The PhD Comprehensive Examinations are a mandatory requirement for all doctoral candidates in Electrical Engineering. These examinations are designed to evaluate the candidate’s comprehensive understanding of the discipline. The examination process consists of two written exams followed by an oral examination before a faculty committee.
- Examination Structure Scheduling and Timelines
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Examination Structure
- Written Examinations
- Major Topic Exam: 3 hours in duration
- Minor Topic Exam: 2 hours in duration
Candidates must choose a major and a minor exam from the list of available topics. These written exams assess the candidate’s knowledge at the senior undergraduate or beginning master’s level. Students are expected to demonstrate:
- An in-depth understanding of their major area.
- A working knowledge of their minor area.
Exam Choices:
- Oral Examination Following the written examinations, candidates must complete an oral examination conducted by a faculty committee. This examination involves:
- A review and discussion of the candidate’s written exams.
- Additional questioning to assess the candidate’s breadth and depth of knowledge.
Scheduling and Timelines
Full-Time Students
- Fall Admits: Students admitted in the Fall term are required to write the comprehensive examinations in the following Spring term. For example, a student admitted in Fall 2024 must complete the exams in Spring 2025.
- Winter Admits: Students admitted in the Winter term may choose to write the exams in the same Spring term or defer to the following Spring. For example, a student admitted in Winter 2024 may write in Spring 2024 or Spring 2025.
Part-Time Students
- Part-time students are granted an additional year to prepare. For example, a student admitted in Fall 2024 is required to write the exams in Spring 2026.
Postponement Policy
Students may request to postpone their comprehensive examinations under exceptional circumstances. Requests must be supported by:
- A valid reason for the delay.
- Written approval from the student’s academic supervisor.
All requests for postponement must be submitted in writing and approved in advance.
Thesis Defence
If you are finalizing your thesis and would like to defend this term, you must inform your thesis supervisor and the department promptly, at least 3 weeks before the defence for MASc and PhD proposals, and at least 5 weeks before the defence for PhD. The official deadline to submit your supervisor-approved thesis differs every term but can be found in the Academic Calendar.
Defence committees are comprised of faculty members from Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and other universities for PhD defences (i.e.: the external examiner). Faculty members have limited availability at the end of the term; please consider that a suitable time slot for your defence must accommodate all committee members’ schedules. The department can poll committee members for their availability, but this will inevitably add several days before the defence can be scheduled. Please keep these delays in mind when informing the department.
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