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All doctoral students must complete and successfully pass a Doctoral Comprehensive Examination. The comprehensive exam has both a written and oral component and is usually taken at or near the end of doctoral coursework. The written and oral exam evaluates students’ mastery of their field of specialization and the counselor education and supervision core curricular areas. The exam can include, but is not limited to, content from core doctoral coursework, the student’s field of specialization, and research interest areas. Performance on the exam provides an opportunity for the Doctoral Program Committee to determine students’ readiness to complete a dissertation.

Description of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

The written comprehensive exam dates are scheduled annually for Fall (July 15th-August 15th). Comprehensive examinations are typically not scheduled during the summer term. Exceptions to this policy may be considered on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on committee approval and availability. Following the submission on August 15th (Fall) of the written Doctoral Comprehensive Examination, the oral defense is scheduled within the first 2-3 weeks of the Fall semester. This may vary depending on the number of exams completed and faculty schedules.

Written Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

Students write four sections (i.e., papers) in response to four questions for the written Doctoral Comprehensive Examination. The sections must demonstrate depth and breadth beyond that of a term paper and should answer all parts of the question. Students are allotted four weeks for the written component of the exam. Each response will be no less than 20 pages of content and should draw on a minimum of 20 references. Each faculty member who serves on the Doctoral Program Committee will prepare one question for the student. The exam sections are framed around the five CACREP doctoral curricular areas: (a) counseling, (b) supervision, (c) teaching, (d) research and scholarship, and (e) leadership and advocacy. Since there are four sections, students combine two core curricular areas for one question. Each committee member who serves on the student’s Doctoral Program Committee will prepare a question for the student addressing one of the four sections.

Oral Defense of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

Following the submission of the written Doctoral Comprehensive Exam, the Doctoral Program Committee has at least 10 calendar days from the receipt date to review before the oral defense can be scheduled. Oral defenses are scheduled within the first 2-3 weeks of the subsequent semester.

Preparing for the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

In consultation with the advisor and members of the Doctoral Program Committee, students must schedule the term in which the exam will occur. Conversations with faculty about the exam should begin in the semester before which the student plans to take the exam. Students are required to submit the Application for Doctoral Comprehensive Exam (See Appendix III) to the CE program coordinator by the 6th week of the semester before the exam is scheduled and must be registered for a minimum of 0.5 to 1 hour of graduate credit during the semester in which the Doctoral Comprehensive Exam is taken. Committee members and students develop the topic within each section based on the program of study and student interests. Once the topic area has been agreed upon, the student and committee member will complete the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination Topic Contract (See Appendix III). At this stage, students are not provided with the actual section question; instead, students receive general topic areas for further independent research to prepare for the question to be provided on the exam date.

Doctoral Comprehensive Examination Procedures

Committee members should submit questions to the Doctoral Program Committee Chair and the CE program coordinator to input in LiveText. Written comprehensive exam questions for each section are made available in LiveText by 8:00 am on July 15th (Fall) and students have until 5:00 pm on August 15th (Fall) to complete the written exam and submit it to LiveText. In addition, students submit a copy of the written exam to the CE program coordinator by the deadline as one email with the 4 sections of the written exam. This mechanism serves as a precaution in the unlikely event of technical difficulties with LiveText.  Late submissions are not accepted.

Students should copy the question onto the first page of each section of the written exam and provide their response. All papers should be completed using the current edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual. The department administrative specialist will make copies of the written exam for distribution to committee members for those who request it. The oral defense is conducted by all faculty members on the Doctoral Program Committee for approximately two hours, after which, the student is informed of the outcome of the exam.

Academic Integrity and Honesty

Graduate students at ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ are expected to abide by principles of academic integrity and honesty. It is expected that the comprehensive examination is undertaken and completed independently and with the use of resources appropriate to doctoral-level scholarship. All references must be appropriately cited. Failure to abide by such principles of honesty and appropriate use and citation of references will be handled with the greatest severity, with ramifications ranging from a failing grade on the exam to expulsion from ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ.

Assessment and Evaluation of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

Outcomes of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examinations

1. Pass – the student’s exam is assessed and evaluated as satisfactory in all four sections.

2. Revise and Resubmit – If minor concerns are noted in any section, the student must revise and resubmit the section within a two-week time frame. The revision will be reviewed by all committee members. If the revision is assessed and found acceptable, the exam is evaluated as satisfactory. If the revision is assessed and found insufficient, the student exam is evaluated as unsatisfactory.

3. Fail One Section – A student whose exam is assessed and evaluated as satisfactory in three sections and unsatisfactory in one section is permitted to write a response to a new question in the one area that failed. The new section will be reviewed by all committee members. If the new section is assessed and found acceptable, the exam is evaluated as satisfactory. If the new section is assessed and found to be insufficient, the student exam is evaluated as unsatisfactory.

4. Fail Two or More Sections – A student whose exam is assessed and evaluated as unsatisfactory in two or more sections is required to begin afresh with four new sections in a subsequent semester.

In the case of unsatisfactory performance on the examination, additional coursework or other recommendations may be required of the student by committee members. Barring extenuating circumstances, students who do not submit by the deadline will be evaluated as unsatisfactory. They are required to begin the comprehensive exam again with new topics in a subsequent semester.

Limits to Attempting the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

Students who have failed the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination twice will not be permitted to sit for the examination again and will be terminated from the doctoral program.

Reporting Results of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

Following the oral defense, the Report of the Results of a Doctoral Comprehensive Examination form, signed by all committee members, must be submitted to the Patton College of Education Office of Student Affairs, Graduate Records. The form is available in the Patton College and must be submitted within one week of the date of the completion of the examination. Upon (a) the completion of written and oral components of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination, (b) assessment and evaluation of the exam, and (c) submission of the results of the exam, the Doctoral Program Committee is dissolved.