Oral examinations
In the case of a non-thesis oral examination, the committee shall consist of at least two members of the student’s department, including the student’s adviser. At the discretion of the department, a faculty member from another department may be added; that member would be selected by the adviser, the department chair, or the departmental graduate committee chair, according to department policy. For M.A.T. and M.S.T. students, one additional member of the committee is required to be a faculty member from the Graduate School of Education or a faculty member with pedagogical expertise in the student’s discipline.
Non-thesis final oral examinations (including final project presentations) can only be held during regular academic terms, i.e., not between terms. Examinations must be scheduled and completed by the Friday of finals week for graduation in that term. For Summer term graduation, the deadline applies to the regular eight-week Summer Session dates, i.e., exams must be scheduled and completed by the Friday of the eighth week of Summer term.
Passing of the final oral examination requires a majority approval. In case of failure of the final oral examination, the department has the option of disqualifying the student from the master’s program or permitting the student to appear for re-examination after a period of at least three months. The result of the second examination is final.