Academics
Graduation Thesis & Qualifying Exam.
Qualification Examination(Before/After Spring 2026)
EE Ph.D. Qualification Examination have been revised for the following students beginning Spring 2026:
- Newly admitted Ph.D. students
- Newly admitted (new) Ph.D. integrated program students
- Students transitioning into Ph.D. integrated program
(Students who entered the above programs prior to Spring 2026 will continue to follow the previous requirements.)
===(Key Changes) ==========
1. Examination Timeline
- Students must take the qualification examination for the first time within one year of admission/transition and pass within one year and six months.
- The examination is offered twice a year (January and July).
- Ph.D. program: First attempt within two semesters after admission and must pass within three semesters.
- M.S.–Ph.D. integrated program: First attempt within four semesters after admission and must pass within five semesters.
2. Revision of Passing Criteria and Clarification of Excellence Requirements
- The passing criteria have been revised and the requirements for demonstrating academic excellence have been further specified.
- Students with a cumulative GPA below 3.3/4.3 will be required to undergo an additional oral examination.
Please refer to the comparison table below for detailed information.
========================
<Ph.D. Candidates, Before Spring 2026>
| Item | Point | Document relative to each item |
|---|---|---|
| GPA※ | 50 | Applicant’s GPA |
| Plan for dissertation | 40 | Plan for dissertation |
| Research achievements | 10 | References that proof |
| the applicant’s excellence | ||
| Total | 100 | Over 60 Points |
|
※ Accumulated GPA of 2.5 or below / U grade of thesis research in the previous semester: Automatically eliminated during document evaluation <KAIST Graduate GPA shall include all academic records from the master’s program, except for those who studied in other universities> |
||
<Ph.D. Candidates, Starting Spring 2026>
| Item | Point | Document relative to each item |
|---|---|---|
| GPA※ | 50 | Applicant’s GPA |
| Plan for dissertation | 30 | Plan for dissertation |
| Research achievements | 20 | References that proof |
|
the applicant’s excellence *Publications(Journals, Conferences), Registered Patents, if a paper has not yet been published, you should objectively demonstrate the excellence |
||
| Total | 100 | Over 65 points & Interview Pass(Exempted) |
|
※ Accumulated GPA of 2.5 or below / U grade of thesis research in the previous semester: Automatically eliminated during document evaluation Students with a GPA of 3.2 or below are required to pass the interview evaluation(oral exam.) <KAIST Graduate GPA shall include all academic records from the master’s program, except for those who studied in other universities> |
||
※ Students admitted prior to the 2026 academic year are requested to refer to and apply the above classification table and the existing guidelines provided below.
Ph. D. Qualifying Examination(Before Spring 2026)
1. Who?
1) Doctoral Students who entered the KAIST in or before 2008
Application within three years after entrance
Doctoral Students who have not yet taken Ph.D. Qualifying Exam.
Doctoral Students who have registered more than two semesters taking at least three classes
2) Doctoral Students who entered the KAIST in or after 2009
Application within one and a half years after entrance
※ Students who have transferred must pass the qualification exam of the current department within three semesters from the transferred semester.
2. When?
1) Application forms must be submitted to administrative office(email only) of the School of Electrical Engineering
Submission Period: within the given period of time
Scanned file(pdf) : e-mail(danielyoon@kaist.ac.kr)
2) Evaluation of Ph. D Qualifying Exam. is being done within the given period of time
3) Qualified candidates will be announced at the end within the given period of time.
3. What to be submitted?
① Application form (#attached file below)
② Plan for dissertation (#attached file below)
③ Other achievements (#attached file below)
A copy of the references that proof the applicants’ excellences such as patents, awards, and Published papers)
4. Allotted point
| Item | Point | Document relative to each item |
|---|---|---|
| GPA ※ | 50 | Applicant’s GPA |
| Plan for dissertation | 40 | Plan for dissertation |
| Other achievements | 10 | References that proof the applicant’s excellence |
| Total | 100 |
※ accumulated GPA of 2.5 or below / U grade of thesis research in the previous semester: automatically eliminated during document evaluation
5. Notes
① Application form (#attached file below)
The Ph. D Qualifying examination is scheduled in January and July respectively.
Those who don’t pass the Ph. D Qualifying Examination will be expelled from KAIST.
