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Ph.D. Comprehensives Policy
Preamble
The majority of doctoral programs at 苹果淫院 require candidates to pass a comprehensive examination or set of examinations or equivalent, such as qualifying examinations, preliminary examinations, candidacy papers, comprehensive evaluations, thesis proposals, etc. The results of this examination determine whether or not students will be permitted to continue in their programs. The methods adopted for examination and evaluation and the areas to be examined are specified by departmental regulations and approved by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of these details.
General Policy
- Units must provide doctoral students with a written description of the Ph.D. comprehensive process, detailing objectives and content; format; timing; assessment; grading and reporting; and failures (including procedures for repeats; see below for details).
- All Ph.D. comprehensives must be represented by an administrative course number; usually XXXX 701. One of the following forms of grading must be adopted and applied consistently to all students within the program: Pass/Fail or letter grades.
Objectives and Content
The purpose of comprehensive examinations is to determine whether the student demonstrates the necessary research skills and academic achievements to continue in the Ph.D. program. Objectives may include assessing one or more of the following:
The content of the comprehensive must be consistent with the stated objectives and should be appropriately circumscribed. Students must be given an indication of the range of material that may be covered in the examination and suggestions as to how to cover this material (e.g., via reading lists, courses, etc.).
Format
The format of the comprehensive must be consistent for all students within a given program. The following list gives some of the more common formats, which are often combined:
Timing
Units must clearly specify where the comprehensive fits into the program milestones (e.g., whether all coursework must have been completed prior to undertaking the comprehensive, and whether the comprehensive is the final step before thesis research and writing).
Scheduling of the comprehensive must be specified, including the earliest and latest dates by which it is to be completed. Students must be informed of the specific dates of the exam with sufficient time to prepare for it, at least 12 months in advance.
Assessment
Evaluation parameters must be made clear, including information about who sets the exam questions and who evaluates the student. If performance is assessed by a committee, it must be made clear how the committee is appointed and who sits on it.
Where there is more than one component to the examination (e.g., an oral exam plus a written exam), it must be made clear how these components are factored into the final grade. For example, it must be clearly specified whether each component counts equally; whether the assessment is global; and whether failure of one part of the comprehensive examination (or of one question) results in an overall failure.
Feedback
The assessment and reasons for the decision, including identifying specific strengths and weaknesses, must be documented and provided to the student in sufficient detail to allow the student to understand the decision.
In the case of oral examinations, the student should also be given feedback on presentation, logical exposition, ability to answer questions, etc. To help ensure that assessments can be put in context, units may choose to make a record of the examination (including audio or video recording); have a neutral observer, chair, or outside committee member; and/or make the oral open to members of the academic unit.
Failures
In the event of a failure, units must allow, without prejudice, one repeat of the comprehensive (in whole or in part). After the first failure, the student must be informed in writing by the department that he/she has failed the comprehensive and must be informed of conditions relating to a repeat of the examination, including the time frame, potential dates, nature of the re-examination, committee membership, etc. Units have the right to specify further requirements in the event of failure, such as requiring students to take an additional course or courses in areas where they have shown weakness on the comprehensive. In such circumstances, the grade of HH (which designates "continuing") will be recorded on the student's transcript.
In the event of a second failure, the student will receive a grade of F and will be withdrawn from the Ph.D. program.
Approved by Executive of Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) February 17, 1997 and Council of FGSR March 7, 1997; Revised by GPS July 9, 2014
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2014-2015 (last updated Jul. 22, 2014) (disclaimer)
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2014-2015 (last updated Jul. 22, 2014) (disclaimer)