Each doctoral student is required to successfully complete both written and oral examinations before admitted to candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. The content and process of these examinations is a function of the student's Supervisory Committee and Graduate School policy. The committee will address major and minor subjects within the overall examination process. The committee members will submit questions for the written part of the examination and attend the orals after an evaluation of the written part of the examination. In addition, the student and the supervisory committee should use this opportunity to review and, if appropriate, approve the student's dissertation proposal.

The student must be registered for an appropriate number of credit hours during the semester in which the examination is taken. The student's Supervisory Committee is responsible for the administration of the written and oral qualifying examinations as well as the final oral examination for the defense of the dissertation. All members of the Supervisory Committee must sign the appropriate forms, including the signature pages of the dissertation, in order for the student to satisfy the requirements of the examination. The qualifying and final examinations for graduate students are to be held on the University of Florida campus.

With the approval of all members of the Supervisory Committee, one committee member may be off-site at a qualifying oral examination or at the final oral defense of the dissertation or thesis, using modern communication technology to participate rather than being physically present.