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Rules for Comprehensive Examinations in the
History Department
Prerequisites
1) The student will have completed all coursework and language exams by
the end of the semester in which comprehensive exams are taken.
2) The dissertation committee will be formed and Form D-1 filed at
least 60 days in advance of the comprehensive examinations.
3) Form H-1, listing 3 faculty, one of whom will be chair, one of whom
(except the chair) may be from outside the dept., who will form the
student’s comprehensive exam committee and examine the student, must be
filed at least 60 days before the exam.
4) ) The dissertation and comp committees and chairs are chosen by
mutual agreement between student and faculty
5) Exams will be scheduled by the chair of the student’s comprehensives
committee, who whenever possible will also be the chair of the
student’s dissertation committee. Written Exams may take place at any
time, as long as they take place at least 28 days before the last day
of classes in that semester. The chair is responsible for all
scheduling issues and bureaucratic formalities
Structure of Written
Portion of Exam
1) There will be 3 questions. Responses to the questions will be
written over a 72-hour period
2) Each committee member is solely responsible for preparing the
student to write the question in their field. Faculty are free to
consult each other on reading lists and questions. All questions will
be graded by their author and one other faculty member, chosen by the
chair of the comprehensive examination comittee. In exceptional
circumstances, the DGS may permit a single grader. If one grader passes
an exam and the other fails it, the DGS will appoint a 3rd grader to
decide the issue
3) There will be a total of 3 questions on the comprehensive
examination. Students will write 2 questions in their primary cultural
area of concentration. 1 of these questions will be in the same
chronological period as the student's dissertation topic, and the
second will cover another chronological period or theme, different from
the dissertation topic. The third question will be on a comparative
field. Questions may be chronologically and/or topically organized.
4) The written portion of the comprehensive exam must be graded within
2 weeks by the faculty concerned.
5) Students must pass all sections in order to pass the exam.
6) Students who fail only 1 question may retake the exam within one
month. Students who fail 2 or more parts must wait until the next
semester to retake.
7) 2 failures will result in expulsion.
Oral Portion of Exam
1) Orals will be held within 2 weeks of the written exam (including
make-up exams).
2) Oral examiners will be those listed in H-1. Student may request the
presence of the DGS, or of the department chair if the DGS is on the
committee.
3) Orals will last no more than 3 hours
4) Following the exam, the committee meets to decide grades of
Pass/Fail in each field. If the student passes all fields, the
committee will decide on Pass with Distinction grade
5) A student who fails one or more fields on the oral exam must retake
the exam within two semesters of the original exam. Failure to do this
or to pass on the second try results in expulsion from the program.
Dissertation Proposal
Hearing and Comprehensive Examinations
The dissertation proposal hearing will take place within the week of
the oral portion of the comprehensive examination.
All
particular field rules for comprehensive exams are hereby abolished
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