Upon completion and final grading of all courses in the Plan-of-Study, the student takes a Preliminary Comprehensive Examination. Successful completion of the comprehensive exam shows that the student is experienced in secondary research and ready to move on to original research.
The examination contains questions to be answered in 18 hours over a maximum of 2 calendar weeks. Responses must be written in the department, Monday through Friday. The examination is closed book.
At the discretion of the Committee, 3 of the 18 hours may be fulfilled by (1) substantially revising an article-length research paper, or (2) a take-home question to be completed within 24 hours, with a 10-page double-spaced maximum response. Under the closed-book format, committee members may provide or assign specific pieces or works to be available to the student during the examination.
The 18 hours will be distributed as follows: at least 6 hours in the student's specialty area, at least 6 hours in theories and methods, and at least 6 in areas defined by the committee and student.
At the initiation of the student, the examination structure and schedule will be determined by the Guidance Committee at least 3 months in advance of the examination dates. The exam committee must consist of at least 3 members of the Communication Faculty. (Examiners from outside the department are optional.) The content of the examination is not restricted to coursework in the Plan-of-Study; students may be required to prepare in areas not covered in their course work. Subsequent to determining the examination structure, faculty members will supply the student with study questions or other means for delimiting the subject areas.
At least 3 weeks in advance of the examination dates, the student must complete an "Approved Examination Schedule." This must be signed by the student, the advisor, and the Graduate Program Director and submitted to the Graduate Secretary, who will schedule an examination room.
Upon completion of the written examination, all members of the Guidance Committee will evaluate the entire examination (including take-home responses and articles, where applicable) and questioners outside of the Committee will evaluate answers to questions they submitted. In cases where answers are "Unsatisfactory," the student will have one opportunity for rewriting.
Once the student has satisfactorily completed the written examination, the Guidance Committee, chaired by the advisor, will conduct an oral examination. The examination must receive the unanimous approval of the Guidance Committee. It is the responsibility of the student's advisor to report in writing the results of the examination to the Graduate Program Director.
