Graduate Student Advisory Committee

Every university, every college, and even departments have different procedures for comprehensive examinations (as they are called in our program). These are exams that you take after you have completed the majority of your course work. For a masters degree that typically occurs during your second Spring semester. For Ph.D. students it will vary on when you start the program, what your background is, and your third area of study.

The comprehensive exams given by our program will, almost without exception, require you to sit for a minimum of six hours of written examinations. Masters students will either take two 3-hour exams or three 2-hour exams depending on if they have chosen to write in a third area of study. Ph.D. students will take three 3-hour exams and depending on the third area may write the third area exam at a different time. Some students will also be given an extra hour for every three hours of exams. Typically this is for students whose first language is not English or students who need accommodations.

Ph.D. comprehensive exams typically are given on the last Thursday and Friday of September and second Thursday and Friday of February. Master comprehensive exams typically are given on third Thursday and Friday of October and March. Exams can be written during the summer session and the dates are usually near the end of June. It will be useful to know that you must be registered for a class during the semester you write your exams. So if you plan to take the exams during the summer session you will need to be register for some course.

For more information on comprehensive exam policies and schedules, please visit the following site:

Office of Teacher Education and Student Services

Please contact the webmaster regarding comments or issues

at scott-wood@uiowa.edu or joann-moore@uiowa.edu

Graduate Student Advisory Committee

Educational Measurement & Statistics

Information on Comprehensive Exams