Approved September 2026

The comprehensive (general) exam will be administered approximately one month following the completion of the student’s second year in the PhD program, typically in mid- to late-June. In accordance with Graduate School policy, coursework must be substantially completed prior to taking the exam, though it need not be fully completed. Students are encouraged to meet with seminar instructors at any time to receive guidance on preparing for the exam.

 

Structure of the General Exam
 
The exam will consist of the following components, administered over four days:

1. • Written breadth question (~8 hours)
   • Written depth question (~8 hours)
   • Written methods question (~8 hours)
   • Oral examination (~3 hours)

 
Written Questions

The three written questions are largely based on doctoral seminar content, though they may be broader in scope, and are intended to assess the student’s comprehensive knowledge across the respective areas.
 

• For the breadth and depth questions, students are expected to demonstrate a strong command of foundational (theoretical) knowledge, the ability to integrate and critically evaluate theories and research streams, and the capacity to develop research questions and propositions that advance the literature. While the breadth question is designed to be more closely aligned with seminar content, the depth question is typically written by the student’s advisor and is tailored to the student’s specific research interests.
• For the methods question, students are expected to demonstrate a strong command of the various research methods covered across their PhD seminars, including when and why specific methods are appropriate and how to design a rigorous and effective empirical study.

 
Written exam questions will be developed by the faculty who are teaching the PhD seminars in conjunction with faculty who work in each area (i.e., strategy, entrepreneurship, organizational behavior). Each written question will be written and graded by 2 faculty members.
 
Oral Examination
The oral component of the exam focuses primarily, though not exclusively, on the content of the written questions (taking place after completion of the three written questions). Its purpose is to provide faculty with the opportunity to ask questions about the student’s written responses and to allow students the opportunity to clarify, defend, and elaborate on their arguments.
 
Evaluation
Students will receive 3 grades, one for each written question, based on a combination of their written response and oral examination performance. Each question will be graded by the two faculty members who wrote the question.

• If a student fails a question, they will be assigned a new written question in that area and must complete both a written response and an oral defense.
• Students are permitted one re-take per question.
• If a student fails a re-take, the management faculty will then convene to review the case and make a final determination. Failure to pass the General Exam requirement will result in dismissal from the program.
• Successful completion of the general exam should be reported to the graduate school (Office of the Registrar) via the following form: https://registrar.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1604/2018/02/Report-on-General-Exam-Doctoral.pdf

 
Exam Conduct and Use of AI
 
The comprehensive exam will be completed on campus using a school-issued laptop. Students may access a reference manager containing previously uploaded readings and notes but may *not* access the internet, AI software, and/or other external content during the examination. Students’ exams must be entirely their own work. The use of artificial intelligence tools in generating responses is strictly prohibited.