Qualified … for What? The Potential for Qualifying Exams to Become Meaningful Professional Milestones

Abstract

Riviere’s article questions qualifying exams in US graduate education, completed after 1–2 year of PhD coursework and before submitting a dissertation proposal, as an assessment tool for graduate students’ preparedness as “stewards of the discipline” (Golde, Walker & Associates, 2006). A qualifying portfolio containing examples of professional work and reflections by the student on her own progress assesses disciplinary and professional knowledge. Graduate coursework prepares students to produce research in two important genres: the journal article and the monograph (practiced as seminar papers and the dissertation, respectively). Other professional genres of writing, such as the scholarly book review, the course syllabus, and the peer review process are rarely explicitly taught. All three are a required element of an academic career, and indicative of the kinds of lines of inquiry demanded of a scholar in the humanities. Beyond the preparation for an academic career, the chapter suggests that a portfolio would also be useful evidence of qualifications for careers outside the university. Riviere focuses specifically on graduate students in the humanities, but the suggestions for can be usefully extrapolated to other disciplines.

Citation

Riviere, J.L. (2016), "Qualified … for What? The Potential for Qualifying Exams to Become Meaningful Professional Milestones", Emerging Directions in Doctoral Education (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 6), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 243-258. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120160000006020