Comprehensive Examinations

Exam Structure

GOALS
The comprehensive exam aims to help students synthesize, integrate, and critically assess the ideas explored in their social work methods, social science, and field of practice courses. Students should demonstrate knowledge of the primary theories, empirical findings, and methods that apply to their areas.

STRUCTURE

Social/Behavioral Science:
Students must declare their choice of social/behavioral science by the end of the first year/beginning of the second year. Social/behavioral science declarations must be approved by their advisor, with the doctoral program chair providing ultimate oversight.

The Reading List:
Students will propose a reading list of at least 30 seminal articles or books relevant to their field of practice, from the perspective of their social/behavioral science theory and their social work method, for review and approval by their Comprehensive Exam (CE) committee. Though there is no set number of required readings that must be included on the list, a guideline is 30 to 50 publications. The committee may add to the list of readings it deems important or suggest removal of certain readings that may not be considered seminal, prior to approval. Students will be expected to become very knowledgeable about the designated readings, from which questions will be drawn. Students should have their individual lists approved by the end of the 2nd year (4th semester). The student and CE committee members will schedule the exam.

The Exam:
Drawing from the approved list, faculty on the student’s CE committee will draft a total of 6-8 questions incorporating the student's social science perspective, social work method, and area(s) of substantive interest. Questions may be specific to a particular article or book, or may focus on the integration of the student’s various areas of knowledge.

Additionally, students may be asked to draft and submit their own exam question(s). It is up to the discretion of the committee to decide 1) to solicit student-generated questions; and 2) to incorporate the student's question(s) into the exam.

Students will be asked to answer a total of 4 questions.

Students will choose to take the exam either as a 7-hour in-school closed-book exam or as a three-day 30 page (double-spaced) maximum take-home exam, plus an oral exam after the CE committee has reviewed the written component. Exams are to be completed only by the student, without substantive or editorial assistance from others.

Comments to the students need not be provided in the case of satisfactory answers to all questions. In the case of unsatisfactory answers, faculty will indicate areas of deficiency prior to the oral portion of the exam.  Feedback should be given to students as quickly as possible after the written exam.

The oral exams should be scheduled as soon as possible after the written portion, ideally within a couple of weeks. However, if the student and committee are in agreement, a later date may be set.

The CE committee will designate two of its members to administer the oral exam. During the oral portion of the exam, students will be given the chance to elaborate on answers from the written portion of their exam.

Students must pass all questions in order to pass the exam. A unanimous committee vote is required to pass the exam.

In the event of a failed exam, the student will be given the opportunity to retake the comprehensive exam once. The second exam must be taken within 12 months of the first exam. The committee may remain the same or be reconstituted, the reading list will have to be re-approved, and new questions will be asked.

The CE Committee:
Students will be responsible for assembling a three-person examination committee from the CUSSW faculty. The committee should contain at least 1 faculty member from the student's social work method concentration (practice, policy or admin). The committee will approve the student's reading list, draft questions, meet as a group to determine whether the student performed satisfactorily on the written portion of the exam, and (a subset of the committee) administer and evaluate the oral portion of the exam. The committee can enlist assistance from outside faculty with specific expertise for any or all stages of the examination process, as deemed necessary. The committee will determine with the student the schedule for the written and oral portions of the exam.

Integration with the Field of Practice (FOP):
The structure of the FOP will not change but the CE will now integrate knowledge from the field of practice.

The student will declare a social/behavioral science expertise by the end of the first year or beginning of the second year, subject to the approval of their advisor. The social/behavioral science should be relevant to the field of practice and to the social work method.

The doctoral handbook will list possible fields of practice that cut across the different social work methods and social/behavioral sciences.

Students should be allowed some flexibility to specialize in more than one social/behavioral science (e.g., organizational theory). A list of approved social sciences is listed below.

Approved Social/Behavioral Science Concentrations:

• Anthropology
• Economics
• Geography
• History
• Organizational Theory
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology

Application & Evaluation

Sample Exam Questions