The PhD Preliminary Exam Guide is a document intended to guide PhD students in the Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) Department at the University of Minnesota, as they prepare to take the preliminary exam. The preliminary exam consists of a thesis proposal, both written and oral.

As the Graduate Program Coordinator for the ISyE Department, I identified a need to redesign this document, as I frequently received questions from PhD students preparing for their exam. The original version of this document was not meeting our students' needs.

When I began redesigning the exam guide, I first met with students who had recently taken their preliminary exams to ask them about how they used (or didn't use) the guide. I received feedback from these students about what was helpful in the document and what had confused them as they prepared for the exam. I collaborated with other stakeholders on the project as well, including faculty advisors involved in the exam process.

Finally, I used the design principles of alignment, contrast, proximity, and repetition to create a visually appealing and well-organized final product.

My redesigned version of the PhD Preliminary Exam Guide clearly communicates the exam format, process, and requirements to students. After creating the new version of the guide, I received less questions from students preparing for their exams.

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