If a department offers an exam, students should take the written exam; if the department does not offer an exam, or if the exam is not an appropriate option for AMSC students, students would take coursework instead to fulfill the application area qualifying exam requirement. The requirement for each area is marked below; for example, for BMGT or Economics, students should take the written exam. In the case that coursework can be counted as the exam requirement, the student must obtain an overall GPA of at least 3.5.
Students are strongly encouraged to submit a Study Advisory Plan to ensure their qualifying exam requirement in the application area is met.
When coursework is used to meet a qualifying exam requirement, the student must submit the Course Evaluation Form.
Department of Aerospace Engineering
2 courses/6 credits must be taken from any of the core courses in the following concentrations listed below:
Rotary
ENAE 631 Helicopter Aerodynamics I (3)
ENAE 633 Helicopter Dynamics (3)
ENAE 636 Helicopter Dynamics II (3)
ENAE 634 Helicopter Design (3)
ENAE 635 Helicopter Stability & Control (3)
Flight Dynamics & Control
ENAE 641 Linear System Dynamics (3)
ENAE 642 Atmospheric Flight Control (3)
ENAE 646 Advanced Dynamics of Aero Systems (3)
ENAE 647 Flexible Multibody Dynamics (3)
ENAE 742 Robust Multivariable Control (3)
ENAE 743 App. NL control of Aerospace Vehicles (3)
ENAE 788B Aircraft System Identification (3)
Structures
ENAE 651 Smart Structures (3)
ENAE 652 Computational Structural Mechanics (3)
ENAE 653 Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis (3)
ENAE 654 Mechanics of Composite Structures (3)
ENAE 655 Structural Dynamics (3)
ENAE 656 Aeroelasticity (3)
ENAE 757 Advanced Structural Dynamics (3)
ENAE 788E Electro-Mechanical System Modeling (3)
ENAE 788M Introduction to Morphing Aircraft (3)
ENAE 788W Smart Fluids and Applications(?)
ENAE 788P Analysis of Structural Elements (3)
Aerodynamics & Propulsion
ENAE 663 Intro to Plasmas for Space Prop/Powr (3)
ENAE 665 Advanced Airbreathing Propulsion (3)
ENAE 667 Adv. Space Propulsion and Power (3)
ENAE 673 Aerodynamics of Incompressible Fluids (3)
ENAE 674 Aerodynamics of Compressible Fluids (3)
ENAE 675 Unsteady and Inviscid Aerodynamics (?)
ENAE 676 Turbulence (3)
ENAE 682 Hypersonic Aerodynamics (3)
ENAE 683 High Temperature Gasdynamics (3)
ENAE 684 Computational Fluid Dynamics I (3)
ENAE 685 Computational Fluid Dynamics II (3)
ENAE 788A Fundamentals of Explosions I (3)
ENAE 788J/Y Fundamentals of Explosions II (3)
Space Systems
ENAE 601 Astrodynamics (3)
ENAE 602 S/C Attitude Dynamics & Control (3)
ENAE 691 Satellite Design (3)
ENAE 692 Intro to Space Robotics (3)
ENAE 694 Spacecraft Communications (3)
ENAE 696 Spacecraft Thermal Design (3)
ENAE 697 Space Human Factors & Life Support (3)
ENAE 741 Interplanetary Navigation & Guidance (3)
ENAE 788D Advanced Space Systems Design (3)
ENAE 603 Near-Earth Object Exploration (3)
ENAE 788X Planetary Surface Robotics (3)
ENAE 791 Launch & Entry Vehicle Design (3)
Department of Astronomy
2 courses/6 credits must be taken from the core courses listed below:
Astronomy Courses
ASTR 601 Radiative Processes (3)
ASTR 610 Astronomical Instrumentation and Techniques (3)
ASTR 615 Computational Astrophysics (3)
ASTR 620 Galaxies (3)
ASTR 622 Cosmology (3)
ASTR 630 Planetary Science (3)
ASTR 635 Exoplanetary Astrophysics
ASTR 670 Interstellar Medium and Gas Dynamics (3)
ASTR 680 High Energy Astrophysics (3)
Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science
2 courses/6 credits must be taken from the 6 AOSC core courses listed below:
Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science
AOSC 610 Dynamics of the Atmosphere and Oceans I (3)
AOSC 611 Dynamics of the Atmosphere and Oceans II (3)
AOSC 617 Atmosphere and Oceanic Climate (3)
AOSC 620 Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere I (3)
AOSC 621 Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere II (3)
AOSC 680 Introduction to Earth System Science (3)
Department of Biology
2 courses/6 credits must be taken from the core courses in the following concentrations listed below. In the case that 2 courses are only equivalent to 4 credits, the student must take 3 courses to equal 6 credits.
Biology Courses
BIOL 704 & 705 (3)
Molecular and Cell Biology (MOCB)
CBMG 688D Cell Biology I: Structure and Function (2 credits)
BCHM 661 Nucleic acids (2 credits)
BISI 632 Gene Expression (2 credits)
CBMD 688I Genetic Analysis (2 credits)
Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, and Genomics (CBBG)
BISI 620 Bioinformatics and Genomics (2 credits)
BISI 622 Programming for Biology (2 credits)
Marine-Estuarine-Environmental-Sciences Program (MEES)
MEES 620 Coupled Human & Natural Systems (4)
MEES 640 Interconnected Earth Systems: Land, Ocean, and Estuary (3)
MEES 660 Ecological Systems (3)
MEES 680 Cell and Molecular Biology for Environmental (3)
Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS)
NACS 600 Ethics in Scientific Research (2)
NACS 640 Foundational Readings (taken in the first semester) (2)
NACS 642 Cognitive Neuroscience (4)
NACS 645 Cognitive Science (4)
NACS 641 Introduction to Neurosciences (4)
NACS 643 Computational Neuroscience (4)
NACS 644 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (4)
College of Business and Management
Business and Management Cources
For BMGT, students must take the comprehensive exam. A comprehensive exam in Management Science is defined as an exam comprised of two subject areas, to be chosen by the student among the following courses:
BMGT 830 Operations Research: Linear Programming (3)
BMGT 831 Operations Research: Extension of Linear Programming and Network Analysis
BMGT 832 Operations Research: Optimization and Nonlinear Programming
BMGT 833 Operations Research: Integer Programming
BMGT 834 Operations Research: Probabalistic Models (3)
BMGT 835 Simulation and Design of Experiments
BMGT 836 Advanced Topics in Linear Programming
BMGT 808 Operations Research: Special Topics (1-2)
BMGT 838O Special Topics in Operations Management/Management Science; Seminar in Operations Management (2)
BMGT 840 Seminar in Financial Theory (3)
BMGT 843 Seminar in Portfolio Theory
BMGT 848A Special Topics in Finance; Financial Research Methods
BMGT 848B Special Topics in Finance; Financial Research Methods II (3)
To sit for the comprehensive exam, a student is not required to take the respective courses at the Smith School, or in any other department at the University of Maryland. If the student does not take the respective course(s) at the Smith School, however, the student is responsible for getting the syllabus from the instructor currently teaching the respective course(s) to learn about the expectations for the exam(s).
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
2 courses/6 credits must be taken from the core courses listed below:
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Courses
ENCH 610 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3)
ENCH 620 Methods of Engineering Analysis (3)
ENCH 630 Transport Phenomena (3)
ENCH 640 Advanced Chemical Reaction Kinetics (3)
Department of Civil and Enviormental Engineering
2 courses/6 credits must be taken from the core courses in the following concentrations listed below:
Civil and Environmental Engineering Courses
ENCE 650 Process Dynamics of Environmental Systems (3)
ENCE 651 Chemistry of Natural Waters (3)
ENCE 652 Microbiological Principles of Environmental Engineering (3)
Water Resources
ENCE 630 Environmental and Water Resources Systems I (3)
Core Courses for Transportation
ENCE 670 Highway Traffic Characteristics and Measurements (3)
ENCE 672 Regional Transportation Planning (3)
ENCE 673 Urban Transportation (3)
ENCE 677 OR Models for Transportation Systems Analysis (3)
Core courses Project Management
ENCE 627 Project Risk Management (3)
ENCE 661 Project Cost Accounting & Finance (3)
ENCE 662 Fundamentals of Project Management (3)
ENCE 664 Legal Aspects of Engineering Design & Construction (3)
ENCE 665 Managing Project Teams: Improving Individual and Team Performance (3)
Department of Computer Science
2 courses/6 credits must be taken from the core courses in the following concentrations listed below. If a CMSC topics course meets qualifying exam requirements for Computer Science PhD students, you may also use them to meet an AMSC application area qual requirement: https://www.cs.umd.edu/grad/coursework#specialtopics
Artificial Intelligence
CMSC 620 Problem Solving Methods in Artificial Intelligence
CMSC 720 Logic for Problem Solving
CMSC 721 Non-Monotonic Reasoning
CMSC 722 Artificial Intelligence Planning (3)
CMSC 723 Computational Linguistics I (Formerly: Natural Language Processing) (3)
CMSC 726 Machine Learning
CMSC 727 Neural Modeling
CMSC 742 Algorithms Machine Learning
CMSC 773 Computational Linguistics II
Computer Systems
CMSC 614 Computer and Network Security (3)
CMCS 615 Advanced Computer Architecture
CMSC 710 Performance Evaluation of Computer Systems
CMSC 711 Computer Networks (3)
CMSC 712 Distributed Algorithms and Verification
CMSC 713 Real-time Systems
CMSC 714 High Performance Computin (3)
Database Systems
CMSC 624 Database Systems Implementation (Inactive Course)
CMSC 724 Database Management Systems
CMSC 725 Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Databases (3)
Software and Programming Languages
CMSC 630 Theory of Programing Languages
CMSC 631 Program Analysis and Understanding (3)
CMSC 731 Programming Language Implementation
CMSC 737 Fundamentals of Software Testing
Software Engineering and HCI
CMSC 632 Software Product Assurance
CMSC 634 Empirical Research Methods for Computer Science
CMSC 732 Compiling for Vector and Parallel Architecture (Human Factors in Security and Privacy) (3)
CMSC 735 Quantitative Approach to Software Management and Engineering
CMSC 736 Software Engineering Environments
CMSC 737 Fundamentals of Software Testing
Algorithms and Computation Theory
CMSC 650 Theory of Computing
CMSC 651 Analysis of Algorithms
CMSC 652 Complexity Theory
CMSC 656 Introduction to Cryptography
CMSC 657 Introduction to Quantum Information Processing
CMSC701 Computational Genomics (3)
CMSC 750 Advanced Theory of Computation(Inactive Course)
CMSC 751 Parallel Algorithms (3)
CMSC 752 Concrete Complexity (Ramsey Theory and its Applications) (3)
CMSC 753 Mathematical Linguistics
CMSC 754 Computational Geometry
ENEE 641 Mathematical Foundations for Computer Systems
Visual and Geometric Computing
CMSC 725 Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Databases (3)
CMSC 740 Advanced Computer Graphics (3)
CMSC 741 Geometric and Solid Modeling
CMSC 733 Computer Processing of Pictorial Information
CMSC 754 Computational Geometry
Department of Economics
Economics Courses
Students must pass written examinations in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory at the doctoral level. Each exam may be attempted twice. If a student passes one exam but fails the other, then the student needs to re-take only the failed exam. If a student fails both, then the student must re-take both at the same time. Students who fail one or both exams twice will be asked to leave the program.
While no courses are required, normal preparation includes
ECON 601 Macroeconomic Analysis I (3)
ECON 602 Macroeconomic Analysis II (3)
ECON 603 Microeconomic Analysis I (3)
ECON 604 Microeconomic Analysis II (3)
These examinations are typically given in the third full week of June and in the last week in August, one week before the start of the Fall semester. Students who wish to take comprehensive exams must sign up in advance with the Graduate Studies Coordinator of the Economics Department.
Department of Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering Courses
A student may take multiple application area qualifying exams by taking courses in different specialties. For example a student could take 2 CORE courses (6 credits) from Communications and Signal Processing and 2 CORE courses (6 credits) from Electrophysics.
The following are the list of courses (which can also be found here):
ENEE 620 Random Processing in Communication & Control (3)
ENEE 621 Estimation and Detection Theory (3)
ENEE 627 Information Theory (3)
ENEE 630 Advanced Digital Signal Processing (3)
ENEE 640 Digital CMOS VLSI Design (3)
ENEE 641 Mathematical Foundations for Computer Systems (3)
ENEE 645 Compilers and Optimization (3)
ENEE 646 Digital Computer Design (3)
ENEE 660 System Theory (3)
ENEE 661 Nonlinear Control Systems (3)
ENEE 662 Convex Optimization (3)
ENEE 664 Optimal Control (3)
ENEE 680 Electromagnetic Theory I (3)
ENEE 681 Electromagnetic Theory II (3)
ENEE 690 Quantum & Wave Phenomena with Electrical Application (3)
ENEE 691 Optical Communication Systems
ENEE 600 Solid State Electronics (3)
ENEE 601 Semiconductor Devices and Technology (3)
ENEE 611 Integrated Circuit Design and Analysis (3)
ENEE 612 Advanced Power Electronics (3)
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
2 courses/6 credits must be taken from the core courses listed below:
Epidemiology and Biostatistics Courses
EPIB 610 Foundations of Epidemiology (3)
EPIB 650 Biostatistics I (3)
EPIB 651 Applied Regression Analysis (3)
EPIB 652 Categorical Data Analysis (3)
EPIB 653 Applied Survival Data Analysis (3)
EPIB 655 Longitudinal Data Analysis (3)
EPIB 697 Public Health Data Management (3)
Department of Linguistics
One course sequence (2 core courses/6 credits) must be taken from the following list:
Linguistics Courses
LING 610, 611 Syntax (3 & 3)
LING 620, 621 Phonology
LING 640, 641 Psycholinguistics (3)
LING 660, 661 Semantics (3 & 3)
LING 723, 773 Computational Linguistics (3)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
2 courses/6 credits must be taken from the core courses listed below:
Mechanical Engineering Courses
ENME 605 Advanced Systems Control: Linear Systems (3)
ENME 610 Engineering Optimization (3)
ENRE 620 Mathematical Techniques of Reliability Engineering (3)
ENME 625 Multidisciplinary Optimization (3)
ENME 632 Advanced Convection Heat Transfer (3)
ENME 633: Molecular Thermodynamics
ENME 635: Energy Systems Analysis for Sustainability and Decarbonization (3)
ENME 640 Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics (3)
ENME 642 Hydrodynamics I
ENME 657 Analysis of Turbulent Flow
ENME 662 Linear Vibrations (3)
ENME 700 Advanced Mechanical Engineering Analysis
ENME 701 Sustainable Energy Conversion and the Environment
ENRE 655 Advanced Methods in Reliability Modeling (3)
ENRE 600 Fundamentals of Failure Mechanisms (3)
ENRE 602 Reliability Analysis (3)
Department of Physics
Department of Physics
There is a Physics written exam; however, the physics application area is the one exception to our rule that students must take the application area written exam if one is provided by the department. For a Physics application area qual requirement, students may do either of the following:
(1) complete any one of the following 3 pairs of Physics courses: PHYS 610 & 611, 612 & 613, or 610 & 612; OR
(2) pass part A of the physics written qualifier. Part A covers PHYS 610 & 612.
AMSC students interested in taking Physics written qualifying exam should contact the Physics program for more information and eligibility requirements.