Site da USP
FacebookTwitter

Preliminary Exam

VII – PRELIMINARY EXAM (EQ)

A preliminary exam is required for Master’s students as well as for PhD and Direct PhD candidates.
The student is responsible for registering for the preliminary exam, which must be completed within the maximum allotted period as set out in these regulations under items VII.1.1, VII.2.1 e VII.3.1.
The exam must be completed within 90 (ninety) days of registration.
Any graduate student who fails to complete their preliminary exam within the stipulated time period will be removed from the program, pursuant to the General Regulation of Graduate Education at USP.
Students who do not pass the preliminary exam may register to retake it within 60 (sixty) days as of the date of failing the first attempt. The makeup preliminary exam must be completed within 90 (ninety) days of registration. If the student fails the second attempt, they will be removed from the program and receive a certificate for all completed coursework.
The examining committee for the preliminary exam, for the Master’s, PhD and Direct PhD programs, is to consist of three examiners all holding at least a PhD degree. The examining committee must include at least one examiner external to the program.

VII.1 Master’s Program
VII.1.1 Master’s students must register for the referred to above within a maximum period of 15 (fifteen) months after first enrollment. In order to register for the preliminary exam, the Master’s student must have completed at least 16 (sixteen) course credit hours.
VII.1.2 The objective of the preliminary exam for the Master’s Program is to evaluate the knowledge acquired by the student in the completed courses and related to their thesis topic, apart from their capacity to carry out the research project. The examining committee may pose questions about the project and about the general topic of immunology, which may or may not be related to a project, but which should be related to the Master’s Program.
VII.1.3 The exam for Master’s students includes a monograph and an oral presentation about the research project.
VII.1.4 Students must submit to the Graduate Program Secretariat one digital copy (in PDF) of the monograph upon registering for the exam referred to above.
VII.1.5 The oral exam, which will be open to the public, will have a minimum duration of twenty minutes and a maximum duration of thirty minutes, followed by arguments from the examining committee.

VII.2 PhD
VII.2.1 PhD candidates must register for the preliminary exam within a maximum period of 27 (twenty-seven) months as of starting the program. In order to register for the preliminary exam, the PhD candidate must have completed at least 12 (twelve) course credit hours.
VII.2.2 The objective of the preliminary exam for PhD candidates is to evaluate the candidate’s capacity to independently develop their dissertation project within their area of research.
VII.2.3 For the PhD program, the exam will consist of a didactic exam lasting no more than 45 (forty-five) minutes and an oral presentation about the research project of no more than 30 minutes followed by arguments about the student’s research project. The committee will also analyze the candidate’s undergraduate academic transcript.
VII.2.4 The content of the didactic exam will address a list of no more than ten topics related to knowledge of immunology, as suggested and approved by the Program Coordinating Committee (CCP).
VII.2.5 The topics on the didactic exam will be published by the CCP at least 15 (fifteen) days before the preliminary exam.

VII.3 Direct PhD
VII.3.1 Candidates for the Direct PhD must register for the preliminary exam within a maximum period of 33 (thirty-three) months as of starting the program.

VII.3.2 The objective of the preliminary exam for Direct PhD candidates is the same as for PhD candidates. This exam will be conducted in accordance with the norms set out for the PhD program. To register, the candidate must prove that they have completed 32 (thirty-two) credit hours.