Doctoral students take two comprehensive exams covering foundations and research coursework. Exams are now solely offered as take-home, open-book exams. Direct any questions to the Associate Director for Graduate Programs (AD).
Open-book Comprehensive Exams
Take-home, open-book exams are offered once per academic quarter on the first Monday of October, February, May, and June.
...
A free version of SPSS may be downloaded at the SPU Student Software Instillation wiki page. If you are using a Mac computer and are experiencing download issues with SPSS, follow these directions: https://servicedesk.msstate.edu/TDClient/45/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=2016
Here is a second article about SPSS compatibility with Mac software and hardware:
https://www.ibm.com/mysupport/s/defect/aCI3p0000004Khs/dt243265?language=en_US
Scheduled Dates for the 2024-2025 Academic Year
Sign-up
| Last Day to Sign Up | Last Day to Withdraw | Exams Distributed | Exams Due | Results Returned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9, 2024 | October 2, 2024 | October 7, 2024 | November 4, 2024 | December 16, 2024 |
| January 6, 2025 | January 29, 2025 | February 3, 2025 | March 3, 2025 | April 14, 2025 |
| April 7, 2025 | April 30, 2025 | May 5, 2025 | June 2, 2025 | July 14, 2025 |
| May 5, 2025 | May 28, 2025 | June 2, 2025 | June 30, 2025 | August 11, 2025 |
General Instructions
Questions will not be released to students in advance (since this is an open-book exam). In answering the questions, students may use any relevant resources. However, answers and questions should NOT be discussed with anyone else. Exam questions will be randomly selected by the graduate program’s office.
- Read the prompt carefully. Unpack the verb and consider what that verb expects you to do. Consider and address each portion of the question adequately and thoroughly.
- Define all terms that you use. Be as clear and specific as possible. For example, saying you are a constructivist means you should define and describe what a constructivist educator is and does.
- Illustrate a concept or key term with specific examples; for example, when you mention the history of Horace Mann and common schools, you need to offer us insight into that history.
- Provide relevant theories and citations to support your claims. Do not cite research that is not peer-reviewed or well-known, as research should be foundational.
- Write concisely and clearly. Evaluate if your answer follows in a logical sequence.
- Check for typos and stylistic errors.
Foundations Procedures
There are 2 parts to the foundations comprehensive exam:
...
It will take approximately 4-6 weeks for the exam to be graded. The exact timeframe may be adjusted depending on the number of exams that need to be reviewed and the availability of reviewers during that cycle.
Research Procedures
There are 3 parts to the research comprehensive exam:
...