\documentstyle[11pt]{article}

\setlength{\topmargin}{0 in}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{0.1 in}
\setlength{\textwidth}{6.0 in}
\setlength{\textheight}{8.0 in}
\setlength{\parskip}{\medskipamount}
\setlength{\parindent}{0 in}

\begin{document}

\title{The Oral Qualifying Examination in Area II}
\author{Professor Shafi Goldwasser, Area II Chair}
\date{17 September 1997}

\maketitle

The Oral Qualifying Examination (OQE) is the second part of the
General Examination required for a Ph.D. in the Department of
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (see Department Memo
3800).

The supplementary information and advice below may be helpful to
students and faculty in Area~II\@. It has been revised to take into
account the elimination in 1986 of the Computer Science Written
Examination.

The OQE is the first formal examination required for a Ph.D. in the
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.  It tests
the student's knowledge, problem-solving skills and intellectual
preparedness for doctoral research.

\subsection*{What is the purpose of the OQE?}

The Oral Qualifying Exam provides the student and faculty an
opportunity to assess the likelihood that the student will be able to
complete a doctoral program sucessfully.

\subsection*{Who takes the OQE in Area II?}

All regularly enrolled graduate students who plan to pursue doctoral
studies in Area~II must take the Oral Qualifying Examination.

\subsection*{When does a student take the OQE?}

The Area~II Committee expects most students planning to obtain a Ph.D.
to take the OQE during their fourth term of graduate study.  The OQE
is normally taken around the time that a student is completing the MS
program (or equivalent research experience if the student comes to MIT
with a Master's degree).  It is not necessary to have completed the MS
in order to take the OQE.  However, students whose research is not
sufficiently under way to be assessed by their research supervisor
will be at a disadvantage in the examination.

In addition, the student must have qualified in two of the core
fields within computer science---programming languages, artificial
intelligence, computer architecture, and theory of computation and
algorithms---before taking the OQE.

After consultation with his/her graduate counselor, a student may
choose to postpone the OQE until the fifth term of graduate study.
Such a decision might be based on the need to make up for a weak
undergraduate background in computer science or on slow progress in
Master's thesis research.  Students wishing to postpone the OQE past
the fifth term must provide by Registration Day an acceptable written
explanation to the Area~II Committee, approved by their graduate
counselor, of the postponement and a proposed schedule for taking the
exam.

\subsection*{How does one apply for the OQE?}

Application forms are available in the EECS Graduate Office (38-444)
and in the Area~II Secretary's office (NE43-305)\footnote{The form is
also available as a \LaTeX\ template via anonymous ftp from {\em
theory.lcs.mit.edu\/} in the file {\tt pub/areaii/oqe-application.tex}.
Send mail to {\tt areaii-secretary@theory.lcs.mit.edu} for more
information.}.  Applications are due in the Area~II Secretary's office
on Registration Day of the term in which the exam is to be taken.  The
application is in two parts: an EECS form and an Area~II supplementary
page.

When applying for an examination, you should meet with your faculty
counselor, research supervisor, or the Area Chairman to:

\begin{enumerate}

\item
Discuss which Computer Science faculty members you would like to have
on your Exam Committee. You will list at least three of these, in
order of preference, on the Area~II supplement.

\item
Indicate (under item 9 on the application form) the names of three
EECS faculty members not in Area~II who seem desirable for your
examining committee.  This information will be used in assigning a
Departmental Representative to your committee.

\end{enumerate}

\subsection*{What takes place before the exam?}

Basing its decision on the interests and the names of faculty
indicated by you in item 9 of the OQE application form, the EECS
Committee on Graduate Students selects one EECS faculty member outside
Area~II to serve on your OQE committee.  The Area~II committee, which
includes all Area~II graduate counselors, selects two or three Area~II
faculty to complete your examining committee.  At least one member of
the Area~II committee serves on each examining committee, usually as
chair.  The student and the examining committee are then notified and
receive further instructions about arranging the examination from the
Area~II Secretary.  The student should meet with each member of the
committee and discuss procedures for the exam and its scheduling with
the chair of the committee.

The student should also provide written copies of his/her SM thesis or
other available research to the members of the committee.

\subsection*{What should the student expect during the OQE?}

The student and examining committee generally meet for two hours in a
conference room.  First, the student is asked to make an oral
presentation of his/her research, and to explain and defend the topic
and conclusions.  The presentation is usually about half an hour in
length, not counting interruptions for questions.  The duration of the
presentation, as well as the material (slides, etc.) to be used for
the presentation should be arranged some weeks in advance of the
examination by consultation betwen the student and the chair of the
examining committee.

The remaining time is devoted to questioning the student.  Students
should expect to be asked questions about their research, including
technical questions, questions about the significance of the work, and
questions about the relationship of the work to other work in the same
research area.

Students should also expect to do some problem-solving at the
blackboard and to explain their approaches orally as they attack
problems.  The problems to be solved will typically be based on
material the student has learned in the three core areas in which he
or she has qualified.  Questions may be quite different from typical
written examination questions in the same fields, however.  The
feedback available in an oral exam allows examiners to ask
poorly-defined questions for which necessary data is not given.

Ability to refine a fuzzy question and to realize what data are
required is a part of problem-solving ability.  Take advantage of the
feedback to ask for, or to suggest, assumptions or data required to
make sense of the problem and to solve it.

\subsection*{What does the examining committee look for?}

In general, the examining committee looks for evidence that the
student has sufficient understanding of computer science and
sufficient promise in research to make success in a doctoral program
likely.

More specifically, the committee looks for:
\begin{enumerate}

\item
Breadth and depth of knowledge and problem-solving ability at a level
commensurate with the Ph.D. The areas in which the student has
qualified define the expected breadth of knowledge.

\item
Mastery at a high professional level of some topic in computer
science.  Generally this topic is related to the student's Master's
thesis research.  A student should be able to demonstrate not only
technical expertise about some topics, but also an ability to explain
and evaluate the topic in an overall research context.  For example, a
student who has solved some technical problem but cannot explain why
the problem was interesting, or the use to which the solution might be
put, or where his/her research area fits into the computer scientific
enterprise, has not demonstrated the kind of ability needed for
doctoral research.

\end{enumerate}

\subsection*{What takes place after the examination?}

After the exam, the examining committee files a report including a
recommendation to the Area~II Committee.  The Area~II Committee
decides on the basis of the examining committee's report and all other
information (such as academic performance and reports from the
student's counselor and research supervisor) whether to recommend that
the student be found qualified to enter the doctoral program.  The
Area~II Committee reports its recommendation to the Department
Committee on Graduate Students.  The Committee on Graduate Students
then notifies the student whether he/she is:
\begin{enumerate}

\item
{\bf Qualified} to enter the doctoral program;

\item
{\bf Not Qualified At This Time} to enter the doctoral program; or

\item
{\bf Not Qualified} to enter the doctoral program.

\end{enumerate}

You and your counselor are sent a copy of the Examining Committee's
report.  The significance of outcomes 2 and 3 are explained in the
next section.

\subsection*{Repeating the OQE}

The finding {\bf Not Qualified At This Time} is used when there are
deficiencies either in breadth and depth of knowledge or in
demonstration of research potential or both, but those deficiencies
are judged to be remediable and the candidate is encouraged to request
a second oral examination after a term or two.  If only research is
deficient, the examining committee may wait a term or so to receive an
updated estimate of research potential from a research supervisor and
may then forward a recommendation to the Area~II Committee, or may do
so after holding a second oral examination dealing only with research
issues.

The finding {\bf Not Qualified} is intended to warn the student that
in the judgement of the faculty his/her chances of successful
completion of the doctorate are small and that alternative educational
or career goals should be seriously considered.  However, students
found not qualified may remain enrolled and repeat the OQE after one
or two more terms, but usually not later than their sixth term of
graduate study.  A student who has not been found qualified after a
second OQE will generally not be allowed to enter the doctoral
program.

\subsection*{How should one prepare for the OQE?}

The OQE is an evaluation of the student's ability and progress as
judged by a committee of experienced professionals.

The best preparation is long-term: by the time of the examination the
student should have had enough exposure to the mainstream of computer
science activity to carry on an informed discussion of the main goals
and technical concepts in the areas of computer science, defined by
the core graduate subjects, and his or her professional mastery of
some specific topic should be evident.

Students who have had no prior experience with oral examinations or
oral presentations of technical material may be at a disadvantage on
the examination.  From early in his/her graduate career, a student
should be seeking opportunities to discuss technical material with
faculty and other students. Presenting lectures in research seminars
or teaching recitation sections is particularly valuable experience.

In the weeks immmediately preceding the OQE, it is probably unwise to
attempt to learn new material solely for the examination.  A review of
courses previously taken and other material studied dealing with the
areas of examination is generally most effective.

When, as is usually the case, the examining committee chair has asked
the student to prepare a presentation of recent research, the student
should practice and time his/her presentation beforehand, preferably
before an audience of interested students or faculty.  A typical
weakness of students' research presentations is a concentration on
particular technical details without explanation of where the problems
arise or what the research goals may be.  The best presentations are
generally ``top-down,'' beginning with an overview of the research
area, progressing to subareas, and finally reaching the student's own
research.

\end{document}
















