Doctoral Candidacy and Qualifying Exams: A Guide to Contexts, Costs for Equity, and Possibilities of Transformation

Julie Posselt, Román Liera

Pullias Center for Higher Education (2022)

In this brief, we offer context about qualifying exams, raise awareness of how they can compromise equity and student wellbeing, and offer recommendations for structural and cultural change. We synthesize published research and findings from the IGEN Research Hub’s studies in this area, including survey data and case studies of transformational change. Our hope is to help community members assess their current model and begin to imagine alternatives. PhD programs have an opportunity to protect key learning goals that these exams have served, while making equity minded changes that enhance student wellbeing and inclusion.

Categories: Equity, Equity and Graduate Education, IGEN

  equity     graduate education     IGEN  

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