Comprehensive Examinations: Written
All examinations and the defense of the dissertation must be scheduled with the approval of all committee members. They may not be performed on weekends or when the University offices are closed for holidays.
Each doctoral student must pass a written comprehensive examination that is designed, administered, and evaluated by the graduate faculty of the major school and by other qualified individuals as specified by the program advisor. This examination may not be taken until the student has:
- been granted regular admission to the degree program;
- filed an approved plan of study;
- completed at least 36 semester hours (60 semester hours if baccalaureate only student) of work applicable toward the degree -- at least 24 semester hours must be UNC credit;
- maintained a grade point average of at least 3.00 in his/her graduate degree program;
- had a doctoral committee appointed by the Graduate School;
- obtained approval from the program advisor to take the exam.
The major school is responsible for scheduling the date, time, and place of the examination(s). Each student must check the school requirements at the beginning of his/her program.
Once the comprehensive examination session begins, it is considered a take of the examination. If the student leaves the examination session and does not return, the examination will be considered taken and the exam will be evaluated accordingly.
Once the examination has been evaluated, the program advisor must submit a signed report form to the Graduate School indicating a pass or failure of the examination.
The results of the comprehensive examinations, proposals and defenses must be reported to the Graduate School no later than the semester following the examination or defense or the Graduate School may require a repeat of the examination.
A retake may not be scheduled during the same semester that the original examination was completed. Failure of the retake of the examination or its equivalent will result in the termination of the student's degree program.