A PhD Qualifying Exam (QE) consists of the following components:

• A thesis committee to be formed within 6 - 12 months from the start of the PhD candidature. A thesis committee consists of the supervisor and 2 other committee members.
• Students must satisfy the following conditions before being allowed to sit for the QE:

(i) Taken and passed a minimum of five modules, with a minimum Cumulative Average Point of 3.50; and
(ii) Where applicable, obtain satisfactory grades (at least grade C) in the graduate English modules at the intermediate level.

• Students will be formally informed of the PhD QE dates as soon as they are fixed.
• Students to send their reading lists to their thesis committee for approval 7 months before the CE.
• Students to send their research proposal (normally 30 to 50 pages) to their thesis committee 2 weeks before the oral defence. The proposal must be submitted in both hard-copy and soft-copy to each of the thesis committee member. A hard copy is to be given to the General Office for record purpose.
• The Division of Research and Graduate Studies will inform student of his/her result of the QE.
• If a student fails any of the two CEs, he/she cannot proceed to take his/her Oral Defence. The student must re-take the two CEs within 6 months to do his/her Oral Defence; if the student passes both of the CEs, and fails the Oral Defence, he/she must re-take the Oral Defence within 6 months.
• A student who fails any of the CE or Oral Defence of the PhD thesis proposal is deemed to have failed the QE.