COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION POLICIES
MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
PROGRAM
JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL
JUSTICE
(Revised March 2001 for immediate
implementation)
NOTE: Material in bold represents
the changes associated with this revision
- All MPA students are required
to complete and pass Preliminary Examination and a Comprehensive
Examination.
- The Preliminary Examination
(commonly referred to as the Foundations Examination or "Foundations
Comps") includes material associated with PAD 700, PAD 702, and PAD
705. Students are required to register for these three foundation courses,
PAD 700, PAD 702 and PAD 705 within the first 15 credits of course work,
and to take the Preliminary Examination no later than the end of the
semester following completion of the three courses.
- The Comprehensive Examination
(commonly referred to as the Capstone Examination or "Capstone
Comps") includes material associated with the remaining foundation
courses in both the MPA and MPA-IG Program. Students are eligible to take
the comprehensive examination if they will have completed 30 credits
during the semester in which the examination is taken. Students will also
need to have taken, in a prior semester, the Preliminary Examination
("Foundations Comp"). The Comprehensive Examination
("Capstone") includes material associated with PAD 715 and PAD
751 (for all students), PAD 743 (MPA students) and PAD 740/742 (MPA/IG
students).
- Both the preliminary and
comprehensive examinations are given twice during the academic year, once
in the Spring and once in the Fall. Fall examinations are administered
in early October, Spring examinations are administered in early March.
(Effective Fall 2001)
- Both the preliminary and
comprehensive examinations are closed book essay exams, consisting of
three one-hour parts, in which students answer questions that have been
published prior to the examination. Questions for the Fall examinations
will be published to students in early April during the preceding Spring
semester. Questions for the Spring examinations will be published to
students on or about November 10 during the preceding Fall semester.
- Exam results will be
posted three weeks after the exam date, and counseling relative to exam
performance may be obtained between April 15 and May 15 in Spring
semesters and between November 15 and December 15 in Fall semesters.
- A student is allowed two
successive attempts at passing the comprehensive examination. A student
who has failed the examination twice may apply to take the examination a
third time provided a plan of study, including the retaking of a course or
courses or the taking of additional courses, has been approved by the
appropriate graduate program director.
- A student who has passed
five of six parts of the two comprehensive examinations, and has failed
the remaining part twice, shall receive an automatic PORTFOLIO REVIEW. In
that review, all of the student's grades for the five "pass"
parts and the student's TWO grades for the remaining "fail" part
will be averaged. If the resulting average score is at or above the
passing grade, that student shall be certified as having passed the
comprehensive examination.
- The transition between the
"end of semester" comp exam testing schedule and the new
"mid-semester" testing schedule will be effectuated in the
following manner in order to accommodate students whose graduation hinges
on taking the Capstone and Foundations examinations in May 2001. Questions
for both the "Foundations" comprehensive examination and the
"Capstone" examination will be published on or about March 20,
2001. Capstone examination students may take the Capstone examination on
either May 11, 2001 or on October 12, 2001. Foundations examination
students may also take the Foundations Examination on either May 11, 2001
or October 12, 2001.
- Beginning in Fall 2001,
all MPA comprehensive examinations--Foundations and Capstone--will be
given only in October and March.
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