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Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination serves two purposes. It is used to assess the student's ability to integrate and synthesize core knowledge in the field and to determine the student's preparation and readiness for dissertation research.

Students who have completed all of the course work in the two core areas and at least 12 hours of elective course work may, with the approval of their supervisory committee, request permission to take the comprehensive examination. Ordinarily, students will not take comprehensive exams until the spring of the 2nd year or the fall of the 3rd year.  Once the committee has given its approval, the student files the "Application for the Comprehensive Examination" form. A faculty committee composed of three faculty members in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice administers the comprehensive examination each spring and fall.

The comprehensive examination consists of two parts, both of which must be taken at the same time.  The first part focuses on theories of crime and criminality and the second part focuses on the operation of the criminal justice system.  For each part of the examination, students are expected to integrate theory and methods into the substantive literature.  Students will take both exams—each of which is an eight-hour, on-campus examination without access to notes—during the scheduled exam week during the fall or spring semester.  This typically will be the third week of the semester.  Comprehensive exams are not given during the summer.

A majority of the committee members must deem the student's performance to be acceptable on each part of the exam for the student to pass the comprehensive exam. Failure of the comprehensive examination is considered final unless the examining committee and the Director of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice recommend, and the Dean of the Graduate College approves, a reexamination.  A student who fails both parts of the examination will be required to retake both parts; a student who fails one part of the examination but passes the other will be required to retake only the part of the examination that he/she failed.  The exam may be retaken during the next regularly scheduled exam week; the exam must be retaken no later than one year after the original exam.  Failure of the comprehensive exam a second time will result in dismissal from the program.