A PhD qualifying examination is usually designed to test students' preparedness for doing research and to test the candidate's knowledge, aptitude and readiness for research.

PhD Qualifying Examination is arranged and administered by a Doctoral Comprehensive Board of five faculty members of the Institute who are recommended by the chair of the program and approval of the Institute. The Board sets up examination juries in order to prepare exams in varied fields, and administer and evaluate these exams. An examination jury comprises five members, at least two of whom are from outside the University  and one of whom is the student’s thesis supervisor. 

The exam is held twice a year on the dates specified in the graduate academic calendar with the decision of the Institute Board.  Students enrolled in a PhD programme should take the qualification exam until the end of their fifth semester; however, the students enrolled in a PhD Integrated program should take the exam until the end of their seventh semester. Otherwise, the students will be discharged from doctoral program.

The exam consists of written and oral examinations that will assess the students’ competence in the related fields and their disposition towards research. Qualifying exam content, date and place are defined by Head of Departments and are announced on the Institute website. Students who fail can retake the exam in the next semester. The student who fails the second time is expelled from the University.

See Karadeniz Technical University Rules and Regulations Governing Graduate Studies for more information about the regulations of the exam.