After Ph.D. students complete their course work, their program typically wants students to show their expertise in the field by passing one or a series of comprehensive exams. These exams can come in a number of forms. Students might take one written essay exam that covers all of the program's content or complete a series of exams on specific subject areas over the course of several days or weeks. The goal of these exams is to show proficiency in the field and prove that the student is prepared for the next phase of the Ph.D. program. Upon successful completion of the exams, the Ph.D. student becomes a Ph.D. candidate.
Completing the Ph.D. program requires successful composition of a dissertation that is relevant to the student's field of study. However, the dissertation is more than simply writing a paper. Once a student becomes a Ph.D. candidate, he recruits a team of faculty members to serve on his committee and guide him through the dissertation process. He writes and submits a dissertation proposal or prospectus, which his committee must review to ensure his research is sound and valuable to the field.
Once the dissertation committee approves the proposal, the student can move forward in conducting research and writing her dissertation. If she plans to use human subjects in her study, she must receive approval from her school's Institutional Review Board. She researches literature in her field to identify any gaps in knowledge or similar studies and then conducts her own research, which can take months to complete. Once her research is complete, the Ph.D. student analyzes the data and composes the dissertation.
The dissertation process ends with an oral defense of the research. Here, the Ph.D. student meets with his dissertation committee to discuss his findings. Oral defenses often begin with a brief presentation by the candidate summarizing his findings. Then, the dissertation committee asks the candidate questions about his dissertation, including any gaps or knowledge about the research. The candidate must pass the oral defense to complete the Ph.D. program.