2.9 Comprehensive Examination

All students who do not complete a Master’s Thesis (see 2.10 below) are required to take a written comprehensive examination that is offered annually in late May or early June of the second year of graduate study.  The exact dates of the examination, the format of the test, the passing criteria, and the procedures for taking the test are presented to the students in the spring semester of their second year.  Students must pass all sections of this examination in order to graduate. Of note, all students completing a concentration are also required to pass a separate, specialized comprehensive examination question as part of the concentration requirements, regardless of whether or not they are pursuing a thesis (see 2.12.2.)