The Master's Comprehensive Exam (M.A. Comp) is offered three times each year, during the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Students are eligible to take the exam after they have completed 24 credits towards their MA degree.
For the 2023-2024 academic year, the dates are:
Fall 2023
November 20 - November 27
Application Period: October 2 – November 10
(applications will not be accepted before 10/2, final deadline is 11/10)
Spring 2024
March 15 - March 22
Application Period: January 29– March 8
(applications will not be accepted before 1/29, final deadline is 3/8)
Summer 2024
July 15 - July 22
Application Period: May 27 – July 8
(applications will not be accepted before 5/27 final deadline is 7/8)
It is a requirement of these exams that they offer new and original material by the student and do not recycle writings that have already served in other contexts for the major such as course work or application writing samples.
Answers should be drawn from the total course of study as well as material on the M.A.filmography and bibliography, a list of important works provided by the department. Exam questions and answers may also refer to major texts in the field published since the bibliography was last revised. Essays must cite sources and do so using a consistent format (such as The Chicago Manual of Style or MLA Style Manual).