Comprehensive Exams & Major Area Paper

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS

Comprehensive examinations consist of two sections, each of which have two questions: General/Integrative (G/I) and Research Area/Specific (RAS). The GI section covers an integration of the following topics: Psychometrics, assessment, psychopathology, ethics, therapy/interventions, clinical research methods, diversity, development, and history and systems. These questions are written and graded by the Clinical Area Comps Committee, which has at least four clinical faculty members. The RAS section is based on the student's area of research interest. These questions are written and graded by the three clinical faculty members of the student's dissertation committee.

For both sections, exams are completed at home during a specified period of time and are submitted electronically. Faculty grade the answers and give written feedback. Students are allowed to revise their answers once if needed based on the committee's feedback. Students must have completed their core course work and their thesis before sitting for comps. Exceptions to the course work requirement are as follows: (1) You may have one Research Methods course remaining, and (2) Three advanced graduate courses/seminars may remain (as long as you are enrolled in at least two of the three).

Students must defend the Master's thesis successfully one full month prior to the first day of exams and be approved by their major professor to sit for exams. An application form will apply. Please note that this does not mean that the student must have the final revisions of the thesis completed and accepted by the graduate school. However, if considerable changes are required by the thesis committee, the student's major advisor has the option of requiring that all revisions be completed prior to granting approval to take the Comprehensive Exams.

Comprehensive exams are given for the clinical are twice a year. Fall G/I comps are given on the first Friday of October and Spring G/I comps are given on the Friday of Spring Break.

MAJOR AREA PAPER OPTION (MAP)

Students who are in good standing in the program have the option of requesting to write a Major Area Paper in lieu of the comprehensive examination.

Approval. Approval must be granted by the student's major professor and doctoral committee. The major professor should first contact each dissertation committee member (before the student does) to discuss whether the student would be an appropriate candidate for the MAP option. The student will provide the committee with a written proposal for the Major Area Paper (including an outline, elaboration on the scope and depth of the paper, and list of references). This written proposal will be discussed in the proposal meeting with the committee. The committee will then help the student develop a plan of action to complete the Major Area Paper.

The student may discuss with the major professor and any other faculty only conceptual issues related to the major area paper. The major professor and other faculty may not discuss or coach the student on issues surrounding the actual writing of the major area paper. The major professor should not see a written product until submitted to the committee, however, the student may consult with the major professor on the outline of the paper.

Scope and Goals of the MAP. The MAP should represent a critical review of one or more areas of psychology that has not been reviewed in the last three years. It must fill a gap in the literature. A sophisticated, critical analysis of the literature is expected. The review should integrate information from within the particular subject area, incorporate material from other relevant areas, and establish implications for the field. The manuscript should reflect a synthesis – not merely a list or description of studies, but a perspective that is greater, more meaningful, and more parsimonious than the sum of its parts. Use of meta-analytic methods is legitimate and may be a desirable option. Both the manuscript and oral presentation should demonstrate the student’s expertise, an advanced awareness of the pertinent theoretical and methodological issues. We recommend that students closely examine various high quality review journals for examples of successful papers; e.g., Psychological Bulletin, Clinical Psychology Review, Clinical Psychology Science and Practice. Students should also ask committee members for good examples of review papers written by others in the program.

Evaluation. The committee’s evaluation goal should not be simply to decide whether the paper meets a minimal "satisfactory" level of performance. Rather, the committee’s approach and evaluative responses should be modeled after the journal review process. Outcomes may also take a similar form; i.e., ranging from "accept" "accept with minor revisions," "revise and resubmit," to "reject." If the committee concludes that the student is unable to produce an acceptable revision, they may recommend that the student take comprehensive exams. It is anticipated that the project will take between six and twelve months. However, the committee in consultation with the student will decide the actual time for completion of the work.

Student Choice. The MAP option is an excellent, highly recommended choice for select students who want the opportunity to pursue an in-depth analysis of a particular topic of interest. It should not be viewed as simply a requirement that is interchangeable with comprehensive exams. Students must realize that more than one post-proposal meeting to incorporate the committee’s recommendations is possible.