Process

1. The responsibility for scheduling the Comprehensive Exam rests with the student and their Ph.D. committee chair.
2. The graduate student must be in good academic standing and must be registered as a full-time or part-time graduate degree student for the semester in which the Comprehensive Examination is taken.
   1. All students are required to have a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for work completed at the University as a graduate student at the time the Comprehensive Examination is administered.
   2. Students may not have deferred or missing grades.
3. The Comprehensive Examination may not occur before:
   1. the completion of all course work required by the program and the Ph.D. Committee (this does not preclude the Ph.D. Committee from requiring additional education, including course work, as defined in GCAC-603);
   2. the student has satisfied the English competency requirement (GCAC-605);
   3. the student has satisfied any program-specific communication and foreign language competency requirement.
4. The Comprehensive Examination should be scheduled within a year of completion of all required course work to provide students with timely assessment of their ability to complete their dissertation, but it must be scheduled no later than five years following the passing of the Qualifying Examination.
5. Comprehensive Examinations must take place at the campus location of the graduate center offering the program to ensure the technological reliability, confidentiality, and safety of all participants.
6. Comprehensive Examination Attendance
   1. The Ph.D. student must be physically present at the examination.
   2. In addition to the student, at least three members of the Ph.D. Committee, must be physically present at the examination. This must include the chair, the dissertation adviser(s), and (for students enrolled in a dual-title with a co-chair representing the dual-title) the dual-title co-chair.
   3. Additional Ph.D. Committee members beyond the required minimum of three may participate remotely, but in-person participation is strongly encouraged.
   4. Notification of participation of any Ph.D. committee member via distance must accompany the Examination Request Form at least two weeks prior to the date of the examination. (In the case of emergencies, programs should contact Graduate Enrollment Services.)
      1. Those participating via distance should use interactive audio-visual technology. If unable to connect with video, audio-only participation may be allowed.
      2. Participation via distance must be communicated to the student and all Ph.D. Committee members at the time of the notification to Graduate Enrollment Services.
7. The results of all Comprehensive Examinations, regardless of the outcome, must be reported to the Graduate Enrollment Services within five business days following the examination.