According to the Graduate Bulletin, the following should be done during the first semester:

1. Get your supervisory committee together (3 professors: 2 from Adult Ed., 1 from outside of Adult Ed.)
2. Fill out your program of studies form, have it signed by the required folks, and have it on record in 108 Stone.

• Register for ADE 8966 the semester you want to take the comps--you can get the reference number from one of the department secretaries.
• Do all of this as early in the program as possible and in no case later than the beginning of the semester one semester before the comps. Remember, you must have clearance from the College of Education; to have clearance you must:

1. Have a recorded supervisory committee
2. Have a recorded program of studies
3. Be registered to take the comps.

• Also remember to be extra nice to the folks on the administrative side of things--you're not the only one taking comps!

Usually you take them during the semester you're finishing your coursework. However, you'll decide with your major professor on the specific date. Taking them at the beginning or in the middle of a semester gets them out of the way for you and gives your committee time to read and react to your exam responses without being under the "end-of-the-semester" gun.

Officially, this is a responsibility of your supervisory committee. In actual practice, your major professor prepares and/or solicits questions from the committee members. Usually the questions don't come from faculty outside your committee, but on occasion they have. 

They don't call them comprehensive for nothing! The exam brings together the major areas in which you have studied. This means that your exam will be tailored to your area(s) of knowledge. It is expected that your responses will reflect the knowledge you have gained from all of your courses, not just those taken from your supervisory committee.

The core courses of the master's program act as an organizing framework for the questions you get, but you will be expected to draw on what you've learned in other courses outside of adult education as well.

8 fun-filled hours. You'll have two hours per question--one two-hour question per core course and one two-hour question on your outside area. There are several options as to how you'll take the exam: In-house or a combination of in-house and take-home. You could, for example, do an eight-hour in-house exam or you could break it up into two, four-hour exam days. You'll decide with your major professor what the best format is for you--certain kinds of questions may be more appropriate for an in-house exam rather than a take-home, for example.

Yes, in part. You will meet with your major professor to discuss the kinds of questions that you'll be asked. You can also meet with the others who are writing questions for you to get an idea of what they'll be looking for in your responses. Remember, if you know exactly what your questions will be, your committee will expect more details in your answers. If the questions are of a more general nature, you'll have a little more freedom in answering them.

Naturally, your professors want to see that you have a comprehensive understanding of what adult education is, but they also want to see that you can connect what you've learned to real life practice. Also, they want "proof" that you not only took the courses, but learned something from them as well--this means that they do want some truly adult ed. specific stuff. For example, anyone could come up with a definition for adult education, but you are not anyone! Think about the definitions you have encountered, agree/disagree with them and be able to say why--in other words, this ain't the time to try and "make something up." As for the styles of questions, if you're not continuing your studies after the master's level, you might be given questions that are more "application" oriented. For those of you travelling on to the specialist's or doctoral programs, the questions may be more conceptual in nature.

12-15 handwritten pages (6-7 typed pages, double-spaced with 12 point font) is the average length for each two-hour question. You can use a portable computer or a PC in the computer lab in Stone, or you can type up your results at home after the exam. For the latter option, your original hand-written exam will be stamped to indicate that it is the original. You will be allowed to do minor editing (e.g. running it through the spell-check) of the exam. The original copy will then be given back to your major professor and typed copies will be given to all of your committee members.

Professional courtesy to faculty allows 10 working days to read and respond to the exams, but it reality it can take a couple of weeks.

Nobody likes to talk about this one, but it does happen. If you really bombed on the exam, your committee members will want to know why and they will set something up to have you tell them why--basically, you'll need to re-demonstrate your comprehensive knowledge. They may, for example, ask you to come in and orally defend or rewrite some or all of your exam questions, but it could be much more informal than this. All, some, or only one of your committee members may want to meet with you informally to talk about your answers. We all have bad days--nobody's gonna laugh at you and then just boot you out of the Stone Building!

The following questions are very general adult education questions for the comprehensive exams. Remember, your questions will also expect you to relate what you know about adult education to other courses/areas of expertise that pertain to you.

The art and science of teaching adults (Andragogy) is different from the art and science of teaching children (Pedagogy). In no more than two (2) hours discuss the forgoing statement. In your discussion identify the differences between adults and children that have implications for the education of adults. You should also identify the major factors that inhibit and/or facilitate adult learning and explain how knowledge of these factors can be used by those who are responsible for designing or implementing adult education programs.