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The Comprehensive Examining Committee will be determined by the student and their advisor and will consist of the student’s advisor and two other academic faculty members, with no more than one HSLS retired faculty member serving on the committee. A maximum of one faculty member from outside of HSLS may be one of the committee members, but only with approval from the HSLS faculty committee members. No more than three members will serve on the committee. The Committee should comprise of individuals who are best suited to evaluate the selected areas of study. The committee typically is the student’s Academic Advisor and Academic Guidance Committee members. The Committee is formed a) after the large majority of academic course work has been taken, and b) following successful completion (final approval) of the Pre-dissertation Project. Prior to taking the written portion of the exam, the student may which to contact the members of their examining committee to discuss general areas of content that may appear on the written exam.

The written comprehensive exam is intended to assess the student’s mastery of the content related to their Major and Minor areas of study, the ability to integrate content across the areas of study, and the ability to articulate thoughts about a dissertation project and potentially initial ideas about a five-year research program. The examination will require the student to prepare written responses related to: 1) one or more integrated questions about the Major, 2) one or more integrated questions about the Minor, and 3a) thoughts about a dissertation project (research questions, brief background motivating the questions, how the proposed study fills a gap in the literature, design and methods, and proper analysis plan), i.e., initial thoughts about one or more potential ideas that could be suitable for a dissertation (note: initial ideas will become more refined with time and with more thought and discussion with the mentor and others) and 3b) preliminary thinking about a five-year research program, i.e., potential ideas about other related studies the student may be thinking of that could be packaged into a broad framework. The written exam will take place over a three-week period, with the student having one week to prepare a coherent and cogent written document for each component. The student is free to use available resources (e.g., notes, texts, literature) to complete the exam. Students will be allowed to keep their written documents and have access to them during the oral exam.

At no time may a student request input or assistance from anyone while completing the exam. At no time may a student share information regarding the content of the exam, in writing or through conversation, with any other person outside of their comprehensive examining committee. Violation of this policy will be addressed as a case of academic misconduct according to HSLS and University policies.

Within ten days of completing the written exam, the Committee will meet to discuss the student’s written responses and come to a consensus as to whether the student has passed each of the three components. If the student has been judged to fail one or more of the components, the Academic Advisor will meet with the student to discuss the area(s) of deficiency and suggestions about how to address the deficiency. The student will be allowed no more than one week to address each area of deficiency (e.g., one week to address a deficiency in the Major, one week to address a deficiency in the Minor). The student will prepare a written document in response to a second question in the area(s) of deficiency. If the student passes the second written exam, they will move forward with the oral portion of the exam. Failure to pass a second attempt at any portion of the written exam will lead to dismissal from the program.

The oral comprehensive exam will take place within two weeks following notification that the student has passed the written exam. The content of the oral exam shall be discussed with the student by their Advisor prior to the oral exam. The content areas will be the same as those addressed in the written exam. Immediately following the oral portion, Committee members will discuss the student’s performance and come to a consensus as to whether the student has passed or failed. This decision will be shared immediately with the student following the Committee’s discussion. If the student passes the oral exam, they will move forward to the dissertation phase. Failure to pass the oral exam will lead to dismissal from the program. The student has one opportunity to pass the oral exam.

Results of the oral and written components of the examination will be reported on the HSLS Doctoral Comprehensive Examination Evaluation Summary form. The results will be reported to the student, the Dean of College of Health Sciences and Professions, and the Office of Graduate Student Services within one week of the completed oral examination.

ÌìÌÃÄñÏÈÉú to candidacy for the PhD is required prior to scheduling the oral defense of the dissertation. ÌìÌÃÄñÏÈÉú to candidacy is achieved upon the recommendation of the student’s Academic Guidance Committee and after the student has achieved the following:

If revisions of the proposal have been recommended by the Committee, which is typical, the student will prepare a revision of the proposal for final approval by the Committee. The approved version of the proposal must then be forwarded to each Committee member. A copy of the approved dissertation proposal must also be placed in the student’s file, at which point the student and their Advisor shall petition for doctoral candidacy.

All research involving human subjects must be approved by the Institutional Review Board prior to initiation of any research activities. Each student is to supply a copy of the IRB approval to be maintained in their file. All ÌìÌÃÄñÏÈÉú policies for the documentation and formatting of the dissertation must be followed carefully.

Once the student has completed their project, prepared a written document of the project in accordance with current University policies, and distributed an e-copy or hardcopy to each Dissertation Committee member at least ten days before the scheduled oral defense, the oral defense meeting may be scheduled. The student and their academic advisor will coordinate a time and date that is convenient for all Dissertation Committee members. The defense should be scheduled for at least two hours.

The Dean’s office must be consulted in scheduling the time and location of the oral defense, per University policies. The College form for Arrangements for the Oral Defense of the Dissertation must be completed at least ten days in advance of the defense date. All University deadlines must be considered in the scheduling process.

The oral exam will be administered by all members of the student’s Dissertation Committee. At least two weeks prior to the scheduled defense date, the Dean and all HSLS students and faculty will be invited to attend the oral defense. Additionally, candidates are strongly encouraged to invite the general University community of students and faculty as well as others close to the candidate. The candidate will present an overview of the dissertation project (approximately 30 minutes), followed by questions from the audience (approximately 15 minutes). Following this open portion of the meeting, the student and Dissertation Committee will meet in a closed session during which the project will be discussed. Immediately following the oral defense, Committee members will excuse the student while they deliberate on whether the project was completed satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily. This decision will be shared with the candidate immediately following the deliberation.

In most cases, revisions will be required. Revisions may be required in any aspect of the dissertation, except the research questions and fundamental aspects of the design that have already been approved during the dissertation proposal phase. If changes are recommended, one of two procedures will be followed, according to whether the changes are considered major or minor by the Dissertation Committee. Committee members are to sign a final dissertation only once final revisions have been made and approved. The academic advisor shall be responsible for recording the changes recommended by the committee and shall supply a written report of recommended changes to the student and to each member of the committee.

Minor Revisions. When only minor changes are necessary, the committee may decide to charge the student with making those revisions and then resubmitting a revised document to each committee member for final approval and signature.

Major Revisions. In the case where major changes are recommended by at least two Dissertation Committee members, the committee shall decide upon the changes necessary for the successful completion of the dissertation. After the student has addressed these changes, another oral defense meeting will be convened. All members of the Dissertation Committee must be present at the follow-up defense. The Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies and all HSLS faculty members will be invited to the follow-up defense. The student may choose to invite others as for the initial defense. Satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance will be determined by the committee in the same manner stated above. If more than one member disapproves the dissertation, the dissertation will be deemed unsatisfactory, and the course of action will rest with the Dissertation Committee.

If controversies or disagreements arise regarding the dissertation and its defense and these cannot be resolved by the Dissertation Committee, the Graduate Committee, in consultation with the HSLS Director, will be charged with the decision making process.

Following the defense meeting, the Dean’s office representative will complete the form for the College Representative of the Oral Examination of the Dissertation and submit it to the office of the Dean and a copy to the Dissertation Advisor.

Following a satisfactory outcome, the dissertation shall be edited in keeping with the dissertation members’ recommendations until a final, acceptable copy is approved by the Dissertation Committee. When the final copy adhering to all School and University dissertation guidelines is submitted, all approving Dissertation Committee members will sign the dissertation and the Report on the Dissertation and its Oral Defense form, signaling acceptance and acknowledgment of completion. The Report on the Dissertation and its Oral Defense form is to be submitted to the Dean’s office and to Office of the Registrar. Bound paper copies of the dissertation are to be filed with the Office of the Dean, the School, and all Committee members. Additional paper and/or electronic copies must be submitted as required by University policy. Voted upon and approved by HSLS Faculty January 24, 2018.