Description of Preliminary Oral Examination
University of Minnesota Graduate Education policies require students to take the Preliminary Oral Examination after completing a substantial portion of the course work and passing the Preliminary Written Examination, but before beginning dissertation research. The Preliminary Oral Examination is conducted as a closed examination, attended by only the student and all members of the Preliminary Oral Exam Committee. Advisors ARE allowed to chair the preliminary oral examination. Students and advisors are advised to review the Graduate School website for rules for Examination Committee membership and responsibilities.
In the School of Nursing, the Preliminary Oral Examination will be conducted within one month of passing the Preliminary Written Exam. The Preliminary Oral Examination will focus on the quality and content of the Preliminary Written Exam paper, the content of the major field of study and minor field or supporting coursework, and the next steps towards developing the Dissertation Research Proposal. The student should prepare a 10-15 minute presentation of their Preliminary Written Exam content, including gaps in the state of the science and potential next steps to advance the field; PowerPoint presentations are optional. The presentation will be followed by questions and discussion with the Preliminary Oral Exam Committee and is intended to move the student forward in beginning to develop his/her Dissertation Research Proposal. When successfully completed, the Preliminary Oral Examination Report will be filed with the Graduate School indicating that the Preliminary Oral Exam has been completed and the student will be considered a doctoral candidate. To schedule the Preliminary Oral Examination, students contact the committee members in advance. Preliminary oral exams may be conducted virtually or in-person. For in-person examinations, students should email their advisor’s co-operative unit to reserve a room (see link below). If students are uncertain of their advisor’s co-operative unit, look it up at this link: https://nursing.umn.edu/about/our-faculty-staff/cooperatives
Adult and Gerontological Health - [email protected]
Child and Family Health - [email protected]
Population Health and Systems - [email protected]
Include date, time, number of people, name of advisor, and request for audio/video equipment in the reservation email message to the selected co-operative unit regarding room booking.
Scheduling of the Preliminary Oral Exam with the Graduate School (GSSP) and Submitting the Exam Form
The student must schedule the preliminary oral examination with Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) online as soon as a date is set, but no later than one week prior to the examination. Once the student schedules online, a confirmation email will be sent to the student's UMN email account. Upon initial review of the student’s record, an email will be sent to the student’s UMN email account regarding any outstanding graduate school requirements, and how to fulfill those requirements. About one week prior to the exam, an email will be sent to the student’s UMN email account confirming authorization of the exam or reminding the student of remaining outstanding requirements. To schedule the exam, students follow the instructions and submit the online form provided by Graduate Student Services and Progress.
It is critical at this point that an advisor ensures the student has received an email confirmation from the Graduate School that they are authorized to proceed with the examination. An online Preliminary Oral Examination Form will be sent to the chair via email. The committee chair will run the Preliminary Oral Exam meeting and record the votes of each committee member listed on the form and submit the online form. A workflow guide for the online form is available to assist with the form.