30.5 Evaluation - General Comprehensive Examination

1. Each student must pass a general comprehensive examination.

2. The examination committee shall be appointed by the Dean on the recommendation of the relevant Department (and Director of Studies in the case of the program in Humanities). The committee shall consist of either three or five members, at least one of whom must come from outside the Department(s) concerned. The student shall be informed of the names of the committee well before the examination.

3. The student and the tutor will normally agree when the student may sit the general comprehensive examination. However, the relevant Department (and Director of Studies in the case of the program in Humanities) must accede to the student's request to sit a comprehensive examination, except that in no circumstances may a student attempt the general comprehensive examination before the student's course program is completed.

4. The schedule for the examination shall be agreed by the student, the tutor, and the examining committee, and shall be communicated by the Dean.

5. The examination shall consist of a written part and an oral part. The time between the written and the oral parts shall normally be from one to four weeks.

6. The oral examination shall be from one to three hours in length, and shall be conducted by the examining committee, and shall be open only to the examination committee and to members of the relevant Department (and Director of Studies in the case of the program in Humanities).

7. A student must satisfy the examining committee in both parts of the examination to obtain a pass.

8. The successful completion of the comprehensive examination is the final academic requirement for the Master of Philosophy Degree.