How will I be evaluated?

Source: http://www.marshall.usc.edu/marketing/phdmarketing/faq.htm#a15

The program has a series of evaluation mechanisms in place designed to monitor your performance and give you feedback on your progress toward the degree.

Throughout the program, students are evaluated based on their course performance and their work as Research Assistants. While these are ongoing forms of evaluation, two more critical assessment mechanisms are scheduled at the end of the student's first and second year in the program:

End of First Year evaluation: Screening Exam

Objectives and Timing: Each PhD student undergoes a screening evaluation in mid May of the first year. This evaluation includes (1) a review of the student's performance in all courses, (2) an analysis of their writing and communication skills, (3) reports by individual faculty members who have had the student in courses or as an assistant, and (4)a take-home exam typically consisting of a critical review of two papers selected from the marketing field.

Format: The student is given two articles (one of which is more behaviorally oriented and one of which is more modeling oriented) and is asked to provide a critical review of each. A 48-hour period for the exam is allowed. The format should follow a journal review. Such a review typically includes a short section on the major strengths and a longer section on the major weaknesses of the paper.

Results: Students who have not performed satisfactorily have their funding cut or are dropped from the program. The review is normally completed and results communicated to students by June 1.

End of Second Year evaluation: Qualifying Exam

Written and oral qualifying examinations are required or, and must be passed by, each student. Normally, students begin to prepare for the qualifying exam in the second semester of the second year. Intensive study for the qualifying exams is one the most important learning experiences in the PhD program. Students use this period to review in detail the body of knowledge from the specialized area, identify common threads and conflicting ideas, see how major theories interrelate, recognize the thrust of current directions of research, and generate new research questions that they might address.

Written Qualifying Examination: The student answers three questions representing his/her area(s) of interest. As part of the written exam, and in preparation for the oral qualifying examination, the student must prepare a written preliminary dissertation proposal of five-to-ten pages that outlines important research questions and suggests methodologies for addressing these questions.

Oral Qualifying Examination: This examination is administered after satisfactory completion of the written exam. In the first component of the oral exam, the student answers questions that test his/her comprehension of the area of specialization. The second component of the oral exam involves questions about the student?s proposed area of research for the dissertation, based on the written preliminary dissertation proposal.

Results: After qualifying completion of the qualifying exam, the student is admitted to candidacy. Failure to pass the qualifying exam may result in the immediate loss of the stipend. At the discretion of the guidance committee, a student who fails the qualifying examination may be permitted one retake, which must occur within 6-12 months after the examination that was failed.