All Graduate Students in Criminal Justice must take Comprehensive Examinations.  Students who opt for the 36 hour program must take Written and Oral Comprehensive Examinations.  Students who opt to write a thesis must complete an Oral Defense of their thesis. 

Questions are written by a committee of at least three members, one of whom may be from the student's minor area. 
 

In order to take Comprehensive Examinations, students must pick up, complete and return a Comprehensive Examinations Form during the first two weeks of the semester in which they intend to take the examination.  The form must be signed by all Committee Members.  Forms are available from the Graduate Director.  Students then must keep in touch with their Committee Chair and Members to insure that the dates for Comprehensive Written and Oral Examinations and Defenses remain the same.  Forms are only valid for the semester in which they are signed.
 

Students are encouraged to speak often with their Committee Members and to pick up study guidelines from them.  Students who are preparing to take Comprehensive Examinations also may pick up sample questions from the Criminal Justice Department's Graduate Director and may arrange with Committee Members to take practice examination questions.

The Written Comprehensive Examinations are taken by Non-Thesis Students. The Written Comprehensive Examination consists of five questions.  The student is given five hours to answer these questions.  The student must answer one question on criminal justice theory, one question on research and advanced statistics, one question on advanced criminal law and procedures, one question on planning and one question from their area of concentration in criminal justice. 

The student, along with their Committee Chair/Graduate Advisor, will decide which faculty members on their committee will construct each of the questions and the student will ask the Committee Member to write a question in one of the test areas.  All questions are generally graded by all members of the committee to determine the adequacy of the response.  If the student passes the Written Comprehensive Examinations they will proceed to the next step, the Oral Comprehensive Examination.

All students must take Oral Comprehensive Examinations. 

In the case of Thesis Students, they must defend their thesis. 

In the case of Non-Thesis Students, they must defend their answers on the Written Comprehensive Examinations.  During Oral Comprehensive Examinations questions will focus on areas where the Written Comprehensive Examinations' responses were judged weak or incomplete.  However, other related questions may be asked by Committee Members.  In the case of exceptional performance on the Written Comprehensive Examinations, the Oral Comprehensive Examinations may be waived by the Committee.

Comprehensive examinations are usually given the first Friday in November in the Fall and the first Friday of April in the Spring.