A plan of work (POW) is to be submitted by all candidates, no later than the end of their second semester. The MMSE degree requires a chairman for the POW, but no committee members. The thesis MS and PhD degrees require a committee of faculty members and a chairman. Consult the director of graduate programs (DGP) for more details and approval of the POW.

• The MSE PhD qualifying exam (QE) is required for all PhD candidates and satisfies the written component of the Preliminary Examination. The MSE QE is based on a written research proposal and oral defense of that proposal. It also includes a component that tests basic knowledge of MSE principles in an oral format. All PhD students must pass the QE exam by the end of their fifth semester in order to remain as PhD candidates. The rules and scheduling for the QE can be downloaded here.
• A Preliminary Oral Exam is also required for PhD candidates, and should be taken within three semesters after having completed the qualifying exam. The process for scheduling the preliminary exam can be found in the NCSU graduate student handbook. See the MSE guidelines for preparing the preliminary oral exam.
• A Final Doctoral Oral Exam is required for Ph.D. student candidates. The guidelines for the Doctoral Oral Exam are available on the Graduate School website.