School of Leadership and Church Ministry

NOTE: The following information applies to all EdD students, all Cohort PhD students and those Resident PhD students taking their comprehensive exams after January 1, 2006.  Resident PhD students who are taking their comprehensive before January 1, 2006 should click here for instructions.

8.1 Preparing for Comprehensive Examinations

The comprehensive examinations mark the shift from “user of knowledge of the field” to the “originator and extender of the knowledge base of the field.” These exams also sample the critical thinking and problem solving skills of doctoral students.

The comprehensive examinations consist of three written evaluations integrating the concepts of the research seminars in the doctoral program. These exams can be taken only after the completion of all course work and program competencies.

Comprehensive examinations must be taken within twelve months following the successful completion of all course work.

Two of the three comprehensive questions are derived from seminar content. The third question is dissertation related and is generated from work done for the advanced research assignment in the 96800 Empirical Research Methods course.

In the EdD, comprehensive examinations are taken immediately after the first research seminar in the second Spring term of the program of study. The seminar preceding the examinations is the last seminar of the program of study.

In the resident PhD, comprehensive examination are taken on three consecutive days at the start of the third year of the program of study. The scheduling of these examinations is arranged through the LEAD School Office. These examinations cannot be taken during January or Summer terms.

Cohort PhD are taken in the final term of seminar study (January) immediately following the classroom component of the last seminar.

Doctoral students must complete the comprehensive examinations successfully before the dissertation prospectus can be approved and dissertation data gathering can begin.

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8.2 Comprehensive Examinations Committee

The Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies distributes the two seminar related examination responses to graduate faculty members who serve as the graders of the examinations. The dissertation supervisor serves as the grader of the dissertation-related examination question. Collectively these individuals form a Comprehensive Examinations Committee.

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8.3 Examination Questions and Format

The comprehensive examination has three components.  These include two seminar-related questions and one dissertation-related question.

Seminar-Related Questions

Students will be assigned to write on two seminar-related comprehensive questions.  Each of the questions are known in advance and are drawn from the content of the following seminars.

The seminar related questions are to be answered in a scholarly manner demonstrating knowledge of the precedent literature relevant to answering the question.

Dissertation-Related Question

The dissertation-related question is to be developed in consultation with the dissertation supervisor.  The dissertation-related examination topic is submitted to the dissertation supervisor as a statement of no more than 3-4 sentences containing at least 3 parenthetically referenced significant precedent literature sources. The statement is preceded by an appropriate descriptive title, the student’s name appears below the title, and a reference list of the 3 primary sources follows the statement. Revisions proposed by the dissertation supervisor are then incorporated into the statement and resubmitted to the supervisor for final approval.

Once a dissertation supervisor approves the final version of the dissertation-related examination topic, students must file a copy of the statement with the LEAD School Office a minimum of 30 days prior to the exam.  Students cannot change the written examination topic in any way once it is approved.

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8.4 Examination Day Protocols

Comprehensive are conducted over a three day period.  Each exam segment takes four hours to complete.  The two seminar-related questions are answered on the first two days of comprehensives.  The dissertation related exam is schedule in a four hour block on the third day of comprehensives. The exam is proctored by the LEAD School Office.

Seminar-Related Question

On the first and second exam days, for use in writing, the student is allowed to bring into the examination room the following:

1.     One worksheet of notes for each seminar-related question with an attached reference sheet.  Worksheets must have one inch margins on all sides, be written using a 12 point Times Roman font, be written on one side only of an 8.5" x 11" sheet of white paper, and be single-spaced.  The work sheet is attached to the exam when the exam is completed.

2.   No other previously prepared document templates, study helps may be brought into the examination room, including Bibles.

3.   A laptop computer.

Dissertation-Related Question

On the third exam day, for use in writing, the student is allowed to bring into the examination room the following:

1.    A copy of the previously approved statement, which serves as the title page for the exam.

2.   One worksheet of notes to guide them in the organization of their thoughts. Worksheets must have one inch margins on all sides, be written using a 12 point Times Roman font, be written on one side only of an 8.5" x 11" sheet of white paper, and be single-spaced.  The work sheet is attached to the exam when the exam is completed.

3.   An unmarked pre-printed reference list of the significant precedent literature studied for the written examination, which is attached to the back of the written examination.

4.   No other previously prepared document templates, study helps may be brought into the examination room, including Bibles.

5.   A laptop computer.

Other Protocols and Policies

Students are encouraged to use a notebook computer to write the exam. Students have the full four-hour block of time to write the exam, and will be given time for printing the exam immediately following the four-hour period. No corrections to content, spelling, or grammar can be made at the time of printing.

Students have the option of bringing their own printer to the exam, sharing a printer brought by other students taking the exam, or printing the exam in the Computer Lab within two hours of the end of the examination period. Students printing the exam in the Computer Lab must provide the proctor with an electronic copy of the exam before leaving the examination room. Students must supply this electronic copy on their own digital media (floppy disk, zip disk, CD or DVD), keeping in mind it will not be returned to them even after printing the document.

The following rules of etiquette are observed during the examination period:

1.      Cell phones and pagers must be disabled throughout the examination period;

2.      Students may take rest breaks inside or outside the examination room, but must not disturb other students in the room while doing so;

3.      Students may take a beverage into the examination room if the facilities allow food to be consumed in the room;

4.      Students are not allowed to listen to any recorded media during the examination period;

5.      Students are not allowed to print an exam during the four-hour examination period if other students in the room are still writing the exam; and

6.      Students who complete the exam early are not allowed to engage other students in the exam room in conversation if other students are still writing the exam.

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8.5 Written Examination Evaluation

The LEAD Office will notify the student of the grade received for each component of the exam within three weeks of taking the examination.

Students must receive a grade of “B” (8.0) or higher on each component of the examination to pass. A grade of “B-” or below on the written examination will require remedial work determined by the dissertation supervisor, which may require retaking the written examination. Remedial work usually takes the form of additional reading and/or research.

A second written examination follows the pattern of the first written examination in all respects. Failure to pass the written examination a second time will result in termination from the program.

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