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Written Preliminary Exams for the Ph.D.

Table of Contents

• Sign Up!
• The Exam Framework.
• Examples of Previous Written Preliminary Exams
• Study Strategies.

Sign Up!

Written exams are offered in the fall and the spring. In order to take the exam, it is necessary to register by August 1 (for the fall exam) and December 15 (for the spring exam)! Download and fill out this registration form and return it to the Graduate Coordinator in 504 Blake Hall.

In order to register, you must have completed the following requirements:

• All coursework for the major fields and minor field must be completed.
• All incompletes must have grades turned in before the registration deadline.
• Residency and FLORS requirements must be fulfilled.
• GPA of at least 3.5.

Please see the Graduate Director with any questions.

The Exam Framework.

Each subfield designs the format of its exam. The "charter" documents outlining the exam format are available for these fields:

• U.S. Political Institutions on Processes
• Comparative Politics
• International Relations
• Political Theory
• Public Policy

Examples of Previous Written Preliminary Exams

For copies of past prelims, we maintain binders which you may check out from the Graduate Coordinator. We also have copies of recent questions on the Internet at: http://www.ku.edu/~kups/graduate/previousPrelims .

We cannot give you copies of answers offered by students in the past, but you are certainly free to ask them to see their answers.

Study Strategies.

Students are encouraged to consult widely with faculty in each exam subfield for advice on exam preparation.

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