Master's students are required to take a single comprehensive examination, which may be oral or written.

• If the student and committee agree, an oral examination may be combined with the thesis defense.
• If the student and committee decide on a written comprehensive exam, or an oral exam separate from the thesis defense, the student and committee should agree on:
  • The specific academic areas in which the student will be examined.
  • Scheduling for each exam component (if applicable).
  • The format of the exam and testing conditions (e.g., time available per question, open or closed book).
  These details must be communicated to both the student and committee in writing.

Students may receive a pass, conditional pass, or fail. In the case of a conditional pass or fail, the committee shall inform the student of the schedule for a resubmission or retake.

After completing the Comprehensive Exam, students are required to submit the official Report on Comprehensive Exam form.

If you have any questions, please consult the UAF Academic Catalog or contact the Graduate School.

Ph.D. students are required to take both a written and an oral comprehensive examination.

Written Examination

• The form of the written examination is determined by the graduate advisory committee in consultation with the student. Students may contact the Graduate School to discuss the examination structure. The written exam may include an oral follow-up component.
• The student and committee should agree on the exam areas, scheduling, format, and testing conditions (e.g., time limits, open/closed book). These details must be provided to the student and committee in writing.

Oral Examination

• The oral examination may consist of a formal defense of the Ph.D. research proposal. An external examiner selected by the Graduate School will attend the Ph.D. oral comprehensive examination.
• It is the student's responsibility (not the advisor's or committee chair's) to submit a formal request for an outside examiner.

Students may receive a pass, conditional pass, or fail for either exam. In the case of a conditional pass or fail, the committee shall inform the student of the schedule for a resubmission or retake.

After completing the Comprehensive Exam, students are required to submit the official Report on Comprehensive Exam form.

If you have any questions, please consult the UAF Academic Catalog or contact the Graduate School.

• A student may attempt the written and oral exams a maximum of three times each. However, individual academic departments may establish stricter limits on the allowable number of attempts.
• Conditional Pass: The committee shall inform the student in writing of the exact scope and schedule for resubmitting the exam.
• Fail: The committee shall inform the student of the schedule to reattempt the examination.
• Reporting: Submission of the official Report on Comprehensive Exam form is required after each exam attempt.