Non-Thesis Option (Plan 2)
Students choosing the non-thesis option must complete 40 units of coursework (typically 10 courses) and pass a comprehensive examination which includes written and oral components.
Overview of the comprehensive exam.
Plan 2 students are required to pass a comprehensive examination. responsibility for preparing and evaluating a student's comprehensive examination is assumed by the student's M.A. Advisor and Committee. At the discretion of the Advisor, questions may be solicited and evaluated by other members of the Program Faculty. As students’ programs of study differ, so too will the scope and nature of their comprehensive examination.
The planning meeting.
Students on plan 2 should meet with their M.A. Committees in the Spring Quarter of their first year of study to negotiate the nature of their examination and develop a study plan for preparing for it. Students are reminded that they will be enrolled in directed study (CMN 299) throughout the duration of their studies to provide ample opportunity for preparation for the examination. Comprehensive examinations in the program consist of two components: a written examination (essay) and an oral examination. The format for the written examination can include a “sit down” essay examination, a “take home” essay assignment, or some combination of each format. The student's Advisor and Committee, in consultation with the student, will determine the most appropriate format.
The written examination.
At minimum, every student's written examination will cover the core theories and methodologies that define the subdisciplines of social interaction and mediated communication. These theories and methodologies are covered in the core classes and other coursework. It must be stressed, however, that the examinations will go beyond the scope of these courses to address topics that any “master” of communication should reasonably be expected to know. Students will surely be tested, for example, on current trends and controversies in the field. These examinations often ask the student to integrate issues covered across courses and apply theories and principles to new situations. Each examination will also address the student's primary interest area.
Evaluation of the written component of the examination will be the responsibility of the student's M.A. Advisor and M.A. Committee. All written components of the examination must be acceptable to the Committee. The student's M.A. Committee has the option of requiring a rewrite of unacceptable work. Only one revision of written work is permitted.
The oral examination.
The oral examination has the format of a cross-examination, in which students are asked to defend or expand upon their written examination answers. Students will also be asked questions about issues about which any “master” of communication should reasonably be expected to have knowledge. These examinations are open to all members of the Program's faculty and student body.
At the conclusion of the cross-examination, the student and others in attendance will be asked to leave the room. The Committee will then confer and make a determination of whether the student has passed or failed the oral examination. Once a decision has been made, the student will be called back into the room and told of the Committee's evaluation by the M.A. Advisor.
At the sole discretion of the student's M.A. Committee, a second oral examination may be scheduled if a student fails on the first attempt. If the student's performance is unacceptable for a second time, the student will be dropped from the program.
Deadlines.
The written component of the
comprehensive examination must be administered
no later than the last weekday of the
month of April of the student's second year of
study. Oral examinations must be scheduled
no later than the last weekday of the month of
May of the student's second year of study.
