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Comprehensive Examination
After completing coursework, students have two years to prepare for, and pass, the comprehensive examination. The exam is intended to assess students’ ability to integrate substantive knowledge within the broad field of Human Development and Family Science. Students are expected to synthesize, critically analyze, and evaluate the literature in the field and articulate this scientific information. Doctoral students must successfully complete the exam before they can advance to candidacy. Students enrolled in the M.S. and who have continued on to the Ph.D. program must have submitted their Master’s thesis prior to sitting for the comprehensive examinations examinations.
Procedures and Guidelines:
Students intending to take the comprehensive exam must submit a letter of intent to the graduate director
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Title/keyword examples:
- Gender Differences in Child Aggression: Relations With Gender-Differentiated Parenting and Parents’ Gender-Role Stereotypes
- Keywords: gender differences, children, aggression, parenting, gender-role stereotypes
- Parents' Perceived Discrimination and Adolescent Adjustment in Chinese American Families: Mediating Family Processes
- Keywords: adolescence, ethnic minority, parental perceived discrimination, delinquency, depression
- Long-Term Predictions From Early Adolescent Attachment State of Mind to Romantic Relationship Behaviors
- Keywords: adolescence, attachment state of mind, romantic relationship competence, dyadic conflict, support-seeking
The comprehensive examination is offered twice during the academic year. Once during fall semester (typically September), and once during spring semester (typically February). Information regarding exact time and dates will be emailed to students who have requested to take the exam.
All materials should be submitted to the Graduate Director by the end of the 1st week of August (if students are taking the examination in September) or by the end of the 1st week of January (if students are taking the exam in February).
The question and related materials will be e-mailed to students at 9:00 a.m. on the day of the examination. The completed exam must be submitted (electronic and hard copy) to the department administrative assistant by the end the three-week writing period no later than 9:00 a.m. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Evaluation and Notification of Results:
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by the dates listed in Table 1 before proceeding with their comprehensive examination. In order to complete the comprehensive examination requirement, students must independently produce a high quality, publishable or near-publishable quality review of the literature in a particular substantive area. Prior work may not be submitted to fulfill this requirement. Students are encouraged to submit their reviews for publication after it is completed but that is not a requirement of the comprehensive examination. Details of the review are described below.
Evaluation and Notification of Results:
Students should notify the Graduate Director of their intents to complete their comprehensive examination requirement using the dates in Table 1. The Graduate Director shall appoint an Assessment Committee for the student’s comprehensive exam consisting of three faculty members including the student’s advisor and inform the student and the advisor of the composition of the Committee.
After notifying the Graduate Director of the intent to complete the comprehensive exam and the Director’s appointment of an Assessment Committee, the student shall develop a proposal outline for their comprehensive exam review outlining the topic, its significance, and the methods to be used in conducting the review (e.g., textual review, meta-analysis, etc.). The proposal outline also should include a preliminary list of at least 15 references from the last 10 years of research that will form the basis of the proposal. Students should assume that the Assessment Committee will need at least 3 weeks to review the proposal outline. The Assessment Committee will review the proposal outline to determine if the topic is appropriate to meet the requirements of the comprehensive examination. The Committee may determine that the proposal is adequate as submitted or may require a meeting with the student to discuss the proposal further. Following approval by the Assessment Committee, students will be allowed to take a semester to complete the review. Students may start the review at the beginning of either the fall or spring semester.
The review should be of high-quality with substantive consideration of the aims and scope of the review, theory, research methods, the question(s) explored, analytic techniques, and future directions for research on the topic. The review should consider literature within the last decade. The review should be of high-quality and should be systematically organized using APA style format. It should not exceed 8,000 words excluding references, Tables, and Figures. The review should be completed independently of advisor input or input from other faculty or students after the review proposal has been approved. The review should be of publishable or near-publishable quality according to the standards of the field, and could be submitted for publication. The calendar for submission dates (proposal due to Assessment Committee; Final Review due to Assessment Committee; and deadline for Assessment Committee decisions) are listed in Table 1.
Table 1: Doctoral Examination Due Dates*
Coursework Completed | Letter of intent to Graduate Director | Proposal Outline Due to Assessment Committee (Committee decision due within 3 weeks) | Final Review Due to Assessment Committee | Committee Decision |
End of Fall Semester | No later than March 1st | No later than April 15th | First day Fall Semester | October 15th |
End of Spring Semester | No later than August 15th | No later than September 15th | First Day Spring Semester | February 15th |
*If any of the above dates falls on a weekend or a holiday, the deadline will be extended to the next business day.
The Assessment Committee will evaluate the quality of the student’s review and will render a decision of whether the student’s review satisfactorily met the standards of the Department (i.e., “pass” or “not pass”). The Committee’s evaluation will be completed within one month of the submission of the review. The Committee’s evaluation of the review shall be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies. The Graduate Director will inform the student of the committee’s decision on the quality of her/his work within 3 weeks of the receipt of the evaluation. Should the committee have concerns about the quality of the student’s work, the student will have one opportunity to improve the quality of her/his work. The resubmission must be completed within a period within a period of 6 months following the committee’s request for revision of the review. Students whose work is deemed not satisfactory on their second attempt will be dismissed from the Program.
Upon successful completion of the requirements for the Doctoral Examination students will advance to the status of “doctoral candidate.”
Doctoral Candidacy
Once a doctoral student has completed all coursework and passed the comprehensive examination, they advance to the status of “doctoral candidate.” This indicates that you have completed all the degree requirements with the exception of the dissertation. Doctoral candidates have five years to complete their dissertation from the date they passed the comprehensive examination.
Dissertation
Dissertation Committee:
Prior to the dissertation proposal defense (see below), a student must identify a committee that will guide and evaluate their dissertation. The committee consists of a dissertation advisor and two additional faculty members. They will serve as the student’s “core committee.” Members of the core committee must be tenured or tenure-track faculty. Typically the core committee is comprised of department or university faculty. In rare cases, faculty from other peer institutions may serve as a committee member.
Dissertation Proposal:
The dissertation is the culmination of a program of advanced study leading to the doctoral degree. It should embody the result of original research that constitutes a significant contribution to the body of knowledge in child development or family studies. It is expected to possess a unity of theme, provide evidence of originality and critical judgment, and exhibit credible literary quality worthy of publication. Prior to beginning their dissertation, doctoral candidates must receive approval from their dissertation committee (see below).
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Using the format below, the candidate must submit a proposal describing their study:
Introduction:
The introductory paragraphs of the proposal should provide an orientation to the study. They establish the overall area of concern, arouse interest, and communicate information essential to the readers’ comprehension of the material to follow. The section includes a description of the problem to be investigated, a statement of the purpose of the study, and an indication of the research question(s) and/or hypotheses to be addressed.
Review of Literature:
This section of the proposal establishes the foundation for the study by providing the link between existing knowledge, previous investigations or contemporary practice. It answers two questions: (1) what is already known and (2) how is this particular study designed to move beyond the extant research in the field. The literature review contains only those studies that provide a framework and foundation for the proposed investigation. These studies are discussed in sufficient detail to make their relevance clear. Pay particular attention to:
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If appropriate, include a description of how the project is related to the theoretical models in the field or how it contributes to the formation of new theory. If this section is lengthy, consideration should be given to having a separate section under the heading “Theoretical Model”, in the proposal. The use of subheadings is encouraged. It is also recommended that the review section conclude with a brief summary of the literature reviewed and provide an overview of the important points that lend credence to the rationale of the proposed study.
Methodology:
The method section includes a detailed discussion of the research design and the procedures used to accomplish the study. The section should include:
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6. Presentation of plans for the analysis of data
Appendices:
Appendices are optional. Students may want to include copies of survey documents or other original materials in appendices. It is recommended that the student consult with their faculty advisor about what documents to include.
Institutional Review Board Approval:
The University and the faculty are ethically and legally responsible for the well-being and protection of all human subjects involved in research, classroom activities, or demonstrations (as required by Public law 93-348). Thus, approval by the Institutional Review Board (I.R.B.) is mandatory before any research involving human subjects may be conducted (see I.R.B. website for exceptions). Therefore any dissertation that involves human subjects must obtain I.R.B. approval. Application forms and instructions can be found at the Office of Research Integrity and Protections website.
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