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A research component must be on file in the office of the dean, Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth College of Business and Professional Studies, prior to applying for approval to take the comprehensive examination.
The research component may consist of any original individual or group research paper completed as a requirement of any MBA graduate course. A research component form may be obtained from the Graduate Office or from the Office of the Dean, Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth College of Business and Professional Studies.
The student will complete the research component form, obtain the signature of the instructor of the course, and return the form and a copy of the research paper to the dean's office. The dean's office will forward the research component form to the Graduate Office and retain the copy of the research paper in the student's file.
The research component requirement must be complete before the student will be eligible to take the comprehensive examination.
Students must pass the Graduate Management Business Exam or the Booth College Comprehensive Exam as a condition of gradation. The comprehensive written examination of four hours is administered in the term in which the student expects to receive the degree. A GPA of at least 3.00 is required to take the examination.
The requirements for the Booth College Exam allow students to choose three essay questions for response from five general MBA areas with the following exception:
As part of the Executive Seminar course, students will take the Graduate Management Business Exam (ETS), a computer-based exit exam. Students who score well enough on the ETS will not be required to sit for the written comprehensive exam. The MBA student with an emphasis in IT Management will be required to write an IT Management emphasis question only.
Each student will select and respond to three essay questions from a group of five questions. The questions are not necessarily course-specific, but cover the disciplines studied during the MBA curriculum. Each question is constructed by a committee of three graduate faculty members familiar with the particular discipline. These same members will grade responses to that question. At least two of the three faculty members must give a passing grade in order for the student to pass the question. The student must pass at least two of the three questions to pass the comprehensive. A passing grade on an examination question is determined by the thoroughness and rigor of the student's response, and should be of at least the same quality as a passing essay (A or B grade) on an hour or final examination.
If the graduate faculty determine that a student has failed the examination, the failing questions are reread by the respective faculty members to reconsider their grading. If the student is still determined to have failed the exam, the student will receive a letter outlining the reasons why he/she failed. The student may retake the comprehensive at the next scheduled examination time. The student is allowed to retake the comprehensive two times.
In preparation for the comprehensive examination, students are encouraged to review their class notes and texts. Additionally, students should be aware of significant current events in the business world, and how class material can be used to analyze these events. Copies of prior comprehensive questions are available in the dean's office, although students are cautioned that questions are seldom, if ever, repeated.
The examination is normally given on a Saturday morning on the Northwest campus approximately four weeks before the end of the semester. Eligible students are notified by letter approximately two weeks before the examination as to the time, location, and date.
Students are encouraged to ask their graduate advisor any questions pertinent to the examination.
The comprehensive examination for students within the MBA-MIS Emphasis program will be the same as for the general MBA except each student will select and respond to one essay question from two questions provided in emphasis and select and respond to two questions from a group of five which represent the content of the course work for the entire MBA program
A student in the MBA-Accounting Emphasis program is not required to respond to an Accounting-Emphasis question if he/she has received a grade of "B" or better in the Accounting Emphasis courses.