PhD Qualifying Exam (QE)

The QE (Qualifying Exam) should be passed within the first two years of the PhD candidature. Within this period, a second QE may be attempted should the candidate fail at the first attempt. This applies to full-time, part-time and joint PhD with KCL (NUS home university) candidates.
A student who is unable to pass the QE by the end of the second year of his/her candidature may be downgraded to the Masters programme if he/she can complete a reasonably good Masters thesis. For research scholars, the scholarship in such cases will be terminated/suspended upon the recommendation of the Department. Otherwise, the candidature of such students will be terminated.
The QE committee comprises the supervisor and two other faculty members, both of whom can be from any department within NUS (including CNM). CNM’s QE requirements are that candidates have two written comprehensive examinations (CE) and one oral examination.
Students must satisfy the following conditions before being allowed to sit the PhD QE:
  • Complete a minimum of five courses with a minimum GPA of 3.50;
  • Where applicable, obtain satisfactory grades in the Centre for English Language Communication graduate English courses at intermediate level

Comprehensive Examinations (CE)

Communications and New Media Cultural Studies in Asia
No. of Papers Two papers Two papers (review essays on topics related to Cultural Studies in Asia)
Topics / Content The questions will be set by the supervisor in consultation with the QE faculty members and broadly based on the final reading list.

  1. Theory and Methods
  2. Area of Specialisation
 The questions and reading lists will be developed by the supervisor(s) or QE committee members.

  1. Substantive field relating to the student's chosen area of specialisation
  2. Substantive field arising from the exposure that the candidate would have gained from the coursework component
Format of CE
  • Open-book: 2 papers with 4 hours each, to be completed in 1 week (Monday through Friday) with no internet access and will be conducted at CNM Department. Student can choose when to take the exam within that week eg. one paper every other day or two papers in one day or;
  • Take-home: 2 papers to be completed in 1 week (Monday through Friday).
 Open-book and take-home
Word Count Each paper 5000 - 6000 words Each paper 6000 - 8000 words
Pre-QE Preparation
  1. Student must produce a reading list in consultation with his/her supervisor and approved by his/her QE committee. The reading list tend to include book chapters, journal articles, reports and books in candidate’s area of specialisation and chosen theoretical and methodological approaches, and it should be finalised at least 1 month before the examination week.
  2. The final questions for the two papers to be submitted to the CNM admin by the supervisor at least 2 weeks (14 days) before the examination week.
  3. If student is opting for open-book QE, he/she should submit a preferred time schedule for the exam at least 21 days before the examination week to the CNM admin.
  1. Reading lists ought to be compiled by the end of the second semester.
  2. The final questions for the two papers to be submitted to the CNM admin by the supervisor at least 2 weeks (14 days) before the examination week.

The Oral Examination

The oral examination will cover issues that were not clearly articulated in the written examination. It will take place no later than four weeks after the written examination is completed. The QE committee members will inform the student of the issues which the student will have to address during the oral examination so the student can prepare adequately.

The candidate is expected to orally present his/her thesis proposal to his/her QE committee members during the oral examination and respond to any queries the faculty members may have. The examination should, typically, take 15 minutes for the proposal presentation by the student, 30 minutes for question and answer, and 15 minutes for discussion between the QE committee members only.

The oral presentation should cover the following:

  • A brief overview of the thesis and its significance and their connections to the research objectives.
  • Discussion of key literature and relevant theoretical frameworks.
  • Justification of methodology proposed.
  • Implications of study for research, practice, policy, or other applications.
Scroll to Top