**The Fall, 2009, comp date is FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2009**
All students on the non-thesis tract, whether they are Sport Psychology, Exercise Physiology, or Human Performance, must take comprehensive exams. Specific information about the exams is as follows:
1. Students are eligible to take the exams following the successful completion of all coursework and are not on academic probation. Students must contact the ESS Graduate Chair in writing (email, postal mail) at least two weeks before the scheduled exam date, and not prior to four weeks, with their intention to take the exams. At this time the student must submit to the Graduate Program Chair a graduation audit worksheet, filled out as much as possible. Only following the graduate chair's approval in writing will the student be allowed to sit for the exam.
The graduation worksheet is available in the document section of this web page. You may also obtain these forms from the ESS Graduate Program Office or the Graduate Program Chair.
Students re-sitting one or all of the exams must email the graduate program chair(dking@ithaca.edu) stating which sections you will be re-sitting. If it is your 2nd or 3rd attempt, and when you last sat for the exam(s).
All students requesting to take the comprehensive exams will receive email confirmation from the Graduate Program Chair on Dec 11. If you require confirmation early please contact the graduate chair (dking@ithaca.edu).
2. Students take three exams in the following order; (a) Leadership - it will start at 8 am, (b) Statistics and Research Methods - it will start at 9:10 am, and (c) Concentration area (i.e., either sport psych, ex phys, or human performance) - it will start at 1 pm. The concentration area test and the stats/research methods test are each three hours long, the leadership test is one hour.
3. All tests are administered on the same day and only two times per year. Students take all exams on the same day. The tests are given after Summer Session II during the first part of August, and again in December on the last day of the fall semester final exams. Specific times are announced each semester. THE 2009 FALL EXAM DATE IS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2009.
4. Leadership is from 8:00 am to 9:00 am in the ESS Conference Room, unless otherwise stipulated.
5. Research Methods & Stats is from 9:10 am to 12:10 pm in the ESS Conference Room, unless otherwise stipulated.
6. Your concentration is from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the ESS Conference Room, unless otherwise stipulated.
7. Test material for the concentration area is on both theory and application required courses. This generally, but not always, means the following:
Specific content area is unique to each professor, so students are encouraged to discuss topic areas and study guides with their professors.
8. Test material for Stats/Research Methods is based on those two courses. See the course instructor(s) for specific material. (If you have yet to go over this material with the course instructor, please see the graduate program chair for more information.)
9. Test material for Leadership is based on that course and applied to your concentration area. See the course instructor for specific material.
10. There are no set number of questions, but for the concentration area and the Stats/Research Methods area there are typically 4-10 questions. In your answers we look for factual understanding, synthesis of material across domains, and the ability to apply the information in new areas.
11. Exams are graded pass/fail and are typically graded within three weeks. Students who fail one or more of the tests are usually given a second opportunity to take the failed exam(s). Students needing to take an exam again must wait until the next time the comprehensive exams are offered.
It is each student's responsibility to check with the Registrar's office to confirm that all graduation requirements have been met, and to set a graduation date. Please do this BEFORE taking the comprehensive exams!
