Doctoral students become formal candidates for the degree only after successful completion of the comprehensive examination and
defense of the dissertation prospectus. The application for admission to
candidacy for the degree is available from the Graduate School-Newark and should be
submitted to the director of the Ph.D. program at the time of completion of exams
and the prospectus. The completed form should be filed with the Graduate School
office.
The comprehensive examinations in public
administration are in two parts (theoretical core and research specialization),
each of which may be taken only upon completion of all required coursework in
the relevant area of examination. Comprehensive examination I is given in
January and June of each year. Comprehensive examination II may be taken at any
time after successful completion of comprehensive examination I as well as all relevant
specialization courses. The program recommends that students who complete all
of their coursework on a full-time basis sit for examination I at the
conclusion of the spring semester of their first year, and complete examination
II as early as possible in their third year. All students (including those who
have enrolled on a part-time basis for some semesters) should plan to complete
the examination process by the end of their third year.
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Theoretical Core. A one-day, in-class, closed-book,
written examination consisting of two three-hour answers. Each option will be
based upon courses in the sequence. The exam is graded on an anonymous basis
(i.e., a student will be identified by a code number, not by name) by faculty
members who taught core courses and by a faculty member assigned by the
director of the Ph.D. program. If one faculty member evaluates the exam as a
pass, and the other as a failure, a third faculty member will be assigned to
grade that exam and the majority opinion shall prevail. If both faculty members
evaluate the exam as a failure, the student must repeat the exam for that
question at the next regularly scheduled date. Students should provide notice
of intent to take the examination as early as possible.
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Research Specialization. Two essays, one representing
each of the student's areas of specialization. The essays can be any
combination of a quantitative empirical study, a qualitative empirical study,
or a literature review essay and should be comparable in length, style, and
quality to a journal manuscript. The essays may be extensions of work the
student has done as part of an independent study or other elective coursework
and may be submitted at different times, although the second essay should be
submitted within the same or subsequent semester. For each essay, the student's
adviser (or if the student does not yet have an adviser, a faculty member with
expertise in the specialization) and a second reader (faculty member) review
the essay and prepare written feedback and criticism (similar in style to a
journal's peer-review process); as a result, the student will receive two
reviews of each essay (one from the adviser, one from the second reader). The
adviser, in consultation with the second reader, may decide to require
revisions to the essay. The student will then revise and resubmit the essay,
generally within a one-month period. The student will have only one opportunity
to revise and resubmit the essay(s) before receiving a final grade.
The section of both examinations (Theory Core and
Research Specialization) will be graded as high pass, pass, or fail. A passing
grade on the comprehensive examination requires a passing grade in all
sections: high pass or pass. Each student who takes the examination is
counseled by the Ph.D. director once the grading process is complete for each
section. A student may retake a section once subsequent to a failure. If a
student fails a section two times, the student will be asked to leave the
program, but may appeal that decision to the Ph.D. program committee.
