Students are eligible to sit for comprehensive exams in the final semester of their doctoral coursework. Apply to take the comprehensive exams by completing the form found at http://elpts.ua.edu/forms/compappl.pdf. This form should be faxed to Edward Guy at 348-2161. You may check on its arrival by emailing Edward at eguy@bamaed.ua.edu.  (Gadsden Center students may complete the application at the Gadsden Center, and the Center staff will forward it.) Students must have completed all course requirements and removed all grades of "I" from their academic record before sitting for exams. If students are in the last semester of course work, they may write their exams in the same semester. The Program of Study committee selects questions that reflect the individual needs of the doctoral student. The chair of the Program of Study committee disseminates the questions to the examination proctor, coordinates the evaluation, and reports the results The examination will be given once a semester on the same day during the same hours in Tuscaloosa and Gadsden. Typically, the exams are scheduled on a Saturday that falls between the 8th and 10th week of the semester. All examinations will last six hours: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. The exact date of the examination will be published on our website during the first week of classes. The comps administered in the summer of 2007 will consist of six questions. Beginning in the fall of 2007, the comprehensive examination will consists of two parts. The first part will ask students to respond to general questions generated by course content. The second part asks students to critique a research article chosen by the faculty. Students may either type or handwrite their examination. No laptop computers will be allowed. A room with sufficient computers will be provided. A minimum of three faculty members will independently read and evaluate the examinations. Each member will rate each response as (1) Strong Pass, (2) Average Pass, or (3) Fail. In response to student performance, the committee will recommend (1) Pass - no oral defense needed, (2) Pass - contingent upon successful oral defense, or (3) Fail. However, any single member of the committee may require an oral defense. An additional faculty member (decided upon by the exam committee) must attend this oral defense. Upon completion of the oral defense, Pass/Fail will be determined by a majority vote. In the event of a tie vote, the Department Chair will cast the deciding vote upon review of the student's written exam and faculty comments. If the Department Chair is a member of the original committee, a non-participating faculty member will be asked to cast the deciding vote. In the event that a person does not successfully meet the requirements for passing the exam, the student will be notified within 4 to 6 weeks and will be given the opportunity to re-take the examination the following semester. Students will be notified of the results of the examination within 4 to 6 weeks of taking the exams.