Senior Exit Exams

The THEC and MTSU require seniors to take specific proficiency exams during their final semester. The required exams are General Education and Major Field Tests.

General Education

All university graduates must complete a group of basic courses known as the General Education Core. The courses provide students with a solid foundation for acquiring higher-level knowledge in their chosen field of study. Undergraduate students demonstrate their basic knowledge by taking a General Education exam the semester they graduate. MTSU's current General Education exam is the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST).

The exam,which is administered by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Planning, and Research (IEPR), is given to all seniors who will graduate with a bachelor's degree. Test dates are scheduled during summer, fall, and spring semesters. Testing sessions last approximately one hour.

You may call IEPR office for additional information at (615) 494-8803 or email iepr@mtsu.edu.

Testing Schedule for Fall

Frequently Asked Questions

CCTST Score Interpretation

2006-07 General Education Report

2007-08 General Education Report

2008-09 General Education Report

2009-10 General Education Report

2010-11 General Education Report

2011-12 General Education Report

Major Field Test

The purpose of the major field test (MFT) is to evaluate students' knowledge in their major field and to assess the curriculum within each major. All graduating seniors complete various assessment activities specific to their major field of study. Some programs establish the MFT as part of the graduation requirements and require their students graduating in either the fall or spring semester to take the exam.Graduating seniors in some majors are not required to take a major field test, per regulations within the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) Performance Funding Program. Alternate assessment methods are utilized in those majors.

An academic program maybe exempted from administering a major field test to graduating seniors if one of the following conditions applies: (From Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2010-15, July 2010 Performance Funding Guidelines page 10 no. 11) 

• Program is a certificate program.
• Program is is a performance-oriented program in the fine or performing arts.
• Program is interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or self-designed to include several related fields.
• Baccalaureate programs that have not generated an average of 10 students per year, or a minimum of 50 graduates during the time period 2004-05 to 2008-09.  Associate programs that have not generated an average of 10 students per year  or a minimum of 30 graduates during the time period 2006-07 to 2008-09.
• Program is in phase-out or inactive status at the beginning of the cycle.  If a program becomes inactive during the cycle, the scheduled program shall be exempt from the major field test requirements.
• New programs approved during the 2010-15 performance funding cycle that have not reach maturity will be exempt from the testing requirement.  Program maturity for associate degree programs is in a three-year period after implementation; program maturity for  baccalaureate  programs is a five year period after implementation.  New associate degree programs approved by the Commission after the 2010-15 cycle begins, unless they are excluded due to one of the other exemptions and reach program maturity  during the cycle must be scheduled for testing.  Since baccalaureate  programs require five years to reach maturity, new baccalaureate programs that were approved after July 2010 would not mature until 2015 and thus would be exempt from the major field testing requirement.

Administration of the major field test is coordinated by Testing Services. You may call MTSU Testing Services for additional information at 615-898-2863 or email them at testing@mtsu.edu.

• MFT Performance Funding Reporting Year
• Creating a Locally-Developed MFT

Departments wishing to change to a different national exam or modify the locally developed tests should contact the office of IEPR for requirements.

Test instruments used in the major field assessment vary by program. Provided below are the assessment instruments currently in use.

Educational Testing Service (ETS)
-	Accounting	-	Information Systems
-	Biology	-	Management
-	Business Administration	-	Marketing
-	Business Education (non-licensure)	-	Mathematics
-	Computer Science	-	Music
-	Economics	-	Office Management
-	English	-	Physics
-	Entrepreneurship	-	Sociology
-	Finance	-

Area Concentration Achievement Test (ACAT)
-	Agribusiness	-	Plant and Soil Science
-	Animal Science	-	Political Science
-	History	-	Psychology
-	Industrial/Organizational Psychology	-	Social Work

Diagnostic of Undergraduate Chemistry Knowledge (DUCK)
-	Chemistry

Locally Developed Exams
-	Aerospace	-	Family and Consumer Studies
-	Anthropology	-	Interior Design
-	Art History	-	Mass Communication
-	Athletic Training	-	Nutrition and Food Science
-	Concrete Industry Management	-	Philosophy
-	Construction Management	-	Recording Industry
-	Criminal Justice Administration	-	Speech and Theatre (Communication Disorders)
-	Engineering Technology	-	Sport and Tourism Studies
-	Exercise Science	-	Textiles, Merchandising and Design

Licensure Examinations (Counts as Major Field Test)
-	Art Education	-	Industrial Education
-	Business Education	-	Interdisciplinary Studies
-	Early Childhood Education	-	Nursing
-	Foreign Language	-	Physical Education
-	Health Education	-	Special Education

No Major Field Test
-	Art	-	Liberal Studies
-	Biochemistry	-	Organizational Communication
-	Environmental Science and Technology	-	Professional Studies
-	Forensic Science	-	Science
-	Geoscience	-	Speech & Theatre: Comm. Studies, Dance, & Theatre
-	Global Studies	-	University Studies