INEG PhD Qualifying Exam Information

Approved: April 29th, 2019 by the INEG faculty
Revised: April 29th, 2020 by the INEG faculty


PhD Qualifying Exam Objective
The objective of the INEG PhD Qualifying Exam is to assess both general and specialized 
knowledge in the student’s area of study.  
 
PhD Qualifying Exam Structure
All PhD students are required to complete a qualifying exam. The exam consists of 3 individual 
tests aligned with graduate courses offered in the Department of Industrial Engineering.  Each 
student must choose exactly one of the following 3 exams. The first test listed under each exam 
option is referred to as the student’s Major Area Test. For example, INEG 6323 is the Major 
Area Test for Exam B:


Tests in Exam A 
INEG 6823 - Systems Simulation II1 
INEG 5613 – Introduction to Optimization Theory 
INEG 5263 – Engineering Statistics 
 
Tests in Exam B 
INEG 6323 – Advanced Stochastic Processes 
INEG 5613 – Introduction to Optimization Theory 
INEG 5263 – Engineering Statistics 
 
Tests in Exam C 
INEG 6113 – Linear Optimization 
INEG 5323 – Engineering Applications of Stochastic Processes 
INEG 5263 – Engineering Statistics

 

PhD Qualifying Exam Schedule 
Full-time2 PhD students admitted with a master’s degree must attempt the qualifying exam 
before the beginning of their third3 long semester.  Full-time PhD students admitted without a 
master’s degree (direct admits) must attempt the exam before the beginning of their fifth4 long 
semester.  The exam will take place over three consecutive days starting the Monday one week 
before the first day of Fall classes.  Each test will begin at 8:30 am on the day it is scheduled.

 

Table 1: Schedule of Tests
Day 1
Monday
Day 2
Tuesday
Day 3
Wednesday
Engineering Statistics Systems Simulation II Introduction to
Optimization Theory
  Advanced Stochastic Processes Engineering Applications of 
Stochastic Processes 
  Linear Optimization   

 

Selecting Exam

Each student must turn in the Qualifying Exam Selection Form to the graduate coordinator no 
later than the day May Intersession classes begin in the year they are required to take the 
exam. This form requires a signature of approval from the student’s advisor indicated in UA 
Connect.  

Exam Format  

Each test will be written by a faculty team of at least two Department of Industrial Engineering 
faculty.  All students taking a particular test as part of their qualifying exam will take the same 
version of that test.  However, new tests will be created each time the qualifying exam is 
offered.  Resources (e.g. notes, computers) allowed, test format and test duration (between 4 
and 8 hours per test) will be dictated by the faculty team in charge of administering an 
individual test. Each faculty team will submit a list of test topics, resources allowed, test format 
and duration and any supplementary information (e.g. additional textbooks) to the graduate 
coordinator no later than the day May Intersession classes begin. This information will be 
posted on the department website no later than the end of the first week of May intersession.

Exam Assessment

Each individual test taken by a student will be assessed separately by the same faculty team 
that created the test.  The assessment process for each test is double-blind.  Faculty teams will 
not be known to the students and the name of a student will be withheld from the faculty team 
evaluating a test.  The faculty team will prepare and complete a rubric before the test is 
administered to be used as part of their assessment and will provide a score of pass or fail for 
each student.  The faculty team’s pass/fail decision will be the final authority in determining 
whether a student is successful on an individual test.  Students who pass all three tests during 
their first qualifying exam attempt will be said to have passed the qualifying exam. Students 
who fail one or more tests during their first exam attempt may retake the failed tests no more 
than once (see “Exam Retake”); however, students may not change exams after their initial 
attempt.   
 
The graduate coordinator will inform each student of the exam results in writing no later than 
the Friday before Fall classes begin. 
 
Exam Retake  

A student will be given a single retake attempt for each individual test that they fail.  Any 
passed test does not need to be retaken.  Students must retake failed tests at the earliest 
opportunity presented to them.  The retake tests will take place over three consecutive days 
starting the Monday one week before the first day of Spring classes. The graduate coordinator 
will inform each student of the exam retake results in writing no later than the day Spring 
classes begin.

Students who pass all tests being retaken have passed the qualifying exam. If at least one of the 
retaken tests is failed, the student has failed the qualifying exam.  Students who have failed the 
qualifying exam will be dismissed from the PhD program.

1 Beginning Aug. 2021, INEG 6823 – Systems Simulation II replaced INEG 5823 as the Major Area Test for Exam A

2 Part-time PhD students must work with the graduate coordinator to determine the appropriate year the PhD 
Qualifying Exam should be taken.

3 Students admitted in the Spring that have already earned a master’s degree must attempt the exam before their 
fourth long semester.

4 Direct admit students admitted in the Spring must attempt the exam before their sixth long semester.