DE's are required of all doctoral students. The DE requirement is normally addressed after 24-33 hours of graduate course work (Students entering with an MS should take the exams during their first year).

The diagnostic exam requirement may be satisfied as follows: Students who have not written a master's thesis (at USF or elsewhere) must offer evidence of having passed our Department's Master Comprehensive Evaluations (NOTE: the last EE Comp exam was given spring 2005) in one area of engineering specialization and in mathematics, at a level judged by the graders to reflect doctoral quality.

NOTE: Not all master's examinations are graded on this two-level basis. You must consult with your committee, the Graduate Coordinator and appropriate grader before taking the exam.

Students who have written a Master's thesis (at USF or elsewhere) may elect to submit the thesis to their Ph.D. Supervisory Committee. The committee will render judgment as to whether the thesis is of sufficient merit to serve as a diagnostic exam in the area of specialization and/or mathematics. If the student's advisor and a majority of the Supervisory Committee concur in this matter, the corresponding diagnostic examination(s) may be waived.

CQE's, written and oral, are taken after most of the course work requirements have been met (typically 45-50 credits) but before initiation of dissertation research. They are administered and evaluated by the student's supervisory committee members, who determine the number of examinations, the topics, the examiners, and formats employed.