Communication and Development Studies Written Comprehensive Exam Procedure

The procedures for the written comprehensive exam are as follows: 
1. All written comps in Communication & Development Studies will be scheduled in the
final quarter of study, usually in the sixth or seventh week of classes.
2. Each student wishing to take the written examination must:
a. Select three faculty members, representing the three major components of
the degree (communications, geographical area, research or development
specialization). At least one committee member should be from the School of
Telecommunications.
b. By the second week of the quarter in which the exam will be taken, the
student must submit the Notification of Intent Form to the ComDev Studies
Program Director listing the names of the three faculty members on the exam
committee. The student will also submit a Comprehensive Exam Reading List
Form, which lists each faculty member along with assigned readings for each
component covered on the exam.
3. The examination committee members will prepare several essay questions designed to
test the student’s understanding of the components studied. Essay questions, so far as
possible, will be interdisciplinary in nature, addressing the interrelationships among the
disciplines selected for the program. The Program Director will assemble the questions in
final form.
4. The student will be given four hours for the total written comprehensive examinationtwo hours for the communications core question and one hour each for the geographic
area and development specialization questions. The student may use a computer or pen
and paper to write the exam.
5. Each faculty member will read and evaluate his or her questions and submit the results
in writing to the Program Director as soon as possible after receiving the answers.
6. After review, the result can be one of the following:
1. Unconditional Pass
2. Conditional Pass The student is required to take an oral 
examination OR a follow-up examination. 
The conditional pass could be the result of 
having received a Pass for one or two 
components and a fail in the other(s). In that 
case, the student may be re-examined in the 
failed component(s). 
ONLY one re-examination is permitted. 
3. Fail This would be the result of having failed all 
components examined. The student may 
retake the written exam ONLY once after he 
or she completes remedial work as 
determined by the examining professors.The 
examination can ONLY be rewritten at the 
regularly scheduled time in a following 
term.