General exam

Before the General Exam, students must have completed at least 60 hours of coursework, 18 of which must be graded credits. It consists of both a written exam and an oral exam.

Note:  When preparing for the General Exam, enroll for credits under HCDE 600, CR/NC. Students must be registered for UW credit during the quarter they are taking the Oral exam.

The General Exam is administered by a three-member faculty committee and is overseen by a fourth committee member serving as the Graduate School Representative (GSR). The members of the committee are responsible for drafting and evaluating the charge for the student’s Written Exam and Oral Defense. Students must successfully pass general examination by the end of the autumn quarter of their fourth academic year in the HCDE PhD program, or their tenth enrolled quarter, whichever is later.

General exam process

• Establishing a general exam committee
• Preparing for the general exam
• Scheduling the written exam and oral defense
• Taking the written exam
• Taking the oral defense
• Criteria for evaluation
• Exam disruptions
• Overall timeline
• Academic performance and progress

Establishing a general exam committee 

The graduate school recommends forming your doctoral committee at least four months before your general exam, and even earlier can be better to give you and your committee ample time to develop your reading list and work through new readings. Many students find their précis (see below), or a draft of it, helpful for having conversations with potential committee members.

More information about doctoral committee formation and membership.

Preparing for the general exam

Students taking the General Exam in a given period will be required to submit to their committee an approximately 2-page précis describing (1) their intended area of study, (2) a summary of existing research, and (3) a general idea of directions they hope to pursue for their thesis proposal. The intention of this precis is to help the student develop a reading list collaboratively with their committee and to help the committee draft a charge to strike a balance between the breadth of the field and how it applies to each student’s area of interest.

Once the précis is provided to the committee, the student will work with their committee members to prepare a reading list covering three areas: Theory, Method, and Concentration. Any given reading may appear in multiple reading lists. For planning coverage of the theory and methods reading lists, consider the same guidance as for theory and methods courses.

Readings in the methods category support one or more of:

1. Understand the many different research paradigms (e.g. experiments, ethnography, survey, qualitative, quantitative) that guide inquiry in our field
2. Articulate and identify appropriate criteria, particularly strengths and limitations, of different methodologies for producing knowledge
3. Formulate a question that is important in terms of the field and in terms of extending or critiquing theory
4. Describe how to apply one or more methods to a research question
5. Formulate a research design that is manageable and executable
6. Articulate the practical and theoretical contributions that different methods can play in design research

They might also include inspiring examples of the application of one or more methods.

Readings in the theory category support one or more of:

• Recognize the most prominent epistemological frameworks (e.g., cognitive theory, social psychology, semiotic theory, actor-network theory) that inform research in HCDE
• Understand the intellectual implications of those different frameworks for the processes and results of scholarly inquiry in HCDE
• Explain how theory motivates and supports the practices of knowledge-making
• Apply theory appropriately and productively to the framing or analysis of research issues in HCDE

For Concentration, this will relate to the student’s self-defined course of study relevant to their research as part of their course curriculum.

If the student wishes, they may designate a committee member to each of the three areas or they may have the committee weigh in on all three components of the list. The reading list will vary in length and content from student to student and may consist of books, journal articles, conference papers, or any other relevant readings to the three topic areas covered by the General Exam.

Testing Accommodations

For milestone and testing accommodations, students should first partner with DRS to explore reasonable accommodations that support the student’s testing experience. With guidance from DRS, students may share their request with their Faculty Committee Chair and the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) (HCDE PhD Faculty Director) to create and implement a plan for their upcoming exam. Accommodations will be designed to meet student needs while still serving the learning and assessment goals of the exam, without leading to added expectations. For questions about this process or the support students may need, students are encouraged to meet with the Director of Academic Services (Graduate Program Advisor, GPA).

Scheduling the written exam and oral defense

Students should plan to take the General exam in their third year of the program. Students should expect the exam to take place over 4-6 weeks, beginning with a 2-week writing portion and culminating with a 2-hour oral exam. The oral exam date is the official exam date shared with the UW Graduate School. Students may start the exam at any time, but the date of the oral exam corresponds to quarterly registration. Students must be registered for UW credit during the quarter they are taking the oral exam. 

To begin the Milestone, students complete the Written Exam over a 14-day period, followed by a minimum of 2 weeks for the committee to review the responses. The 2-hour Oral Defense should be scheduled up to one month after completing the Written Exam (occasionally, scheduling constraints may require this be longer than a month - if you find yourself in this situation, please talk with your mentors and Director of Academic Services). 

• Questions and writing period. The student should plan to receive the committee’s charge, instructions, and deadline for submission from the committee chair on the first day of the 14-day written exam period and submit responses on the 14th day. As part of this, the chair should develop a plan for sending the questions to the student on the first date. If unavailable, they may work with the Director of Academic Services in advance of scheduling the exam, to develop an alternate plan for sending questions.
• Reading responses. The committee will need time to read responses after they are complete. Students should work with their committee to ensure there is sufficient time between the deadline for responses and the oral exam; Discuss if anyone has planned time off that could require a longer period between when responses are due and the oral exam. A minimum of two weeks is recommended.
• Oral Defense. This should be scheduled for two hours, typically between 2-4 weeks after the written exam. Quarter breaks or vacations may lead to adjusted schedules, but we recommend completing this within a month of the writing period commencing, so that responses are fresh in the student's mind. Exams should be scheduled in-person, however, exceptions for hybrid or virtual exams are allowed as long as they meet the minimum number of exam participants, see guidance from the Graduate School.

Once the student and their committee have determined the dates for the Written Exam and Oral Defense, the student must:

• Schedule the General Exam Oral through MyGrad in advance of the Written Exam, after which the Director of Academic Services will approve the exam request and share the Committee Signature form with the student and Committee Chair; and
• Identify and reserve a suitable location for the General Exam Oral Defense, and/or equipment
  • If a student chooses to take the Written Exam on campus and does not have ready access to a location, they can  request that one of the department’s student assistants reserve a suitable room for the Written Exam through the HCDE Room Reservations system or by submitting a request to the HCDE Program Coordinator. If the student plans to use a department laptop, they should also request that through the department’s equipment reservation system or by contacting the HCDE Front Desk; and 
• Email committee members and the HCDE Director of Academic Services with the dates, times, and locations of the Written Exam and Oral Defense so they will have the charge prepared in time.

Scheduling cautions: Because of processing time with the grad school for generals, we recommend not scheduling your oral defense for the last few days of the quarter. If the Oral exam occurs after the quarter has ended, it will be attached to the upcoming quarter’s registration requirement. For example, if the oral exam is scheduled during spring break, spring quarter registration is required and although it mostly took place during winter term, the milestone is considered a spring quarter exam. Because students generally do not register for summer credit, summer quarter general exams rarely work -- if you have questions, please talk with the Director of Academic Services, PhD Faculty Director, your summer funding source, and your advisor(s).

Taking the written exam

On the first day of the scheduled 14-day period, the student will receive a written charge from their committee that details three components of the exam covering the areas of Theory, Methods, and one related to their declared Concentration. The charge may consist of a list of questions to answer, essays to write, and/or specific prompts relevant to the student’s research (e.g., a statistical analysis, description of a designed artifact, development of a design space). The student should self-pace their response, but should expect the exam to take no more than 8 hours per question (including both writing and editing), for a total of 24 hours for the three components across the 14-day period. Students can divide up the writing however it works best for their schedule (e.g., doing it all in a few days, breaking the time for each question across the 14 days, etc.). Student responses are expected to be between 2500-4000 words per question, unless otherwise specified by their committee. The department encourages students to use the time for both writing and revising the answer for each component of the charge. Students may use literature, notes, or other preparatory materials made while studying for the exam.

During the written exam period, students are expected to work independently. You may share responses with someone, or take them to the writing center, for proofreading, but this should be limited to proofreading. For this reason, peers or others in your field who cannot resist providing more feedback may not be appropriate proofreaders. Please acknowledge any proofreaders in your submission.

AI Guidelines for the Written Exam: For General Exams during the 2026-2027 academic year, the following apply:

1. AI is not required and students may choose not to use it.
2. If AI is used in any part of the exam (brainstorming and ideation, literature review, generating responses, translating text, editing responses, providing feedback on responses, etc.), the student must cite and provide a separate statement explaining how, when, and where it was used.
3. Students, advisors, and committees must agree in advance on intentions and expectations around the use of AI in the Written Exam. If you intend to use AI in any way, you must discuss that use with your advisor and agree that it is appropriate prior to taking the exam.

HCDE is working to develop a more comprehensive set of guidelines for AI use (expected Spring 2027). 

Taking the oral defense

The Oral Defense will be a 2-hour discussion between the candidate and their General Exam committee members. The Oral Exam will engage students in a discussion of issues related to their responses on each of the three areas on the Written Exam.

Committee members may use this opportunity to ask for further elaboration and clarification on responses, with the format and agenda determined by the Committee Chair or co-chairs. A typical agenda is:

• 5 minutes for introductions, as needed
• 10 minutes for committee members to privately discuss priorities and process for the oral defense, based on the written responses,
• 5 minutes for the student to share any reflections since the written responses
• 20 minutes of discussion per question (60 minutes)
• 10 minutes of discussion across questions
• 15 minutes for the committee to privately discuss, including the outcome and recommended next steps for the student's scholarship
• 10 minutes to share the outcome and discuss next steps

but this may be tailored based on the student's written responses or other considerations.

The committee will evaluate the candidate’s responses from both the Written Exam and the Oral Defense based on the evaluation criteria described below. At the end of the Oral Defense, the committee will recommend an outcome for the entire General Exam.

Criteria for evaluation

The General Exam committee will evaluate both the Written Exam and the Oral Defense components of the exam. Possible outcomes of the General Exam are:

• Candidate is encouraged to proceed with studies leading to the doctoral degree.
• Candidate must be reexamined after a further period of study; requires resubmission of a Request for General Examination to the Graduate School. Two reexaminations are permitted except under extraordinary circumstances.
• Candidate is not recommended for further work towards the doctoral degree. The effect of this recommendation is termination of the student’s enrollment in the doctoral program. 

The criteria for evaluation for the General Exam are based on the student’s ability to (1) engage with, analyze, synthesize, apply, and critique the material covering the three areas of the exam, and (2) express ideas both in written and oral format in a complete and scholarly manner.

The oral defense has three core principles:

• Contemporaneity: The oral exam is a synchronous event. The committee will pose questions the student hasn't seen, and the student will respond within the session.
• Contingency: Questions and follow-ups will build on the student’s written and oral responses, and on specifics of their own work and reading.
• Attribution: The students’ responses will be observably composed by the student. Students will not be able to use AI to help them compose responses during the General Exam. However, they can rely on their own notes.

Students are encouraged to speak with their committee members about how these criteria may be explicitly applied to their area of study.

Disruptions to the exam

An exam spanning multiple weeks may be disrupted by unexpected challenges faced by the student or committee members. If a conflict emerges, the individual should immediately alert the Committee Chair. Once a request for extension is initiated, the Committee Chair will first consult the GPC and GPA to discuss next steps to adjust or extend the exam timeline, if needed. All committee members must be present synchronally to successfully complete the Oral Exam. If either the student or any committee member is not able to participate due to poor connection, illness, or other extenuating circumstances, the Oral exam must be rescheduled and the committee chair will notify the GPC and GPA. If an extension into the following quarter is required, the student should meet with the Director of Academic Services to discuss registration or satisfactory progress concerns.

Overall timeline

When	Who	What
At least four months in advance of the oral exam	Student	Form your committee Send Committee form to the Director of Academic Services
Typically, 1-2 quarters in advance of your general exam	Student	Develop a précis, working with adviser(s) and committee. Note: a draft précis can also be useful to share with potential committee members while forming a committee. Develop a draft reading list, with input from committee
Typically, 1-2 quarters in advance of your general exam	Student & Committee	Agree on the final reading lists. (Note: even after a reading list is considered final, it is common for there to be some changes as the student reads. The student should make these changes in consultation with the committee.)
As soon as you have your writing period and oral exam scheduled	Student	Make a request for the exam in MyGrad
At least one week before the written exam begins	Committee	Share a draft of questions among committee and ensure that they are within scope, cover the goals of the exam, and do not have excessive overlap.
The day the written exam begins	Committee chair(s)	Unless you have made prior arrangements with the Committee Chair and Director of Academic Services for sending questions, send the questions to the student, copying the committee members and Director of Academic Services. (Note: please make any alternative arrangements at least a week in advance.)
During the written period	Student	Communicate any concerns (e.g., illness) that could affect your schedule to your Committee Chair, the HCDE PhD Faculty Director, and Director of Academic Services so that we can work together to adjust plans as needed.
At the conclusion of the writing period	Student	Send responses to your committee, copying the Director of Academic Services.
Between the conclusion of the writing period	Committee	Read the written responses. Committee members should communicate any significant concerns to the chair as early as possible.
At the conclusion of the oral exam	Committee chair(s)	Circulate the general exam report (committee signature form) and return it to the Director of Academic Services.
After the exam	Student and committee	Complete any revisions or re-examination as decided by the committee.

Academic performance and progress

To remain in good academic standing, students must pass their general exam by the end of the autumn quarter of their fourth academic year in the program or the end of their tenth quarter of enrollment in the HCDE PhD program, whichever is later.

For any student who has not passed the general exam by this deadline, the GPC and GPA shall initiate a review. This review will include the student’s committee and members of the PhD program committee. Outcomes of this review may include:

• Academic Warning, e.g., if the exam is scheduled for a future quarter and if the student and faculty mentors agree that a longer timeline is appropriate for the student and/or scholarship and that the student is on track to graduate within their available funding.
• Academic Alert, e.g., if there is a plan in place but no confirmed exam date and the faculty mentors have concerns about the student’s progress to successfully pass the milestone. 
• Final academic alert or drop, e.g., if there is no plan in place for generals and no clear mentorship plan.

The student shall be reviewed quarterly until they successfully pass the milestone or exit the program.

Students who have not completed generals by the end of their third academic year will receive an interim check-in status rating at the conclusion of spring quarter Annual Review. 

For more information about these statuses, please see the HCDE PhD Student Continuation Policy and UW Graduate School Policy 3.7 on Academic Performance and Progress. Please be aware that academic alert and final academic alert status have implications for the HCDE funding guarantee.