Department of Computer Science
The George Washington University
801 22nd Street NW, Suite 704
Washington DC 20052
Voice: (202) 994-7181
Fax: (202) 994-4875
E-mail: cs@gwu.edu

Academics

Doctoral Examination Procedures for students admitted Fall 1999 or later

• Click HERE for students admitted prior to Fall 1999

Preliminary Examination

1. All doctoral students must pass the Preliminary Examination no later than the fourth semester after the initial registration in the doctoral program.
   
2. Students are allowed to attempt the exam twice and must pass in all three subject areas in order to pass the exam.
   - Students must take the exam in all three subject areas in the first attempt.
   - To pass in the first attempt, the student must pass each of the three subject areas; otherwise, the student fails.
   - Students who fail in the first attempt are allowed a second attempt in which they need to retake the exam only in the area(s) that they failed in the first attempt. To pass the second attempt, the student must pass each of the repeated areas; otherwise, the student fails the second attempt, and will then be dismissed from the program.
   - Students may petition for a third attempt.
   
3. The Preliminary Examination is a written in-class, closed-book examination, given during the fall and spring semesters typically on the last Friday before the reading period.
   - The duration of the Preliminary Examination is 6 hours plus 1½ hours of break time.
   
4. The exam consists of three subject areas based on the material in the core curriculum (CS210, CS211, CS212).
   - In each subject area, students must answer two questions out of three given questions during a 2-hour period. If three answers are submitted, the best two results will be considered. Each question weighs 50%.
   - The cut-off point for passing each area is 70% without curving.
   - The examination schedule is
   
   9:30AM-11:30:AM: Software
   11:30AM-12:30PM: Break
   12:30PM-2:30PM: Architecture
   2:30PM-3:00PM: Break
   3:00PM-5:00PM: Algorithms

• CS 210 - Fact Sheet/FAQ for Doctoral Prelim Exam
• CS 211 - Fact Sheet/FAQ for Doctoral Prelim Exam
• CS 212 - Fact Sheet/FAQ for Doctoral Prelim Exam
• Sample Exam

New Doctoral Qualifying Examination (DQE)

Part I

1. The Doctoral Qualifying Examination, Part I, shall be taken after the student has successfully passed the Preliminary Examination.
2. The student's advisor, with the approval of the department chairperson, shall appoint a committee consisting of at least 3 full-time faculty of the department. The written part of the examination shall be constructed and graded by the examination committee.
3. The examination is a written take-home examination, which lasts for 7 days and is composed of several questions in the students major area of study and supporting minor areas. The examination is open notes and books.
4. After assessing the student's performance on the written examination, the examining committee may administer an oral portion of the examination. The examining committee reports its findings to the faculty of the Department.

Part II: Thesis Proposal Exam

1. After passing the DQE Part I, the student takes the DQE Part II.
2. The student's research advisor, with the approval of the Department Chairperson, shall appoint an examining committee consisting of at least 3 full-time faculty of the Department.
3. The student shall submit a research proposal in the style of a dissertation to the members of the committee.
4. The examining committee shall evaluate the proposal and conduct an oral examination of the student to determine the readiness of the student to attempt such research. The committee shall convey its recommendation of pass/fail of the DQE Part II to the faculty of the Department.