Experiencing Engineering Education: Lessons From the Comprehensive/Qualifying Examinations

Abstract

– One of the requirements of students’ candidacy in the doctoral program is to pass the comprehensive, or qualifying, examinations. This paper shares some of the experiences of doctoral candidates who have recently completed these examinations as part of the Collaborative Specialization in Engineering Education at the University of Toronto, and the observed differences in these candidacy assessments. The pedagogical aim, or purpose, of these exams, and how candidates’ experiences compare, on both an inter- and extra-disciplinary level is explored. The goal of this paper is to share some of what is in the literature, to investigate and outline the challenges from candidates’ own experiences, and to offer suggestions for future comprehensive, or qualifying, examinations.