METU CogSci PhD Qualifier Exam Guidelines

Abbreviations:

• QC Qualifier Committee (“Doktora Yeterlik Komitesi” (DYK) in yönetmelik)
• EC Exam Committee (“Sınav Jürisi” in yönetmelik)
• AB Annotated Bibliography
• ET Exam Term

Exam Requirements

AB prepared by the candidate + written exam+ oral exam.

Annotated Bibliography (AB)

The Concept. “An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited [and must reflect the candidate’s understanding of the source]” (Source: How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography).

• The topic must show potential to converge on a thesis.
• The portfolio should contain readings grouped in three categories: 1. Foundational 2. Breadth 3. Depth. The minimum reading numbers are, respectively: 10, 20, 50.
• Items of AB: research articles, monographs, chapters in an edited collection count as one AB item.
• In terms of its size, a "reading" may be approximately defined as a full article in flagship journals in cognitive science. For instance, the articles in the Cognitive Science journal are usually composed of 7,000-12,000 words. The concept of "reading" also depends on its intensity. For instance, an article in Trends in Cognitive Sciences is also an appropriate "reading" despite it consists of 3,000 words.
• The “annotation” in AB refers to a brief assessment of the item by the candidate which includes its relation to the intended research area. It can be a paragraph or two.
• The AB must be introduced by a cover essay of maximum 2000 words. The essay should minimally cover (i) a brief description of the topic, (ii) the significance of the topic for cognitive science, (iii) possible methods for studying the topic, (iv) your plans on how to conduct research on the topic, and (v) the rationale of choosing this particular AB.
• AB is intended as a strong preparation for a thesis subject.

Timeline

The terms below complement the ODTU student handbook guidelines for yeterlik. The candidate is responsible for knowing the ODTU yeterlik guideline. See the Middle East Technical University Rules and Regulations Governing Graduate Studies /Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Lisansüstü Eğitim-Öğretim Yönetmeliği for the regulations

1. The candidate petitions the department about his/her intention of taking the qualifier and the track combination (one of Computation&Language, Computation&Psychology, Psychology&Language) by the end of the add-drop week of the ET.
2. By the end of the second week of the ET, QC assigns an EC that consists of 5 members, including the advisor and at least two METU-external members. A non-advisor internal member is designated as the committee head, who is responsible for organizing the qualifier process.
3. The candidate sends her/his AB to the QC, at least TWO WEEKS before the written exam.
4. Each METU-internal member of the EC evaluates and grades the AB -- over a guideline QC will provide -- and prepares a question based on the AB for the written exam. METU-external members may, but are not required to, evaluate the AB and/or prepare an exam question.
5. The written exam consists of 5 questions. In cases where METU-external members opt out from preparing written exam questions, QC may request questions from other EC members or third-party academicians. In a written exam, there may be at most 2 questions prepared by the same person. Likewise, QC may ask non-EC academicians to evaluate the AB, if it finds this necessary.
6. The candidate takes the written exam on the exam date.
7. On the basis of weights AB 50/100 and written exam 50/100, the candidate is called for an oral if s/he collects at least 70 from AB+written.
8. The EC conducts the oral exam, where the candidate is assessed with regards to his/her competence in discussing the field and doctorate related questions and issues as well as her/his knowledge of the AB s/he prepared. Oral exam is pass/fail.
9. A candidate who passes written and oral passes the qualifier. The EC may require at most two extra courses for successful or unsuccessful candidates (taken NI, approved by QC, minimum BB is required).
10. In case the student fails the qualifier, she extends and/or revises her/his AB on the basis of the feedback s/he receives from the EC, and takes a second and final attempt in the following qualifier term.