Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

The Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination is conducted in two parts, referred to as "Comps I" and "Comps II". Comps I is a written exam that is taken in the first or second year of the program. Comps II is an oral exam based upon a written report of original student research. Successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination is required before a student is admitted into Ph.D. candidacy.

Comps II

Successful completion of the Comps II is required before a student is admitted into Ph.D. candidacy. The following are guidelines for the comprehensive examination:

1. At least one week before the Exam, the candidate must provide each member of the Ph.D. committee with a written document representing original research by the student.
2. The form "Application for Admission to Candidacy for an Advanced Degree" must be completed in duplicate by the student. The copy is for departmental use; the original is for the Graduate School. The application must be submitted to the Graduate School at least 14 days before the Comps II Exam is taken.
3. The COMPS II exam must be taken by November 15 of the third year.  This assumes that COMPS I was first attempted during January of the second year; exceptions will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.  The student is responsible for scheduling the Examination.  If the student is not ready for the examination at this time or if committee member travel schedules preclude scheduling, the student should submit an Official Request for Time Extension.  Failure to take the exam in the allotted time frame constitutes a failure of the exam (see #6 below).
4. The Comps II Exam typically requires 2 hours. The candidate makes an oral presentation on the research, typically of about 40 minutes duration, for which attendance is open. The remainder of the Exam consists of questions directed to the candidate by the committee members (closed attendance; only the candidate and the committee). The questions typically pertain to the subject matter and content of the research, but may also be asked on topics outside this area, at the committee's discretion.
5. The Exam is conducted by the Ph.D. Committee. The student’s advisor cannot be the chair of the Examination Committee (although the advisor typically serves on the Committee).
6. A successful candidate must receive the affirmative votes of a majority of the members of the examining board. In case of failure, the examination may be attempted once more after a period of time determined by the Ph.D. committee, which typically does not exceed 3 months. The student is automatically suspended after a second failure.

The goal of the research paper for Comps II is to demonstrate the candidate's ability to conduct independent research. If the student is funded as a research assistant, then the research topic is typically selected to fall within the scope of the research grant providing the financial support for the student. However, the student is expected to select and articulate their own research topic. Varying degrees of guidance may be provided by the research advisor and other members of the research group; however, the student needs to demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research.

Some research papers for Comps II have the scope of a M.S. thesis or are publishable, although this is not a requirement. The length of the research papers of successful candidates has varied widely. A typical length is 25 pages; 10 pages is likely to be too short, while 40 pages may be unnecessarily long. A successful written research paper and examination convinces the Ph.D. committee that the candidate has:

• A thorough understanding of the research literature in the chosen field
• Addressed an original research problem
• Familiarity with the tools and methods of research
• Demonstrated capability to conduct independent research

Ph.D. Exam Committee

The student will establish a Ph.D. committee of at least 5 members of the CU graduate faculty. Three of the committee members must be regular CU faculty members, comprised of 2 ATOC core faculty or research faculty, and one faculty member outside the ATOC core faculty. The remaining committee members may be regular faculty members or others (including scientists from other institutions) that have been approved as members of the CU Graduate Faculty. The Chair of the Ph.D. Committee must be a regular CU faculty member. The membership of this committee must be approved by the Department Chair and the Graduate School. This committee will serve as the examining board for the Comprehensive Examination and the Final Examination and is expected to meet with the student on an annual basis (Note: the membership of this committee may differ from that of the Comps II Exam committee).