Comprehensive Examination

The doctoral comprehensive examination may be taken during the student’s final quarter of coursework or thereafter. The examination assesses the student’s ability to apply the body of knowledge learned in the management core, the concentration, and the research core in unique organizational settings and situations. There are three possible outcomes for the comprehensive examination: “pass”, “conditional pass,” and “no pass.” The student who receives a pass grade on the comprehensive examination will be advanced to doctoral candidacy. The student who receives a “conditional pass” on the comprehensive exam may be required by the examination committee to meet conditions established by the committee to fulfill the comprehensive evaluation requirement. The student who receives a no pass grade on the exam will not be admitted to candidacy status, but must schedule a second exam no earlier than three months and no later than six months after the first examination. A student who receives a no pass grade for two comprehensive examinations will be dropped from the program.

Upon completion of the comprehensive examination, the Dissertation Chair must submit a completed Comprehensive Exam Evaluation Rubric (See Appendix V) to the Dean of the Graduate School.