Ph.D. Qual Committee
In consultation with your research advisor, you should choose an appropriate examination committee. Your committee must consist of 4 members, at least 3 who are regular faculty members at Berkeley. Your advisor or co-advisors are usually members of the committee, but cannot be the chair. Another committee member must be from outside the EECS Department, representing some area of expertise relevant to your research area, including minors. All members of the Quals Committee must be able to examine the student on at least one of the 3 subjects of the examination (for instance, this could be the major and minors listed on departmental white card).
The outside member can be a UCB faculty member with no more than 0% appointment in EECS, or a faculty member or distinguished researcher from another institution. Your outside member, if not part of the Berkeley Academic Senate, must have a PhD and have published in the previous three years, and must be approved by your advisor and the EECS Head Graduate Advisor. A written statement of justification on the general petition, signed by your Faculty Advisor, plus the curriculum vitae of the proposed non-Senate member, must be submitted to the staff advisor for review and approval by the Head Graduate Advisor and Graduate Division.
To avoid any conflict of interest, students are not allowed to pay travel costs and expenses for their committee member.
Effective Spring 2020, if the student requests and/or agrees, a qualifying exam may be held entirely remotely or in a hybrid format (i.e., some members are physically present and some are remote). Students should refer to the Graduate Division’s policy for Qualifying Exams for the most up to date procedures.