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Graduate studies
Comprehensive Examinations
Every doctorate candidate must write a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination or “Comp” as is often referred by students is an important step towards the award of your Ph.D.
The objective is to confirm the student’s synthesis ability and to ensure that he/she possesses the knowledge and maturity essential to strive in his/her field of study and to conduct an in-depth original research.
The comprehensive examination must start, at the latest, 14 months after the student’s initial registration. The examination, including the written and oral examinations, must be completed by the 4th semester after the student’s first registration. In the case of a re-take, the time allotted may not be more than 3 months and the student is required to once more take the examination in question. Only one re-take may be allotted.
Students, who have not completed their comprehensive examination by the end of the 4th semester of study after their initial registration to a doctorate program, will receive on their transcript the mention "Conditional authorization to proceed". Students who have not completed their comprehensive examination by the next semester will receive the verdict "Not allowed to proceed", leading to cancellation of the candidacy.
The committee should be created before the beginning of the exams and should be comprised of at least three members. It is strongly recommended that at least one of these members be external to the department that oversees the student’s program of study.
This examination allows to assess the knowledge as well as the synthesis and critical analysis abilities acquired by the student in the field pertaining to his/her program of study.
Two weeks before the oral examination, at the latest, students present to the members of the jury, a written document introducing their research proposal, including a critical review of the literature pertaining to their research topic.
During the oral examination, the members of the jury will ask the students questions on the content of their research proposal, on concepts related to the content of the written examination (if need be) and on any related topic that is deemed relevant.
Only one grade is awarded for the comprehensive examination. Following the written exam, the jury can either invite the student to continue his/her comprehensive examination, require that the written examination be re-taken or unanimously declare the comprehensive examination failed.
Following the oral exam, and after deliberation, the jury can declare that the student has either passed or failed the comprehensive examination, or can require that the oral examination be re-taken.
For further details, please refer to the article 75 of the Graduate Studies - General Regulations(*) as specified in the Graduate Studies Handbook or the General comprehensive examination procedure(*) on the Registrar's Offrice website.