Comprehensive Examinations
Your knowledge and skill will be assessed by two comprehensive examinations, one written and one oral, designed to explore curriculum and instruction generally, the major area of study within it, and the specific research interest of the individu al student.

You must pass a comprehensive exam covering broad areas in Curriculum and Instruction and in your area of specialization. Comprehensive exams are held once in the fall and again in the spring. You must take this examination within one semester of completion of course work.

You must meet individually with your faculty advisor to discuss the details of your exam. Well before the examination, you will receive information about the content areas covered and advice about preparing. Most students form small study groups to review material and prepare for “the comps.”

Students must sign up to take the exams in the Teacher Education Office, Campion 211, by the published deadline. The registration procedure involves submitting an unofficial copy of the transcript, a copy of the approved pos, and a completed reg istration form (including signatures from the core faculty) to the Teacher Education Office.

The exam questions are written and graded by the core faculty in consultation with students. Grades are awarded fail, pass, or pass with distinction. The goal of the exams is for you to demonstrate general knowledge of the field of curriculum an d instruction and to integrate ideas and concepts across course areas. You may retake the comprehensive examinations only once.

Our programs will make reasonable accommodations with respect to time on comprehensive exams for non-native English speakers on an individual basis. This policy is intended to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their substantiv e knowledge on comprehensive exams.

Dissertation
After successfully completing the comprehensive exams, you are awarded the status of Ph.D. candidate, often referred to as the A.B.D. (“all but dissertation”). You must then register for dissertation direction (3 credits, regular fee) . For the remainder of the semesters when you are working on your dissertation, you register for dissertation continuation (no credits).

Ph.D. candidacy means you have completed all of the requirements necessary for a doctoral degree except for the dissertation. This preliminary status is an important indicator of your likely completion of the Ph.D., and is usually an eligibility requirement for dissertation fellowships and grants.

Please refer to the Lynch School's Doctoral Policies and Procedures for more detailed information on the Dissertation process