The comprehensive examination in international relations consists of two parts, a written exam and an oral exam. It is designed to test students knowledge of the field as a whole, not simply their knowledge of materials from specific courses. As such, it requires that students have thought about the field as a whole, and about how materials from various courses that they have taken and research that they have undertaken fit together. It also requires that they be current on the state of the field and of the debates within it. The written exam is a take-home exam, that consists of three questions to be addressed over three days for Ph.D. students for whom international relations is the primary field, and two questions over two days for Masters students and Ph.D. students for whom international relations is the second field.
All students answer the same first general question on international relations theory.
One question per subfield will be on the exam, and students will be able to choose among them. The exam will be made up of broad-gauged essay questions designed to test students knowledge of the literature in the field, ability to use the literature in constructing an analytically coherent argument, and ability to apply a critical perspective to the literature. They will have to make a coherent argument in your answer, along the lines of the guide below. Answers should be written as if for an article, including explanations of concepts new to the reader, but not of general ideas each student should know. Argument should flow logically and empirically, building toward your conclusion.