PhD Program Requirements

Degree Requirements:

48 credit hours of graduate course work must be taken at TCU. Up to 3 graduate-level courses may be transferred from another school or internally from a pre-PhD graduate degree program allowing a student to meet specific programmatic requirements.

1. 24 credit hours of basic research skills (of which at least twelve credit hours include research analysis coursework such as Experimental Design, Mixed Methods, Ethnography, Qualitative Techniques, Regression Analysis, and so on).

2. 12 credit hours in emphasis courses

3. Two years of pre-dissertation research

4. Written and oral qualifying exam

5. 12 hours minimum in dissertation

6. PhD dissertation

Curriculum Sequence

Research Sequencing within the Curriculum Summary:

Year 1: Exposure to different basic research skills obtained through six HCHS courses (exposure to different research labs, writing styles, research methods, statistical designs, faculty from different disciplines within the chosen track). These research courses are bolded on the curriculum sequencing chart below.

Year 2: Continued participation in research methods coursework and work in the lab of the primary mentor. This year will include heavy involvement in all areas of a faculty mentor's research. The student will also be developing ideas for the dissertation topic..

Year 3: 12 hours of dissertation – minimum to complete degree

Year 1

Fall

Spring

Summer

Year 2

Fall

Spring

Summer

Year 3

Fall

Spring

Grade Requirements

1. A student must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in order to remain in good standing in the Ph.D. program. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below a 3.0 goes on academic warning and will have the next long semester, or subsequent summer enrollment, to raise their GPA to a 3.0.

2. A student who has earned a grade of “B-“ or lower in two Ph.D. courses at the graduate level or who has earned a grade of “B-“ or lower twice in the same graduate level course will be removed from the program. For the purpose of removal, a grade of “B-“ or lower is counted in the student’s academic record, even if the course has been successfully repeated with a grade of “B” or better.

3. A student who receives an “F” in any course, he/she will be dismissed from the program.

4. A student who is admitted to the doctoral program provisionally, based on a low GPA, he/she must complete the first 8 semester credit hours of coursework with a grade of “B” or better in each course. A provisionally admitted student will be dismissed from the program if a grade of “B-“ or lower is made in any course during the probationary period.

5. Valid grades are "C" or higher. A grade of “C-“ and “D” are not valid grades in this program. Plus/minus grading is at the discretion of the instructor of record for “C” or higher grading. 

Teaching Requirements

Teaching undergraduate courses can be a goal of your graduate training program. Each student has the opportunity to participate in two semesters of teaching (equivalent of 3 credit hours of undergraduate coursework per semester). In order to teach in years 2 or 3 of the PhD program, each student must successfully take two pedagogy-related emphasis courses and pass each of those courses with a B or better before moving into the teaching phase.

Residency Requirements

Students are expected to complete a minimum of five consecutive semesters (first two years) of full-time graduate study at Texas Christian University prior to comprehensive exams. Doctoral students holding appointments as teaching fellows or research assistants are considered full-time students for purposes of the residency requirement, provided that the time beyond that required by their appointments is devoted fully to their graduate program. In order to graduate, students must be registered in at least one hour of dissertation during the semester in which they complete degree requirements, and demonstrated enrollment in the semester prior to degree completion as well.

For those accepting a TCU assistantship, the 48 hours as outlined in the curriculum sequence table above must be completed in three consecutive years. If this requirement is not met, a student may continue toward completion of the 48 hours; however, he/she will be required to cover the cost of tuition.

Candidacy Requirements

Upon successful completion of the written and oral comprehensive examinations, a student is accepted to candidacy. The maximum period allowable between matriculation and acceptance to candidacy will be three years. Once in candidacy, a student will have three years to complete the dissertation requirements successfully; this period can be extended only if approved by the Oversight Committee, Major Advisor and the Harris College Associate Dean for Research.

Written and Oral Comprehensive Examinations

After the 36 hours are completed as stipulated in the curriculum sequence chart of non-dissertation courses, each student must pass a written and oral comprehensive examination with a Comprehensive Examination Committee (CEC) comprised of faculty involved in the student's coursework to be evaluated. The PhD Program Director appoints the CEC in consultation with the Major Advisor, Oversight Committee, and student. These examinations will be written with an oral examination follow up and will be scheduled for the summer after completion of the coursework. Ordinarily, the written and oral comprehensive exams should be completed within one academic semester of completing course work.  The student can only advance to candidacy once both exams have been passed. If the written exam is failed a second time or the oral exam is failed, the student will be dismissed from the program. The PhD in Health Sciences Handbook includes more specific details about the written and oral comprehensive exam procedures.

Dissertation Requirements

The dissertation is based on the successful completion of an original research project. Each student defends his/her dissertation in an oral examination before his/her dissertation chair and committee. Faculty and students are permitted to attend the dissertation defense. Twelve hours of credit is required minimally before the oral exam may be scheduled and defended.

*The PhD in Health Sciences Oversight Committee will be comprised of the Harris College academic department chairs or designee and the PhD Program Director.