Doctoral and Ph.D. Degree Requirements
Subpages
- Doctoral and Ph.D. Degree Requirements
- Admission to Candidacy, Ph.D.
- Advisory Committee, Ph.D.
- Dissertation Preparation
- Foreign Language Requirement
- Intent to Graduate, Ph.D.
- Oral Examinations, Ph.D.
- Qualifying or Preliminary Examinations
- Residence Requirement, Doctoral
- Time Limit, Ph.D.
- Transfer Credit, Doctoral
Doctoral and Ph.D. Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. degree is essentially a research degree. Although coursework is a necessary part of the program, the mere accumulation of course credits is not sufficient for attaining this degree.
The Ph.D. degree may be completed in three years at the minimum. Under the minimum program, the first two years will be given to coursework, seminars and related research. The third year primarily will encompass dissertation research. Students whose preparation is incomplete or who will be engaged in part-time teaching or paid research will extend their programs accordingly. In such cases, a four- or five-year program is not unusual.
A master's degree is not necessarily prerequisite to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. A student entering a doctoral program after obtaining a master's degree would normally be classified as being in the second year of graduate study, as defined below.
Departments may, at their discretion, require that a formal minor be included in the total program. A formal minor requires at least six hours credit beyond the master's or 12 hours beyond the bachelor's degree.
All students in the doctoral programs are required to do a certain amount of teaching or research, appropriate to the goals of the student, as part of their training for the advanced degree.
Students must register for coursework or dissertation in each semester or summer session during which they utilize University research facilities or occupy a library carrel.