Comprehensive Exam Proposal Evaluation Guidelines
The following guidelines for how to evaluate a Comprehensive Proposal document are provided to each examiner. If you are preparing your proposal document, use these guidelines to help you meet all the required criteria
The new comprehensive exam format replaces our previous thesis proposal exam. The students have been given guidelines for preparation of the document that can be found here: Comprehensive Proposal Guidelines.
The purpose of the Comprehensive Examination is to ensure that students have demonstrated the qualities that will allow them to successfully work towards completion of a PhD. These include a detailed understanding of the background and requisite knowledge for their research area, a clear understanding of the methodology required for their research, an ability to organize themselves, their ideas and plan their research in a realistic way. They must show an awareness of problems that might arise and be able to develop practical strategies to overcome them. Students must be aware of how their research fits within their discipline and be able to evaluate its impact on the field in general. The new Comprehensive Exam differs from the previous Proposal in that student must include results that demonstrate they are making satisfactory progress towards their objectives. The document must show that the candidate can communicate effectively.
A student who does not submit their Proposal document before the end of PhD 3 will be considered to have failed.
Students who fail the Comprehensive Exam are allowed a second attempt between 4-6 months following the first attempt. A second failure will result in Withdrawal from the University.
The following are things to consider when deciding on your evaluation.
Thesis Components - are all the required components of the proposal present and respect the page limits appropriately? There is a limit of 30 pages for the document. The page numbers given for each section are guidelines.
- Title (one sentence)
- Contents (1 page, not included in the page limit)
- Abbreviations (not included in the page limit)
- Abstract (1 page)
- Background (9 pages)
- Hypothesis and Specific Aims (1 page)
- Research Strategy, Implementation and Methods (8 pages)
- Troubleshooting (3 pages)
- Results (4 pages)
- Significance (1 page)
- Research Plan (3 pages)
- Figures and Tables (included in the page limit)
Background - has the background to the proposed research been presented adequately? Has sufficient breadth and depth of knowledge been demonstrated? Does the background provide a clear foundation for the proposed hypothesis?
Hypothesis and Aims - is there a specific hypothesis stated? Does the hypothesis refer to a general concept, model or prediction? Are there specific aims given. Are these aims research ideas that will lead to tests of the hypothesis? The hypothesis and aims should not refer to specific use of methods.
Research Strategy - Are methods presented in sufficient detail to convince you that the student understands what is required and will be able to carry out the work? Is there a specific strategy of experimental work provided that will achieve the listed aims? Is there a demonstrated awareness of any critical aspects of the work, any likely ways in which the plan could fail, an awareness of why one approach would be better than another?
Troubleshooting - A defining characteristic of a PhD is the demonstration of critical thinking. It should be clear that the student understands the strengths and shortcomings of their proposed research. They must demonstrate they understand the idea of controls, how and why they are used and what types of controls are required, appropriate and inappropriate. They must also demonstrate sufficient understanding of the statistical methods used to assess the quality of their data.
Results - Sufficient results must be presented to convince you that the student can actually carry out research work and that they have been productive.
Significance - Does the student demonstrate a good understanding of the impact their work will likely have in the field
Research Plan - There must be a Timeline given for the work the student intends to do. This Timeline should be realistic and allow for setbacks and troubleshooting. You should be convinced that the student has a clear plan to complete a majority of their research work by PhD 5.
Overall - Does the student demonstrate critical thinking in deciding what information to include or exclude? Does the student communicate ideas well? Is the general presentation style of high quality. Is the quality of spelling and grammar high?
