Written and Oral Comprehensive Exams

DMA and PhD Exams: General Policies and Deadlines

The Doctoral Comprehensive Examination is composed of written and oral components but it is regarded and evaluated as one entity. Since the examination is comprehensive in nature, it is designed to assess the student’s breadth and depth of knowledge. Questions typically address topics that require the student to synthesize coursework completed in both master's and doctoral degrees. Questions also encompass general musical and pedagogical knowledge acquired through professional experience. The examination, both written and oral, may be taken when the student has successfully completed all significant required course work. For DMA students, this excludes the final semester of applied music, ensemble, the Doctoral Lecture Recital, and the Doctoral Portfolio. The Supervisory Committee, led by the Supervisory Committee Chair, determines the content of both the written and oral examination questions and ensures an appropriate distribution and balance of questions.

Students are encouraged to seek advice from each member of their Supervisory Committee about preparing for the comprehensive examination. Members of the Supervisory Committee may make suggestions for study, but they are not permitted to reveal the actual questions prior to the exam.  

Exam Planning and Scheduling  

Comprehensive examinations may only be scheduled during the academic year. An examination schedule is published at the beginning of the academic year. The published schedule is determined in consultation with timelines published by the UNL Office of Graduate Studies within the Doctoral Steps to Completion page. A general outline of this timeline is outlined in the table below.

Note: Doctoral students are required to be in candidacy approximately 7 months prior to the date they wish to defend their dissertation/document. This requirement is the primary reason for the published timelines.

The Supervisory Committee must approve the scheduled dates for both the written and oral examinations. Students should begin to plan for these dates early in the semester in consultation with their Supervisory Committee Chairs. The oral examination is scheduled at least two weeks after completion of the written examination to allow all members of the Supervisory Committee to read and assess the written exam.  

GKSOM Application for Comprehensive Examination

Students will sign up for written exam dates and times as instructed via email. Both written and oral examination dates and times are recorded on the GKSOM Application for Comprehensive Examination form. At least 10 business days before the written examination is to be held, the student will submit the completed form through the Graduate Forms Submission Portal. The GKSOM Graduate Program Coordinator will then route the form to all Supervisory Committee members. If the form is not filed within these time limits, the date of the examination is not confirmed, and the student is required to set new dates. For DMA students: Supervisory Committee members will sign this form twice—first, to indicate their approval of the scheduled written exam and availability for the tentatively scheduled oral exam, and second, to indicate that the applicant’s written exam answers warrant scheduling of the oral exam.

DMA No Related Area

DMA With Related Area

PhD with or without Related Area

DMA Comprehensive Exams

The DMA Comprehensive Examination is designed to evaluate the student's ability to synthesize knowledge, apply theoretical and historical concepts, demonstrate analytical skills, draw conclusions, and substantiate those conclusions. 

Students will use designated GKSOM computers to write answers for the written comprehensive exams (exception: on recommendation of the Supervisory Committee Chair, composers may use their personal computer and notation software for questions involving music composition). The written examination is composed of the following: 

(1) Applied major area (8 hours in two, four-hour segments). The student will be asked to discuss the literature of his/her area from various perspectives, including historical, theoretical, pedagogical and performance practice perspectives.

(2) Minor/Related courses (1 ½ hours)  
**for students who have declared a formal minor or related area only 

DMA Supervisory Committee Responsibilities

Early in the semester during which an advisee plans to take comprehensive exams, the Supervisory Committee Chair (SCC) should begin to work with their advisees to go over details for the administration of both written and oral comprehensive exams. Immediately upon student submission of the GKSOM Application for Comprehensive Examination, the SCC begins the process of soliciting questions and directions of study for the written examination. The SCC then circulates the written examination questions among the Committee via e-mail for approval and submits the questions to the GKSOM Graduate Program Coordinator in preparation for the exam. The SCC must provide clear instructions for the exam (order of questions, dates to which the questions are assigned, etc.). The Graduate Program Coordinator must receive the written questions in final form at least 3 business days before the first day of the scheduled written examination, or the examination will need to be rescheduled. The SCC also provides directions of study to the student or instructs the student to contact the writers of exam questions for directions of study.

Guidelines for questions in related areas or formal minors:

• When the related area or formal minor is outside music, the Supervisory Committee Member representing that area furnishes the questions.
• When the related area is music history and literature, the examination is based on courses taken and will presume extra reading and thorough acquaintance with the contents of those courses.
• When the related area is pedagogy, the examination is based on additional information that extends beyond the expectations for the applied major area listed above.
• When the related area is music theory, the student will be asked to synthesize material from two or more theory courses listed in the Program of Studies.
• Where the related area is focused on another aspect of music study, the Supervisory Committee Chair should consult with one or more faculty members in the related area to construct an appropriate examination.

Upon completion of the written examination, the GKSOM Graduate Program Coordinator will distribute the student responses to members of the Supervisory Committee. The student will also receive a copy of their responses in preparation for the oral examination. 

One week after the final day of the written exam, the GKSOM Application for Comprehensive Examination will be routed a second time. If the committee members determine that the written exam responses warrant proceeding to the oral exam, they will sign the form. If committee members determine that the written exam in its entirety or any portion of the written exam is unsatisfactory, the committee will then discuss options for having the student retake specific portions of the written exam or waiting until a subsequent semester to retake the entire written portion of the exam. In this event, the oral examination may be postponed, allowing the student to retake the written examination components at a future date determined by the Supervisory Committee. A third attempt at the written examination is not permitted.  

All members of the Supervisory Committee, including the outside member, are expected to be present for the oral examination. The committee member from outside of the Glenn Korff School of Music may ask questions during the oral portion of the examination but does not normally participate in creating the written portion unless the student has completed a sequence of courses in the professor's field of expertise.  

Oral Examination

The oral examination is flexible and wide-ranging in content. Students should consult with the Supervisory Committee Chair to review expectations for the oral examination. Although the oral examination is comprehensive, its focus will primarily center on the material covered in the written examination.

The comprehensive exam in its entirety is graded on a pass/no pass basis. If the student successfully passes all aspects of the comprehensive exam, the student is automatically eligible to be admitted to Candidacy for the degree (see below). If the student receives a no pass on any segment of the examination, the student may retake the segment(s) at a future date to be approved by the Supervisory Committee. A third attempt at the oral examination is not permitted. 

Note: Should the Supervisory Committee determine the student has failed the comprehensive examination, a letter must be submitted by the Supervisory Committee Chair to the Dean of Graduate Studies stating the conditions under which the student may attempt another examination, or part thereof, not earlier than the following academic term. 

PhD Comprehensive Exams

PhD (Music Education): Annual Evaluation and Comprehensive Exams

All Ph.D. Music Education students are required to pass both written and oral comprehensive examinations for admission to candidacy, following guidelines outlined in the Graduate Studies Bulletin. Full-time PhD students in residence are expected to achieve candidacy before the end of a twenty-four-month period of study. The candidate must complete and successfully defend a dissertation proposal and later defend a dissertation of original research before receiving the degree.

Annual Evaluation

The PhD in Music Education prepares students for careers in higher education and provides opportunities to experience faculty responsibilities in the areas of teaching, research, and service/outreach. At the end of each academic year faculty will review each student’s performance in the areas of teaching and professionalism, research, and service.

Year 1 Annual Review Artifacts

• CV-A review of accomplishments that reflect developments in the student’s career
• Teaching-A digitally recorded teaching demonstration and one-page self- and peer-evaluation of the teaching experience
• Research-A research-based paper in the form of a manuscript submittable as an article to a music research or practitioner journal that demonstrates writing and critical thinking ability in the field of music education. The manuscript must comply with the publication guidelines of a specific target journal in the field.
• Service/Outreach-Students, in cooperation with their advisor, will arrange for service opportunities appropriate to the student’s interest areas.
• Reflective statements in the areas of teaching, research, and service/outreach that demonstrate the student’s professional development.

Year 2 Annual Review Artifacts

• CV-A review of accomplishments that reflect developments in the student’s career
• Teaching- A digitally recorded teaching demonstration and one-page self- and peer-evaluation of the teaching experience
• Research-Most recent version of Year 1 Research Artifact, updated in light of the peer-review process of the journal to which it was submitted, and an additional research-based manuscript submittable for publication. Students must also provide evidence that their work has been submitted for presentation in an on-campus or off-campus research venue.
• Service/Outreach-Students, in cooperation with their advisor, will arrange for service opportunities appropriate to the student’s interest areas.
• Reflective Statements in the areas of teaching, research, and service that demonstrate the student’s professional development.

Comprehensive Exams

Students pursuing the Ph.D. in Music (Music Education) are required to submit a Comprehensive Examination Portfolio to their Supervisory Committee prior to their oral examination which includes the following:

• CV – A review of accomplishments that reflect developments in the students career  A short essay (2 pages maximum) describing long term professional goals
• Digitally recorded teaching demonstrations, self- and peer-evaluations from annual evaluations
• Results of the written comprehensive examination. Exam questions will be provided by the Chair of the Supervisory Committee. Questions relevant to the student’s Program of Studies will make up the exam. The format of the exam requires that the student not only demonstrate the ability to write with ample access to existing literature in music education but will also demonstrate the ability to write without the aid of those printed or electronic resources.
• Question 1 will be in the format of a position paper. Students will use the advice to contributor’s guidelines from Update or the Music Educators Journal for the length and format of the paper. The paper topic will be given by the Chair of the Supervisory Committee, and the student will have one week to complete the paper.
• Question 2 will center on a discipline-related topic chosen by the Chair of the Supervisory Committee. The student will have 2 ½ hours to compose and answer to the question.
• For students who have declared a minor or related area, a written examination question will be given and will center on a discipline-related topic chosen by the Graduate Faculty Member from the minor area who also serves as a member of the Supervisory Committee. The student will have 1 hour to compose and answer the question. Alternative: At the discretion of the Supervisory Committee, minor or related area content may be incorporated into written questions in the student’s major area.
• Most recent versions of Year 1 and Year 2 Research Artifacts, updated in light of the peer-review process of the journals to which they were submitted.

The dissertation proposal will normally be presented and defended in combination with the oral exam following the written comprehensive exam.

PhD (Piano Pedagogy and Vocal Pedagogy): Annual Evaluation and Comprehensive Exams

All Ph.D. Piano Pedagogy students are required to pass both written and oral comprehensive examinations for admission to candidacy, following guidelines outlined in the Graduate Studies Bulletin. Full-time Ph.D. students in residence are expected to achieve candidacy before the end of the fourth semester, following the procedure articulate below. Once candidacy has been achieved, the candidate must complete and successfully defend a dissertation of original research before receiving the degree.

Annual Evaluation

Year 1 Annual Review Artifacts

• CV-A review of accomplishments that reflect developments in the student’s career
• Teaching-A digitally recorded teaching performance and one-page self-evaluation of the teaching experience
• Research-Development and submission of research for presentation in an on- or off-campus research venue appropriate for the discipline of piano pedagogy.
• Service/Outreach-Students, in cooperation with their advisor, will arrange for service opportunities appropriate to the student’s interest areas.

Year 2 Annual Review Artifacts

• CV-A review of accomplishments that reflect developments in the student’s career
• Teaching- A digitally recorded teaching performance and one-page self-evaluation of the teaching experience
• Research-- A research-based paper in the form of a manuscript appropriate for submission to a music research or practitioner journal that demonstrates writing and critical thinking ability in the field of piano pedagogy. The manuscript must comply with the publication guidelines of a specific target journal in the field.
• Service/Outreach-Students, in cooperation with their advisor, will arrange for service opportunities appropriate to the student’s interest areas.

Comprehensive Exams

Portion 1: Professional Portfolio

• CV-A review of accomplishments that reflect developments in the student’s career with regard to teaching, research, and service
• Digitally recorded teaching performances with self-evaluation and research artifacts from years 1 and 2.

Portion 2: Written Exam

The student will have 4 hours to answer four questions on discipline-related topics chosen by the Chair of the Supervisory Committee in consultation with the committee. Questions relevant to the student’s Program of Studies will make up the exam. The format of the exam requires that the student demonstrate the ability to write without the aid of printed or electronic resources.

For vocal pedagogy students who have declared a minor or related area, a written examination question will be given and will center on a discipline-related topic chosen by the Graduate Faculty Member from the minor area who also serves asa member of the Supervisory Committee. The student will have 1 hour to compose and answer the question. Alternative:At the discretion of the Supervisory Committee, minor or related area content may be incorporated into written questions in the student’s major area. (NOTE: piano pedagogy students typically do not declare a minor or related area.)

The dissertation proposal will normally be presented and defended in combination with the oral exam following the written comprehensive exam.

PhD Supervisory Committee Responsibilities

Early in the semester during which an advisee plans to take comprehensive exams, the Supervisory Committee Chair (SCC) should begin to work with their advisees to go over details for the administration of both written and oral comprehensive exams. Immediately upon student submission of the GKSOM Application for Comprehensive Examination, the SCC begins the process of developing and circulating the written examination questions among the Committee via e-mail for approval and submits the questions to the GKSOM Graduate Program Coordinator in preparation for the exam. The SCC must provide clear instructions for the exam (order of questions, dates to which the questions are assigned, etc.). The Graduate Program Coordinator must receive the written questions in final form at least 3 business days before the first day of the scheduled written examination, or the examination will need to be rescheduled. The SCC also provides directions of study to the student. 

Guidelines for questions in related areas or formal minors:

• When the related area or formal minor is outside music, the Supervisory Committee Member representing that area furnishes the questions.
• Where the related area is focused on another aspect of music study, the Supervisory Committee Chair should consult with one or more faculty members in the related area to construct an appropriate examination.

Upon completion of the written examination, student responses are initially graded by the Supervisory Committee Chair and distributed to all members of the Supervisory Committee. The student will also receive a copy of their responses in preparation for the oral examination. 

If committee members determine that the written exam in its entirety or any portion of the written exam is unsatisfactory, the committee will then discuss options for having the student retake specific portions of the written exam or waiting until a subsequent semester to retake the entire written portion of the exam. In this event, the oral examination may be postponed, allowing the student to retake the written examination components at a future date determined by the Supervisory Committee. A third attempt at the written examination is not permitted.  

All members of the Supervisory Committee, including the outside member, are expected to be present for the oral examination. 

Oral Examination

The oral examination is flexible and wide-ranging in content. Students should consult with the Supervisory Committee Chair to review expectations for the oral examination. Although the oral examination is comprehensive, its focus will primarily center on the material covered in the written examination.

The comprehensive exam in its entirety is graded on a pass/no pass basis. If the student successfully passes all aspects of the comprehensive exam, the student is automatically eligible to be admitted to Candidacy for the degree (see below). If the student receives a no pass on any segment of the examination, the student may retake the segment(s) at a future date to be approved by the Supervisory Committee. A third attempt at the oral examination is not permitted. 

Note: Should the Supervisory Committee determine the student has failed the comprehensive examination, a letter must be submitted by the Supervisory Committee Chair to the Dean of Graduate Studies stating the conditions under which the student may attempt another examination, or part thereof, not earlier than the following academic term.