Final Oral Examination
Every graduate student must hold a final oral examination or thesis/creative
component defense. The Graduate College schedules the deadlines for final oral exams and other graduation requirements. For the thesis, the examination may be officially
scheduled two weeks following the first deposit of the thesis manuscript
at the Thesis Office. For the creative component, it is scheduled
for a time at least two weeks after the members of the committee
have received a copy of the creative component. Before granting permission
for the final oral examination, the Graduate College will check to
ensure that the following items have been completed:
• full admission status
• approved POS committee
• approved POS form
• English requirement met
• not on probation
• time limit not exceeded
• diploma form submitted and approved
• registered for term in which exam is to take placed for at least two credits
• overall GPA of 3.0 or above
• no incompletes in courses listed on the POS form
If any of these have not been completed, the Graduate College will deny permission
for the oral exam and inform the student and major professor that
the exam will not be held.
There is $200 available to each graduate student in the Greenlee
School to help defray the costs of the thesis or creative component. Students
must have formed a Program of Study committee and must have an approved thesis
or creative component proposal to receive the award. The award can be used
to pay for costs associated with research, the thesis deposit fee, thesis
or creative component duplication, or any other costs associated with carrying
out thesis or creative component work. See the graduate coordinator for additional information.
A master's final oral examination is scheduled for two hours. All
members of the POS committee and the student must be present for the exam
to be considered valid. Emergency procedures concerning committee replacements
are outlined in the Graduate Handbook.
The final oral exam is a public event, which means that anyone may
attend. Dates and locations of exams may be obtained from the Graduate College
or School. Guests are not permitted to speak during the exam unless specifically
recognized and authorized to do so by the major professor.
During the final oral examination, the committee members may question
the student about matters relating to either the thesis/creative
component or any relevant coursework or readings that have been assigned.
The typical
oral examination begins with a brief presentation by the student
of the results of the thesis or creative component. This is followed
by questioning by all
three members of the committee. In some cases, faculty members ask
all of their questions, and when satisfied, pass the questioning
on to the next faculty
member. In other cases, faculty members may all join in concerning
a key point of discussion. Generally, one goal of the examination
is to assess the studentŐs
abilities in terms of both theory and methodology. A second is to
ensure that the student understands the research that was carried
out, and is capable
of explaining it to others and applying it in general to the field.
The examination typically focuses on issues relating most closely
to the thesis or creative
component. One important objective of the examination is to evaluate the thesis or creative component
and to determine any changes or revisions that must be made.
Some
students think that they are expected to know the answer to every question
posed during the examination. However, sometimes professors
will pose questions that have no correct or single answer to see
how the student thinks through the process and applies what has been
learned. In general,
if a student genuinely does not know the answer to a question, it
is best to say so. Those who try to fake answers will find that the
questioner will
continue along a line of questioning until it is clear that the student
does not know the answer.
When the committee members have exhausted their questions, the student
and others attending will be invited to leave the room. The professors will
then discuss the performance of the student at the examination. There can
be three outcomes of the final oral examination:
1. Pass. A pass indicates that the student has mastered the material of the field, and
has presented a thesis or creative component that meets the standard of the
committee members. Often, minor typographical or other changes may be requested
by members of the committee, but there is a clear indication that the work
has been approved.
2. Conditional Pass. A conditional pass indicates that the student has generally mastered the material
of the field, and has in general completed the thesis or creative component
to the satisfaction of the committee. However, there are some substantive
changes, re-organizations, or re-analysis that have been requested before
final approval is given. It is also possible that there is an area of knowledge
in which the student has been found to be deficient, and the committee wishes
to see evidence of mastery of this area before final approval is given. When
a conditional pass is given, the committee must indicate specifically what
the areas of failing are, and what must be done to remedy them. In some cases,
the major professor may be authorized by members of the committee to work
with the student to see that the deficiencies are remedied. In other cases,
the full committee may decide to review the work again either separately or
together. The committee members will indicate on the Report of Final Oral
Examination form the conditions that are to be met, and these are forwarded to the Graduate College.
3. Fail. When it is the consensus of the members of the POS committee that the student
has not demonstrated mastery of the body of knowledge of the field, or that
the thesis or creative component cannot be approved as submitted, the student
fails the examination.
In cases in which a single member of the committee votes fail while
the other two vote pass or conditional pass, each member of the committee
must forward to the Dean of the Graduate College in writing a justification
for his/her vote. The Graduate Dean will review the results of the examination
and may meet with the committee and/or the student. If more than one member
of the committee votes fail, the student does not pass the examination.
In general, students are advised to follow the recommendation of
their major professor concerning their readiness for the final oral examination.
When the thesis or creative component reaches a point at which the major professor
judges it to be ready, he or she will recommend that the student distribute
it to the members of the committee and schedule the final oral examination.
In some cases, the major professor may suggest one or more additional meetings
with the committee members to work through the thesis or creative component.
In other cases, the major professor may recommend that the student work on
a particular aspect of the thesis or creative component with a committee member
who has the most expertise in the area. If the student believes that he or
she is ready for the final oral examination (and has met the list of requirements
above for scheduling the examination), he or she may request that the examination
be held even though the major professor does not concur. Typically, however,
a student is well-advised not to request the examination until the major professor recommends
it.
Normally, it is expected that committee members will recommend changes
in the thesis or creative component at the time of the final oral examination.
Therefore, students should schedule their time so that they are prepared to
make the recommended changes following the examination. The amount of time
needed will depend on the extent of the changes recommended, and may vary
from a few days to substantial periods of time.
Prior to the examination, some students visit with members of their
committee to see if there are specific concerns or recommendations concerning
material to be covered. Some faculty provide very specific indications of
their interests or concerns. Others do not wish to commit themselves, since
the examination by definition is deemed to cover all graduate work required
for the degree.
