After completion of all course work students must pass a comprehensive
examination designed to test their scholarly competence and knowledge.
Students who pass the preliminary examination are admitted to candidacy
for the Ph.D. degree. The examination is ordinarily given two times
a year--once in the tenth week of the fall and spring semesters. Students
may not take the preliminary examination earlier than the semester
in which they will complete all course requirements.
Examinations will be both written and oral and will be prepared and
evaluated by the appropriate School field committees. The examination
will cover the Ph.D. Core, prepared by the Ph.D. committee, and the
student=s specialization, prepared by the pertinent specialization
field committee. One may also opt to be tested in methods. The membership
of these committees is subject to change. Preparation for the examination
may include discussions with field committee members and review of
old examinations which are available in graduate office.
The Comprehensive Examination is intended to be a general examination
that covers all aspects of the field of public administration and
policy. However, the focus of the examination will be on the Ph.D.
Core and the Ph.D. Specialization chosen by the student. The Ph.D.
Core Examination will cover specified topic areas that may change
as the curriculum changes. The current (2001) coverage includes: (1)
Intellectual history, including but not limited to the history of
organization, management and policy thought; (2) policy theory and
analysis; (3) institutions and organizations, and (4) administrative
behavior. The Ph.D. Core Examination will be given over two days,
six hours each day. The Ph.D. Core Examination will be given under
standard examination conditions. The first day will emphasize intellectual
history and policy, the second institutions, organizations, and administrative
behavior. On either day or both days there may be questions that link
institutions, organizations, behavior and policy.
The Ph.D. Specialization Examination portion of the Comprehensive
Examination covers the student=s specialization. The format is a take
home examination which must be completed within 72 hours. The examination
will focus on the identification of important research questions,
appropriate research designs and associated data gathering and analytical
techniques.
The student's written examination will be circulated first to the
committee that wrote the exam and then, if requested, circulated to
the other examining committee. The major professor shall read all
examinations. After these readings individual faculty will send their
evaluation to the Ph.D. Director who will tabulate the results and
distribute them to the faculty. The major professor shall then inform
the student whether or not the s/he should progress to the oral examination.
The major professor, in cooperation with the student, shall schedule
the oral examination. Normally the oral examination will be scheduled
for a time within a month of the completion of the written examination.
The Oral Examination Committee shall be constituted of a representative
of the Core Committee, the major professor (who will also be a member
of the student's Field and Supervisory Committees), a second professor
from the student's Field Committee (who typically will also serve
on the Supervisory Committee), a methods representative, if methods
is selected as an examination area, and an outside representative
of the University who typically also will serve on the Supervisory
Committee.
A decision of "pass," "fail," or "pass with
conditions" will be made immediately upon completion of the oral
examination, although the progression of the examination may be terminated
at any time by the committee. Students are expected to demonstrate
a sense for the important theoretical questions, the literature associated
with them, and an ability to develop theoretically and practically
significant research projects. Students must not discuss their performance
on the written examination with the examining committee before the
oral examination.
The student and the major professor shall be responsible for obtaining
the required signatures on the Admission to Candidacy Form (AC-107)
at the completion of the oral examination. These forms can be obtained
from the program secretary.
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