Candidacy Exam (CE)

....To take the candidacy examination, a student must be in good academic standing at the University, the Thesis Committee must certify that the student is capable of completing all required coursework for the degree by the end of the semester in which the candidacy examination is taken, and must have passed the QE.

....The CE can be written or oral and will be developed by the professors of the student’s Thesis Committee. FIU policy dictates that every doctoral degree program must require each student to pass a candidacy examination - written and/or oral - before he or she may be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree.

....The student must have completed the residency requirement or must be enrolled for the course work which will constitute such completion at the time of examination. Admission to candidacy requires a unanimous vote by the Thesis Committee members stating that the student passed the examination.

....If the student fails the candidacy examination, the Thesis Committee, at its discretion, may provide for reexamination at a mutually satisfactory time, but no more than one year from the original date of the examination. Students who fail the candidacy examination twice will be dismissed from the graduate program. The PD must be completed prior to the CE; however, it is admissible for students to schedule both the PD and CE on the same day.

....When taking the CE, candidates must declare what their area of specialization is in the context of test options. Students will be permitted to use textbooks and bound sets of class notes. The use of solution manuals in any form is prohibited and constitutes forfeiture of the exam.