Columbia MSEE FAQ:
2.8 What is the Doctoral Qualifying Exam?

The Doctoral Qualifying Exam (DQE) is a written and oral exam intended to ensure at an early stage that students intending to study through to a Ph.D. in the department have suitable skills and knowledge. The written part consists of questions that only presume familiarity with material typically covered in Electrical Engineering (or related) Bachelor's programs, but pitched to require greater maturity and analytic sophistication than a typical undergraduate exam question. (We have recently been increasing the range of topics covered in the DQE to make it easier for students from related but non-EE backgrounds to take it - please consult the detailed syllabus at the link below for specific topics covered.) The DQE is conducted once a year, currently in January. Students in the Ph.D. or MS/Ph.D. program are obliged to take the DQE at the earliest opportunity, and have two chances (only) to pass, otherwise they must withdraw from the Ph.D. program. There are more details on the department's Ph.D. Program Page.

As a terminal-MS student, there are two things you should know about the DQE:

• If you are interested in applying to the Ph.D. program within the department, you may want to take the DQE anyway. It will strengthen your application to the Ph.D. program to have passed the DQE already, and in general it is easiest to remember the full range of material from your BS degree earlier rather than later.
• Passing the DQE however does not correspond to admission to the Ph.D. program (nor does failing it once preclude you from applying). As described in the FAQ about entering the Ph.D. program the decision to admit Ph.D. students rests on whether the particular faculty who will supervise you wants and is able to accept you. This is in general a much more difficult and important hurdle than passing the DQE.

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