FAQ
About
M.A. Capstone
Examinations and
Thesis Defenses
(students
should consult the Checklists
for Final Semester & Graduation
1) Does an MA committee, thesis or
non-thesis, have to be made up of faculty
members in one field? For example, does a committee
have to be made up of all
Americanists or all Europeanists?
You may select any three committee members you like, whatever their respective fields, as long as each faculty member agrees to be on your committee. Usually, committee members, especially committee chairs, are faculty with whom you have taken classes, but the only requirement is that a faculty member agrees to serve.
2) How many books do students have to read for the capstone exam?
Three books are usually assigned by each professor on the committee, though this can vary. It is best to work this out with each member of the committee at the very beginning of the semester in which the exam is being held.
3) How should students prepare for the capstone exam?
committee
members should be asked to explain what they expect of each
student
during the course of the semester and what a student should do to
prepare for
the exam.
4) How is the date and time of the capstone exam or thesis defense set?
During the first week of the semester in which the exam is being held,
students
should
coordinate the time and date of the exam with their committee
members. Students
should give the exam time and date information to the
department office by
the deadline listed on the:
Checklists
for Final Semester & Graduation
5) Are students allowed to see the questions asked on the capstone exam in advance?
This depends entirely on each committee member.
6) May students choose the order in
which they answer the capstone examination
questions?
Yes. Students can select the order in which they answer the written questions.
7) How long do students have to write the answers to the capstone questions?
Students will be able to pick up their questions at 8:30 a.m. on the
day of the
exam in the
history office. They are required to turn in their answers as they
complete
each of them, and must complete all of them by 12:00 noon.
Students
may decide themselves how much time they devote to each question.
8) May students bring their own computers to the exam?
Yes, if their committee members approve. If they do not, the department
office
will supply
a laptop computer. In either case, the department will supply
a
floppy on
which the answers should be written.
9) May students leave the examination room during the course of the written exam?
Yes, but for security reasons students should be sure to take the
computer they
are
using with them..
10) What if answers are lost while writing them on a computer?
Students should save their work while writing the answers to the questions.
11) What is the format for the capstone exam and thesis defense?
The oral exam and the thesis defense are in a question and answer format,
but
their
precise form is something each committee decides. Exams usually last
about an
hour or two. The capstone oral exam is generally held in
the
afternoon
of the day on which the student takes the written exam.
12) What material will be included on the capstone oral exam and the thesis defense?
This varies with each committee member.
The thesis defense will generally cover aspects of the thesis. Thesis students
are
strongly advised
to have presented their committee members with first and final
drafts of their
theses long before the date of their defense. Corrections and
revisions to the
thesis should have been made and approved before the defense
takes place.
The subject of the capstone oral exam is something the
student should discuss
with
each of their committee members at the very beginning of the semester in
which the exam
will take place.
13) May students bring notes or
audio-visual aids to the oral portion of the capstone
exam?
Students should ask their committee members before the exam takes place
if
this would
be appropriate.
14) Are students allowed to bring friends or family to the oral exam?
No. Only the candidate, committee members, and, possibly, the MA Graduate Advisor attend capstone exams or thesis defenses.
15) How are students informed of the results of their exams or defenses?
After the exam or defense is complete, the committee will excuse
students from
the room and ask
them to wait in the hall while members discuss the
examination or the defense.
When the committee has reached a decision, it will
call students back into
the room and members will tell students their opinion of
their performance on
either the written and oral portions of the exam or on the
thesis and the defense. The
committee will then inform students whether or not
they have have passed
the exam or the defense conditionally or unconditionally,
or if they have
failed. If they have failed, the committee will inform students if
any remedial work is
possible.
16) Can examinations or defenses be postponed for health or personal reasons?
It is possible, but sometimes difficult because of the complications involved in arranging a new date for the examination or defense. Students should speak with their committee chairs to see if a postponement can be arranged.
17) Is it appropriate for students
to give their committee members gifts after the
examination or defense is over?
No. Committee members are not allowed to accept gifts.