Doctoral Degree

Appointment of Doctoral Supervisory Committee
General Examination -- Admission to Candidacy for Doctoral Degree
Candidate Certificate
Appointment and Responsibilities of a Doctoral Reading Committee
Final Examination -- Dissertation Defense
Dissertation
Publication of Doctoral Dissertations

A doctoral degree is by nature and tradition the highest certificate of membership in the academic community. As such, it is meant to indicate the presence of superior qualities of mind and intellectual interests of high attainments in a chosen field. It is not conferred merely as a certificate to a prescribed course of study and research, no matter how long or how faithfully pursued. All requirements and regulations leading to a doctoral degree are devices whereby a student may demonstrate present capacities and future promise for scholarly work.

Appointment of Doctoral Supervisory Committee

A supervisory committee is appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School to guide and assist a graduate student working toward a doctoral degree and is expected to evaluate a student's performance throughout a program. A supervisory committee should be appointed no later than four months prior to a General Examination. Appointment of a supervisory committee indicates that the Graduate Faculty in a student's field finds a student's background and achievement a sufficient basis for admission into a program of doctoral study and research. "Preliminary" examinations, if required, should be completed prior to a request for appointment of a supervisory committee. If "preliminary" examinations are not an academic unit's requirement, it is appropriate to request appointment of a supervisory committee during a student's first year of study (see Graduate School Memorandum No. 13, Supervisory Committees for Graduate Students).

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General Examination -- Admission to Candidacy for Doctoral Degree

Upon completion of 60 credits, a Request for General Examination form may be submitted to the Graduate School.  This form, signed by all members of a supervisory committee, requests approval for a student to take a General Examination for admission to candidacy for a doctoral degree. This means that, in the opinion of a supervisory committee, a student's background of study and preparation is sufficient to justify the undertaking of a General Examination. A request is approved by the Dean of the Graduate School only after prescribed requirements have been met. A request must be received at least three weeks prior to a proposed examination date. Written and other examinations prior to a General Examination are the responsibility of the graduate programs and do not need Graduate School approval. At least four members of a supervisory committee (including the Chair, Graduate School Representative, and one additional Graduate Faculty member) must be present at a General Examination. Registration and completion of credit as a graduate student is required the quarter an examination is taken and candidacy is conferred.

If a student's performance is judged by a supervisory committee to be satisfactory, a signed warrant certifying successful completion of a General Examination is filed in the Graduate School by the last day of the quarter (last day of exam week). If a General Examination is unsatisfactory, a supervisory committee may recommend that the Dean of the Graduate School permit up to a maximum of two additional reexaminations, after a further period of study. Any members of a supervisory committee who do not agree with the majority opinion are encouraged to submit a minority report to the Dean of the Graduate School.

Thereafter, a student is identified and designated as a candidate for the appropriate doctoral degree and is awarded a candidate certificate. After achieving candidate status, a student ordinarily devotes his or her time primarily to the completion of research, writing of the dissertation, and preparation for the Final Examination.

A candidate certificate and the doctoral degree may not be awarded the same quarter.

How to schedule a General Examination

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Candidate Certificate

A candidate certificate gives formal recognition to a successful completion of a very significant step towards a doctoral degree.  Students who have passed a General Examination and have completed all requirements for a doctoral degree, except a Final Examination and Graduate School acceptance of a dissertation, are awarded a candidate certificate.  Candidacy is conferred on the last day of a quarter and certificates are issued by the Graduation and Academic Records office approximately 4 months after this date.

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Appointment and Responsibilities of a Doctoral Reading Committee

After the General Examination, the Graduate Program Coordinator uses MyGradProgram to inform the Dean of The Graduate School of at least three members of the supervisory committee who will serve on the reading committee.  At least one of the members of the reading committee must hold an endorsement to chair doctoral committees.  The reading committee is appointed to read and approve the dissertation. It is the responsibility of a reading committee to (a) ensure that the dissertation is a significant contribution to knowledge and is an acceptable piece of scholarly writing; (b) determine the appropriateness of a candidate's dissertation as a basis for issuing a warrant for a Final Examination; (c) approve a candidate's dissertation and; (d) sign two original Signature Pages that are placed within a dissertation after all revisions are completed.  

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Final Examination -- Dissertation Defense

A Final Examination may be scheduled if: (a) a student passed a General Examination in a previous quarter*; (b) a reading committee is officially established with the Graduate School and; (c) a reading committee has read an entire draft of a dissertation and voting members of a supervisory committee agree that a candidate is prepared to take a Final Examination.  A Request for Final Examination form (signed by all members of a supervisory committee, including a Graduate School Representative) is presented to the Graduate School three weeks prior to a Final Examination date and, if a candidate has met all other requirements, a warrant authorizing a Final Examination is issued by the Graduate School.  At least four members of a supervisory committee (including the Chair, Graduate School Representative, and one additional Graduate Faculty member) must be present at an examination. 

If a Final Examination is satisfactory, the supervisory committee members who participate at the examination sign the warrant and return it to the Graduate School by the last day of the quarter (last day of finals week).  Any members of a supervisory committee who participate at an examination but do not agree with the majority opinion are encouraged to submit a minority report to the Dean of the Graduate School. If an examination is unsatisfactory, a supervisory committee may recommend that the Dean of the Graduate School permit a second examination after a period of additional study.

After the Final Examination, the candidate has 60 days in which to submit a dissertation to the Graduate School. Registration as a graduate student is required the quarter that a Final Examination is taken AND the quarter the dissertation is submitted and the degree is conferred even if the 60 day time period has not yet expired.  If the 60 day time period expires, another Final Examination may be required.

*A candidate certificate and the doctoral degree may not be awarded the same quarter.

How to schedule a Final Examination

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Dissertation

A candidate must present a dissertation demonstrating original and independent investigation and achievement. A dissertation should reflect not only mastery of research techniques but also ability to select an important problem for investigation and to deal with it competently. Normally a dissertation is written in the English language. However, if there are circumstances that warrant a dissertation be written in a foreign language, approval must be received from the Dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate School publishes a manual, Policy and Style Manual for Theses and Dissertations, which outlines format requirements. This manual should be obtained from the Graduate School and read thoroughly before a student begins writing a dissertation.  A dissertation must meet all format requirements before being accepted by the Graduate School. Thesis advisers are available in the Graduate School and students are encouraged to consult with them throughout a dissertation preparation process.

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Publication of Doctoral Dissertations

Part of the obligation of research is publication of the results and, in the case of doctoral research, this means microfilm publication of the dissertation and/or abstract. This is a Graduate School requirement in addition to any previous or planned publication of any or all of a dissertation, and provides worldwide distribution of the work.  A candidate signs a publication agreement when a dissertation is presented to the Graduate School. Publication in microfilm does not preclude other forms of publication.

The following required fees for microfilming a dissertation are paid at the Cashier's Office, 129 Schmitz (retain the receipt and present to the Graduate School when submitting a dissertation).  All fees are subject to change.

• Microfilm an entire dissertation OR Microfilm only an abstract, $60; AND
• Binding fee, $25.
  
  TOTAL -- $85
  
• Optional copyright fee, an additional $65 (available only when an entire dissertation is microfilmed).

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