Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination is taken by each student upon completion of all or most coursework and is meant to demonstrate competence in the general field of management and in the student’s area of specialization.
The exam is administered by the Department of Management. It is an open book written exam, 15 hours in length and divided into two separate exam days. The first day is 9 hours long, and the exam consists of three questions. One question covers research methods and the other two questions cover Core Management Topics, in organizational behavior/human resource management and in strategic management/organization theory, identified by the Graduate Committee as those that every management student should know. The second day is 6 hours long and consists of two questions covering the student’s area of specialization. One specialty item will be in the student’s general area (e.g., OB, strategy), and the other specialty item will be more narrowly defined. The student will negotiate with his/her comprehensive exam committee to identify his/her specialty domain.
