This is the second major component of the doctoral degree. The comprehensive examination is a written and oral examination given to C & I students to ascertain their ability to demonstrate and to apply acquired knowledge and skills. The comprehensive examination covers three major areas in the C & I Doctoral Program: Foundations/Curriculum and Instruction, Focus Studies, and Research.

Comps are usually taken in the semester following the completion of all coursework and planned in a face-to-face meeting with the doctoral committee. At that meeting a comprehensive exam scheduling form is completed to identify who will author each set of questions, who will be the second reader, what kind of exam it will be (i.e., sit-down or take-home-at least one must be of each kind), and the dates for these exams to take place. Committee members are often chosen to write and/or be second readers, but non-committee members may be chosen as well. It is the student’s responsibility to gain permission from each author and second reader in advance of the exam.

What follows is an outline of Comprehensive Examination procedures, examples of questions for Foundations/Curriculum and for Research, and a list of qualified faculty who can author exams in these two areas. For more details, see Appendix E in the C&I Handbook (Fall, 2007).