IV. GENERAL DEPARTMENTAL ACADEMIC DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

THE PsyD COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION

ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY WRITTEN PROGRAM SEGMENT of the Comprehensive Exam

The Organizational Psychology Special Area written qualifying examination, asks students to present in American Psychological Association journal format--not to exceed 30 pages in total length--an article written to address an intellectual question essential to the field.

Currently, students have two alternatives for meeting this requirement: (1) the comparative analysis of a case selected by the faculty and using two significantly different theories; or (2) an original article of sufficient merit in the minds of two faculty to justify submission to a major scholarly journal in organizational psychology. Normally students are expected to select the first option.

Option 1. Students select two substantially different theories, to analyze the case material and to prescribe interventions. At least once in their manuscripts and more often where possible, students should base their analyses and prescriptions on systematic empirical research. The theories selected should be readily identified by title and appropriate citations. Explicit links should be made between concrete events in the case and abstract concepts from the theories. In carrying out a comparison of the theories, students should recognize areas where the theories agree, where they disagree, and where they differ in complementary fashion.

Option 2. Students should consider revising for publication a paper already completed in course work. In thinking about whether to suggest this alternative to a student, faculty should bear in mind that the written work should be the equivalent in intellectual breadth and depth of Option 1. Furthermore, when two faculty members agree to supervise the revision, the work should be judged to contain either the seeds of becoming or the realization of already being an original scholarly contribution. Before the revising process begins, faculty and student should agree upon one or more specific journals as appropriate outlets for the revised manuscript. After being judged acceptable, the manuscript should actually be submitted to the identified journal.

Regardless of option selected, all students taking the exam will be provided a guiding bibliography reflecting the program faculty's judgment about writings essential to their conceptual understanding of the field. This bibliography will be subdivided into theoretical, empirical, and editorial sections.

Grading of the WRITTEN ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM SEGMENT of the Comprehensive Examination

Readers of the journal manuscripts are selected by the Program Director. Each manuscript is read anonymously by at one program faculty. Each examination receives a grade on the five-point scale and written feedback from grader.

Examinations that receive grades of 1, 2, and 2.5 pass. Examinations that receive grades of 3 or 4 by the grader does not pass and must be rewritten once after student receives substantive feedback and have an opportunity to discuss matters with the grader.

A formal letter will be sent to the student by the Dept. Chair shortly after grading has been completed indicating successful completion or necessary remediation.