study whilst developing a case that identifies the gap(s) in our knowledge that your study will address. The presentation should identify a conceptual framework for the proposed study.
3. Write a draft chapter that addresses the methodology proposed for the study. In addition to an introduction, the draft should address the following: an overview of the intended methodology and its appropriateness for this study, the research paradigm in which the methodology is situated, the research question(s), the research design, the rationale for the design, role of the researcher, ethical considerations, data collection procedures, participant selection, interview protocol (if applicable), data analysis, validity and trustworthiness.

Qualifying Examination Outcomes

Upon submission of the QE, committee members will have up to two weeks reading before meeting with the student for an oral examination and discussion of the QE.
The Qualifying Examination Committee may:

1. Pass the QE without condition.
2. Articulate necessary revisions and a timetable for their completion.
3. Pass the QE with specific recommendations to be addressed in the next program phase: the dissertation proposal.
4. Fail the student on the examination; in this circumstance the committee will make recommendations to the Director on suggested next steps.

The chair will notify the student of the outcome of the examination, complete the Qualifying Examination Results form, and submit the form and a copy of the Qualifying Exam to the Director of the Doctoral Program for the student's permanent file.

Qualifying Examination Appeal Process

A student has seven (7) days from notification of the examination outcome to appeal the committee's decision. The appeal must be made in writing to the Director of the Doctoral Program.