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Philosophy MA Comprehensive Exam
Gonzaga University
(revised November 2019)
The comprehensive exam is intended to test basic mastery of the key figures, texts, and topics in
the history of philosophy as encapsulated in a specified reading list (see the list later in this
document). The exam includes a written component and an oral component. The written part is
conducted in two three-hour blocks scheduled within a 7-day period: the first covers the ancient
and medieval periods, and the second modern and contemporary philosophy. In each of the four
historical periods, students select two from a pool of five available questions to answer, for a
total of eight essays on the entire exam. In order to pass the written exam, a student must pass at
least one question in each of the four historical periods and must pass at least six of the eight
essays. After passing the written exam, the student will have a one-hour oral examination before
a panel of three philosophy faculty members. The oral exam typically begins by following up on
weak points on the written exam essays, but also can cover any of the topics and issues in the
exam reading list texts, and broader conversation about the student’s philosophical outlook.
The comprehensive exam is normally offered twice a year: at the beginning of the Fall semester
in September, and at the end of Spring semester in April, with schedule exceptions (and location
changes) allowed for demonstrated student need. Students are expected to make their first
attempt of the Comprehensive Exam in the spring of their first year, and will normally be
expected to repeat it each time it is offered as necessary to pass, up to the end of the student’s
third year in the program. Failure to pass the written exam successfully on the fifth attempt or the
oral exam on the second attempt will automatically result in dismissal from the Philosophy MA
program.
There are several interrelated expectations for the exam. Students successfully completing the
exam will demonstrate understanding of the major philosophical issues in the specified texts,
ability to identify the main philosophical themes of each philosophical author, and capacity for
some measure of philosophically informed critical reflection on those themes. Demonstration of
critical reflection can take a number of forms, such as skillful interpretation that highlights the
philosophical significance of the arguments and themes, placement of the ideas and themes into a
historical context, conceptual analysis, or evaluation of strengths and weaknesses. As a written
test, the comprehensive exam also assesses argumentative writing, with attention paid to
organization, development, and cogency. The exam will be evaluated by means of the
Comprehensive Exam Evaluation Form (included at the end of this document).
Comprehensive exams are understandably stressful and they require a student to perform under
less than optimal conditions. However, a career in academic life includes a number of stressful
evaluation processes—defending a dissertation, interviewing for jobs, preparing for and facing a
classroom of sometimes hostile students, submitting papers for publication, and so on. Learning
to perform under stress is a necessary skill to develop as an academic, and the exam provides an
excellent opportunity to develop that skill.
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