The Core is an opportunity to inquire into the fundamental aspects of being and our relationship with God, nature and our fellow human beings.
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There is an established pattern for comprehensive exam dates so students can plan for them well ahead of time. Here are the dates in perpetuity:
3rd Saturday of November - Fall Comps
2nd Saturday of April - Spring Comps
2nd Saturday of July - Summer Comps
As Saturdays are the Jewish Sabbath, we provide exceptions for Tikvah students, with the exams usually falling on Friday or Sunday.
You can only take comps once you have finished coursework or are in the last semester of coursework (no more than 3 credits).
You can take no more than 3 credits in the semester in which you take comps. Comps do not count towards your active status. Therefore, if you plan to only take comps this semester, you must register for the Graduate Readings course. The Graduate Readings course is a placeholder course to ensure active status. Please coordinate with the Braniff office (braniff@udallas.edu) about registration.
You can take comps during any three hour window during normal business hours. You will receive an email informing you of the default time of the exam sometime in the semester in which you take comps. You don’t need to take the exam at the default time, but the morning is preferable. You can adjust the start time of the exam up to four hours in either direction, but to do so, you must notify classical_ed@udallas.edu with the time and time zone in which you intend to take your exam. No matter when you take it, you have three hours from the time you first see the exam. The clock does not stop if you take a break.
The exam is to be completed on a computer, either in Word or in another word processor—starting with blank documents only—and then converted to a PDF. Each exam answer should be saved as a separate file and all the answers, together with the signed proctor form, should be sent back to Dr. Weinhold by the proctor, with the student's email copied, by 3.5 hours after the exam has been started. All of these directions will also be included on the exam.
Ideally, this exam is not to be taken on the student's own computer, and the student should not be signed into any of their accounts. Students will receive copies of their answers well in advance of the defense date, so they need not worry about retaining copies. If a student must use their own computer, this should be indicated on the proctor form.
Please email classical_ed@udallas.edu with any questions.
Please send classical_ed@udallas.edu your proposed proctor's information via this Google Form a month before the exam date. The paper form which you may have seen as a PDF is not to be completed now but on the day of the exam.
Comprehensive exam defenses occur online in twenty minute slots. A Google form will be sent out after the comprehensive exams take place for you to sign up for your slot. You may contact classical_ed@udallas.edu for your exam answers.
Thanks to all proctors for agreeing to help. You can find the proctor form, which will be filled out on the day of the exam (not now) here. Your job is to ensure a quiet environment, to ensure that the test-taker uses no outside resources, and to send the director of the department (pweinhold@udallas.edu) the exam answers when the student has completed the exam. You will receive the exam early in the morning on the day of the exam.
The exam is to be completed on a computer,* either in Word or in another word processor—starting with blank documents only—and then converted to PDF. Each exam answer should be saved as a separate file and all the answers, together with the signed proctor form, should be sent back to Dr. Weinhold by the proctor, with the student's email copied, by 3.5 hours after the exam has been started. All of these directions will also be included on the exam.
Ideally this exam is not to be taken on the student's own computer, and the student should not be signed into any of their accounts. I will send the students copies of their answers well in advance of the defense date, so they need not worry about retaining copies. If a student must use their own computer, this should be indicated on the proctor form.
Note for the proctors: Please follow the instructions on the first page of the exam and send the student's answers back to pweinhold@udallas.edu with a signed copy of the proctor form. You need not strictly follow the start time indicated on the exam, but please limit the student to three hours from the start of the exam. Do not stop the clock for any breaks.
*If a student must use their own computer, this should be indicated on the proctor form.