MA English Studies, MAPW, and MATESOL Policies for Capstones

MA English Studies, MAPW, And MATESOL Comprehensive Exam

Taking the Comprehensive Exam

The student must fulfill all requirements and meet the deadlines set by the Graduate Studies office. If the requirements or the deadlines are not met, the student must wait until the following semester to complete the necessary paper work.

Passing or Failing the Comprehensive Exam or Part of the Comprehensive Exam

• One question failed: the failed question may be retaken the same semester in which in the exam was taken.
• Two questions failed: the student must wait until the following semester to take the exam.
• Three questions failed: the student has not met the requirements to complete the degree
• A single question can be failed only once. For example, if a student fails the Part 1 question, retakes the question, and fails again, the student has not met the requirements to complete the degree.
• A plagiarized exam will result in failure of the comprehensive exam.
• Students cannot use pre-written materials, notes, or outside source materials for the exam. Note: Students very familiar with the content may be able to reference sources, which is acceptable.

Students must pass both the graduate paper and comprehensive exam in order to meet the capstone requirement for completion of the degree.

Exceptions due to extenuating circumstances must be approved by the Graduate Committee and the Department Chair.

Appeal Procedure

If a student has extenuating circumstances that impact his/her ability to perform successfully, they may follow the appeal procedure (refer to link in graduate bulletin).

Completing the Thesis, Creative Thesis, Editing Thesis, or Portfolio

The student must fulfill all requirements and meet the deadlines set by the Graduate Studies office. If the requirements or the deadlines are not met, the student will have to work with the thesis director and postpone completion of the capstone and oral defense (if required) to the following semester