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In addition to the course requirements, students must take and pass two comprehensive exams.

The student and the student’s supervisory committee decides the topic of each exam. While both topics relate to the student’s research for the thesis or project, the first comprehensive exam topic should be “broad” in scope, while the second topic should be “narrow” in scope. After the student and the supervisory committee identify the comprehensive exam topics, the student should develop a list of readings on the topic. Typically, this includes a blend of 25-30 academic articles, book chapters, and/or books. After the student drafts the reading list, he or she should send it to the committee for comments and feedback. Once the student and committee finalize the list, the student should study the readings on the list. When the student feels prepared to take the comprehensive exam, he or she should work with the committee and the administrative assistant of Arctic and Northern Studies to decide a day and time to sit for each exam. The committee is responsible for designing the exam question and passing it along to the administrative assistant. The exam’s format is a sit-down, three-hour session in which the student responds to the question on a computer. Although the student may have a list of references, no notes or other resources are allowed during the exam. The administrative assistant gives the student the exam at the beginning of the session, and the student must send his or her response to the administrative assistant at the end of the session. The supervisory committee will grade the exam on a pass/fail basis. Full-time M.A. students typically sit for the first exam at the beginning of their third semester of study and second exam a month or two later. Part-time M.A. students typically sit for their first and second exams during their second or third years of study. Once the student passes the second comprehensive exam, he or she advances from M.A. “student” to M.A. “candidate.” After the student passes both comprehensive exams, he or she and the committee must submit to the Graduate School two forms: Report on Comprehensive Exams and Advancement to Candidacy. 

Finally, students must write a thesis or project (non-thesis) under the supervision of their committee.

Although both the thesis and project are academic pieces of writing that require original research, the thesis is standard academic research that engages theory and contributes to a scholarly literature, while the project may address a practical issue for a specific policy audience or community or may be a more creative undertaking. Typically, students who choose to write a project work alongside an organization, institution, or government to meet a practical need for it and its audience/membership. Projects often include images and creative formatting and are made publicly available. Recent project-writing students have partnered with the local hockey community, Cold Climate Housing and Research Center, and the Copper Valley School Association.

Students periodically meet with their committees to discuss their thesis or project research. Their committee provides them with comments, suggestions, and other feedback to help them develop their thesis or project. When the committee believes they are ready to defend the thesis or project, they will do so in a public forum, presenting and fielding questions from the committee and audience. Students must register to graduate by February 15 and defend in March for a May graduation and register to graduate by October 15 and defend in November for a December graduation. Upon defending the thesis or project, students and their committee must complete the Project Defense Report or Thesis/Dissertation Report. Once the committee has approved the final version of the project or thesis, students and their committee must complete the Project Approval Form or Thesis/Dissertation Form. 

The supervisory committee is a committee of at least three faculty members who guide the student through comprehensive exams and the thesis or project.

Although the Director of Arctic and Northern Studies advises students on coursework, the supervisory committee should do so also, and it approves comprehensive exam topics and reading lists and grades comprehensive exams on a pass/fail basis. It also supervises the student as he or she works on research for the thesis or project, providing advice and suggestions, giving feedback on drafts of chapters, and evaluating the defense and final version of the thesis or project.

The supervisory committee consists of a chair and at least two non-chair members. The chair must be a full-time UAF faculty member who works closely with Arctic and Northern Studies. The second committee member could be a core or affiliate Arctic and Northern Studies faculty member or another faculty member outside Arctic and Northern Studies but at UAF. The third committee member could be a core or affiliate Arctic and Northern Studies faculty member, another faculty member outside Arctic and Northern Studies but at UAF, or someone outside UAF who has expertise necessary for the research. 

Full-time students should assemble their committees ideally no later than during their second semester, while part-time students should assemble their committees no later than towards the end of their coursework phase. Upon assembling the committee, the student and the committee should complete the Appoint/Change Committee Form, the Graduate Study Plan, and Report of Advisory Committee. Students must meet with their committees at least once a year and submit the Annual Report, which consists of a student-generated narrative and the committee’s assessment of the student’s progress. Because this report is due no later than May 15 each spring, most students hold their committee meetings in spring semester. These forms are located on the Graduate School website.

Students must have an advisory committee consisting of at least four faculty members.

The committee chair must be affiliated with the Arctic and Northern Studies program. At least one other committee member should be affiliated with the Arctic and Northern Studies program. All committee members must have an earned Ph.D. Students and their committee must submit the Appointment of Advisory Committee form early in the student’s program. In the first year, students and their committee must meet and complete a Report of the Advisory Committee and Graduate Study Plan. In subsequent years, students and their committee must meet at least once and submit the Report of the Advisory Committee after each meeting.

In addition to coursework, students must complete three field papers.

Each field paper should relate to the dissertation. It can be on a topic, methodology, or theory. In each paper, students must identify, summarize, and critique a literature. After writing the field paper, students should be knowledgeable enough to be able to teach a course or write an article based on the field paper. Field papers are roughly 50 papers (they can be longer or shorter), and students usually take at least a year to write all three. Students must orally defend their field papers in a meeting with their committee and an outside examiner. (Note that this meeting should occur after students write all three papers, not after the completion of each paper.) All committee members must approve all field papers before students can advance in the program. After the successful completion of the three field papers, students and their committee will submit the Report on Comprehensive Exam.

Finally, students must write a dissertation proposal and the dissertation itself.

When ready, students must defend their dissertation prospectus in a meeting with the committee members and an outside examiner. When students successfully defend their dissertation proposal, they advance to candidacy, and students and their committee must complete the Advancement to Candidacy form. Once students are ready to defend their dissertations, they must hold a public defense with their committee members and outside examiner (and ideally fellow students and university/public community members). Students and their committee must complete the Report on Dissertation/Thesis/Project Defense. Often, the committee asks students to make changes to the dissertation based on the defense. Once the committee is ready to approve the dissertation, students and their committee must submit the Approval of the Dissertation/Thesis/Project form.

Students are responsible for requesting an outside examiner for the dissertation prospectus defense and the dissertation defense with the Request for Outside Examiner form.

For other information, please consult the Graduate School and the Arctic and Northern Studies Program Director.