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 the departmental white card).
Non-Senate Member
The non-senate 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.
Eligibility for Non-Senate Member
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 Grad Staff Advisor.
Next Steps:
Submit a written statement of justification in the EECS Non-Senate Academic Request e-form. Attach the curriculum vitae of the proposed non-Senate member and the e-form will be reviewed and approved by the staff advisor. Once complete, a memo will be attached to your application by the staff advisor and routed to the Graduate Division for review and final approval.
To avoid any conflict of interest, students are not allowed to pay travel costs and expenses for their committee members.
Hybrid Exam
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.