New Rules for Comprehensive Exams

Graduate Students! If you ever plan to take comprehensive exams in this department, read this announcement!

The Department made some important changes in its rules and procedures for doctoral comprehensive exams. These changes will affect all comprehensive exams taken from the first day of the Fall 2005 semester onwards. Below is a summary of the changes. In the Graduate Program section of the Department website, you will soon be able to find three documents which pertain to these changes. They are 1) this summary, 2) the revised portion of the Guide to Graduate Study which discusses comprehensive exams, and 3) a new form called “Comprehensive Examinations: Planning, Terms and Conditions: Part II.” You may also obtain hard copies of these materials from Pat Goodwin.

1) A “contract” meeting involving the student and all three examiners is now MANDATORY for each student. An examiner who is on leave may participate by telephone.

3) Normally, the contract meeting must be held at least six months in advance of the beginning of the comp exams.

4) Comp exams in the form of a course syllabus must include not simply the syllabus itself, but also substantial additional writing, including a lengthy narrative discussing the purposes of the course and the choice of materials used in it.

5) Students must submit three documents to Mary Strottman at least two weeks before the beginning of the first written exam, and at least six weeksbefore the oral exam. These documents are :