The first step is to refresh yourself regarding your program’s PhD preliminary exam policies which are outlined in your program’s graduate handbook. Take note that some programs require written exams in addition to the oral preliminary examination.
Program Handbooks: Crop & Soil Sciences, Horticulture, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Food Science.
ALL documents are submitted to the Graduate School through your CAHNRS Graduate Academic Coordinator.
Preliminary examinations may be scheduled once the Program of Study is officially approved by the WSU Graduate School, and after completion of most of your coursework. Students should have no more than 6 graded credits left to complete (including that currently enrolled) on their program of study coursework. At least 4 months must lapse between the preliminary exam and the final exam/defense. Review your student handbook for preliminary exam details pertaining to your degree program, and also confer with your advisor. All aspects of the examination (i.e., the evaluation of any written component, oral exam, balloting) must be completed within 30 calendar days. You must be enrolled for a minimum of 2 credits of research (800) in the semester (or summer) you take your preliminary exam. Students should aim to take prelims during the academic year to avoid summer session tuition not covered by academic year tuition waivers.
The regular session Preliminary Exam Scheduling Form is due no less than 10 business days in advance of the selected exam date. The interim preliminary exam requires a different scheduling form; see the interim final exam section below.
- Be sure to include Deb Marsh marshdj@wsu.edu as your Academic Coordinator for it to route properly for submission.
- Be sure to include the location and room number the student will be attending, and be sure the room is reserved.
- Once you submit the form, you and your committee members will each receive an email with instructions to review and approve this request.
- After approval, the academic coordinator (Deb Marsh) will receive the completed form. The coordinator will review the document, obtain approval from the graduate program signature authority, and submit this request to the Graduate School within myWSU. She will also notify you when this is submitted.
Zoom arrangements: To accommodate program faculty at our statewide locations all preliminary exams should have ZOOM availability for the event. For meeting security, it is recommended the advisor personally make the ZOOM arrangements via their own account in order to ensure full host control of the meeting from their laptop or device—or at the very least, the advisor should be set as ‘alternate host’ in order they can assume full-host control. Please remind your advisor to do this and include Deb Marsh on the invitation— and earlier is better so the ZOOM details can be included with the preliminary exam announcement to the department.
Last dates to conduct a preliminary exam in the regular term are:
- Fall 2025: December 5, 2025
- Spring 2026: May 1, 2026
- Summer 2026: July 31, 2026
An Interim preliminary exam may be requested in extenuating circumstances. In such cases, the Interim Preliminary Exam scheduling form must be used, but otherwise follow the same general directions as noted above. The currently known interim exam windows are:
- Fall 2025 (December 8-12, 2025)
- Spring 2026 (May 4-15, 2026)
- Summer 2025 (August 3-14, 2026)
The interim exam is particularly helpful for students enrolled a minimum of 2 credits of 800 in Spring term that can’t make the regular Spring deadline (which would save them from re-enrolling in 2 credits of 800 in summer costing additional tuition). It is also helpful for students who are trying to make cutoff for ABD waiver eligibility for the following term (ABD waiver eligibility deadline is Aug 16 for Fall term; Jan 1 for Spring term).