Administration

  1. Once each academic year, the chair of the SLP Graduate Governance Committee schedules oral comprehensive examinations for students nearing graduation. During the last semester of graduate study or at some time after 75 percent of a student's program has been completed, he/she will present comprehensive examination portfolio materials relating to courses and clinical practicum experiences performed over the duration of the program of study. This comprehensive examination will require students to integrate material from various courses and clinical experiences. A student who completes a Master's thesis is exempt from this portfolio exam but performs an oral defense of the thesis.

  2. The SLP Graduate Governance Committee will appoint a Comprehensive Examination Committee to listen to, question, and grade a student as he/she presents comprehensive exam portfolio materials. The committee will include three Graduate Faculty members and at least one Clinical Supervisor from the Department. Membership on Comprehensive Examination Committees will differ across students.

Guidelines for Oral Exams

  1. A student either completes an oral portfolio exam or an oral thesis defense as the comprehensive examination.

A. Oral Portfolio Exam: Over the course of their graduate programs, students will develop and retain artifacts based on academic and clinical experiences. In preparation for Oral Comprehensive Exams, each student will prepare a PowerPoint presentation based on three self-selected artifacts. Details regarding artifact development, collection, storage, and selection, as well as the structure of the oral portfolio presentation and exam appear on a designated Canvas site.

The Comprehensive Examination Committee will use the Summative Examination Rubric to grade the portfolio presentation in each of four areas: foundational knowledge, application and use, analytical processes, and communication. The Comprehensive Examination Committee will reach a consensus grade of Unacceptable or Acceptable to rate the student's presentation in each area. Faculty may ask questions during or after the presentation.

B. Oral Defense of Thesis: This option is only available to students who have completed a Master's thesis. Until the time a student declares his/her intent to pursue Option A (i.e., a Master's thesis), he/she must develop, collect, and store artifacts according to the same timeline stipulated for all other students. However, once the student declares the intent to pursue Option A, he/she is exempt from further development, collection, storing, or presentation of portfolio artifacts. The oral exam defense of a student's thesis is administered upon completion and review of the thesis by the student's thesis committee in accordance with the procedures set by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

II. Deadline dates for submission of the completed Final Examination Report, removal of incomplete grades, and filing application for the advanced degree and graduate are available on the Graduate Studies website. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with the dates for meeting the various requirements for graduation and to assume responsibility for complying with those requirements. No exceptions are permitted for late submission.

III. The Graduate Coordinator will file the Final Examination Report form with the Office of Graduate Studies within four weeks of the comprehensive exam presentation/oral defense of thesis during the Fall and Spring semesters and within three weeks during the Summer semester.