General Examinations

Advancement to Candidacy requires the successful completion of the oral and written examinations of the department. These examinations can be taken in any order; however, you must have completed 30 hours of coursework which will include basic research requirements (6 hours) and 15 hours in the core area before attempting the written examination.

Written Exam

The written (or "Comprehensive") examination requires the production of an in-depth "solution" to a problem posed by the Department Faculty. The student may pick up the Comprehensive Examination from the Department office at any time and has 30 days to submit the completed solution.

Core Area

The program of studies requires the completion of all five core courses. Students are required to incorporate theories and information from the following areas into their Comprehensive Examination:

• Educational Economics & Finance Policy
• Organizational Design & Behavior
• Educational Politics & Policy
• Ethics & Values in Educational Administration
• Social & Cultural Contexts of Education

The Comprehensive Exam will be scored by two faculty readers who will evaluate the question on both quality of writing and content. Each reader will score the content on a high pass/pass/no pass basis. (Note: Exams will not be graded during July and August.)

Specialization Exam/Paper

The student must identify a significant problem or issue in education. Then the student may consult with his or her Faculty Advisor regarding the chosen problem/issue to discuss how the problem/issue might be addressed. After the student and Advisor agree on the topic, etc., the student must complete an application (available in the Program office) of his or her intent to write the Specialization Paper and have it signed by the Faculty Advisor.

After the application has been submitted, the student will write a paper based on a thorough review and analysis (critique) of the scholarly and research literature relevant to the chosen problem or issue. Specialization Paper guidelines are available in Program office. (Note: The paper is due within a month of successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination.)

Proposal Defense/Oral Examination

The oral examination in the Department will be in the form of a presentation of the student's dissertation proposal to the Dissertation Committee. This proposal will normally be the equivalent of the first three chapters of the dissertation. The Chairperson of the Dissertation Committee will certify to the Graduate Studies Committee that the oral examination based on the proposal is acceptable. (See "Dissertation Proposal and Advancement to Doctoral Candidacy Process")

NOTE: The Advancement to Candidacy packet available at the Department office contains instructions and forms detailing the examination processes and dissertation guidelines. Obtain one either before or shortly after the successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination.