Both the doctoral and master’s project and oral examination are constructed to test the candidate’s knowledge and competencies as a practitioner in his or her profession.

The candidates will discuss with the Dean their areas of interest. Books, journals and other material will be reviewed. From these sources, questions to be asked at the oral examination will be developed. Where appropriate, case studies may be the major content for the examination. The candidate will present to the Dean a minimum of sixty annotated pages of double-spaced notes. After these notes have been reviewed and accepted by the Dean, they will be the basis for the questions to be asked at the oral examination.

The candidate will appear before a panel of experts, including the Dean, for a one and one half to three hour examination. The University has determined that a superior approach to the traditional academic format is to have two or three candidates appear together. The result is a non-competitive atmosphere where examiners and candidates have the opportunity to exchange ideas and information. An environment eliminating the focus upon a sole candidate reduces stress and enables the examiners to better judge the qualifications of those seeking their degree.