Minutes for Meeting of the Graduate Committee November 17, 1998

Issues discussed:

• Update on some students and applicants
• Placement Exam
  After some further discussion David Ullrich volunteered to try to create a placement exam that could be mailed to students prior to enrollment. Questions would not require knowledge of specific topics but would attempt determine the mathematical maturity of the student and his grasp of the logical structure of mathematics.
• Ph.D. Exam system
  Myers reported on the results of his investigations of exam systems. He found that there was great variation. Some required all exams to be taken at the same time; others allowed exams to be completed with in a fixed period. The number of exams and the topics varied considerably. It was noted that the syllabi for our exams covered more advanced material than most other schools.

  After some discussion it was agreed that a proposal to reduce the number of times the exams were given from three to two would be written and brought to the faculty. No decision was made on whether the requirement that all exams be taken at the same time should be changed.