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The comprehensive examination is designed to foster creative and broad critical thinking. It involves a research proposal, which may be an extension of your present studies, and its discussion in a broader context.

Your comprehensive exam is scheduled by your supervisory committee for a mutually convenient time. According to university regulations, it normally takes place within 20 months after the start of your Ph.D. program, with an upper limit of 24 months. In format it resembles a supervisory committee meeting, except that it is based on a written research proposal and that one faculty member in a relevant area will be added to your committee for this event.

Once a date for the exam is set, you should, with help and input from your supervisor, submit two different topic outlines to your comprehensive committee. The committee will quickly approve one of the topics. About two weeks later, you should submit a draft copy of your proposal to your committee, and receive general feedback through your supervisor. The final proposal is due to your committee exactly three weeks after your topic has been approved.

A meeting will normally be scheduled for the following week, where you will give a 15 minute summary presentation and field questions concerning both the proposal and your general research area. The whole meeting will be completed within 2 hours. The meeting will be chaired by your supervisor or, in cases of direct entry into the Ph.D. program, by the Associate Chair.

At the end of the meeting, the committee will deliberate briefly, and then provide you with their decision and feedback. The possible outcomes are:

1. Comprehensive passed.
2. Comprehensive passed, with some required course work or readings.
3. Retake oral part only, within 2 months.
4. Retake comprehensive, within 2 months.

With proper practice and preparation you should expect to pass your comprehensive. One retake of the oral or of the complete comprehensive is possible if needed, and should take place within 2 months.

Guidelines

How to prepare for the comprehensive exam: Graduate students learn to discuss new research ideas throughout their studies. For example, your supervisory committee meetings are good places to learn how to generate and discuss ideas, and to become familiar with the fundamental concepts in your area of research. The “comp” is just one more opportunity to do this, and also provides good practice for your thesis defense.

How to find good proposal topics: Ideas for proposals often come from current literature or seminars, or may be extensions of your current research or course work. Sometimes it helps to ask yourself what you might like to work on in a new post-doctoral, industrial or faculty position. Proposals may involve the preparation of new compounds, the study of reaction mechanisms, or the design of new ways to measure or predict compositions and properties. Your supervisor will work with you to identify and define two suitable proposal topics. Your two topic outlines should convey the scientific questions, and your excitement about pursuing them. They should each be less than one page in length, and should include a key reference or two.

Format of the proposal: The written document should be 18-20 pages, Times Roman 12 point font, double-spaced, including all figures and tables, but excluding the title page, references, and any table of contents or abstract. The first third of the document should review the relevant literature, and explicitly state the aim of the proposal. The remainder should focus on your proposed research, including key methodology. A carefully written proposal, based on innovative ideas and sound science, will go a long way towards a successful comprehensive.