5.4.1 Sequence of Events Leading to a Ph.D.

(Approved May 5, 1995) (Amended January 25, 2012) (Amended October 29, 2014) (Amended September 16, 2015) (Amended January 29, 2020) (Amended September 15, 2021)

The following is a general outline of a student's progress through the program, with amplification in subsequent paragraphs:

1. Admissions: The student applies for admission to the program and is accepted.
2. Dissertation Committee: The departmental Ph.D. committee nominates, for approval by the Academic Council, a dissertation committee, which henceforth bears the responsibility for the study program, and for general guidance in research program. Until the dissertation committee is named, the departmental Ph.D. committee has the responsibility to oversee the student's study program.
3. Study Program: The study program may, at the discretion of the student's major academic unit, include one or more minors, a foreign language requirement or a computing requirement. All doctoral students must maintain continuous course registration throughout their programs. After their subject matter coursework has been completed and until advancement to candidacy, doctoral students must register in xx5805 Dissertation Proposal Preparation each academic quarter. Following advancement to candidacy, each doctoral student must register in xx5810 Dissertation Research each quarter until final completion of their degree. Doctoral students who are not registered in any course following the add/drop period of a quarter will be disenrolled from their curriculum by the Registrar after consultation with the department and notifying the student.
4. Qualifying Exam: When the student's study program is essentially complete, the departmental Ph.D. committee or those it designates on its behalf, administers a written and oral qualifying examination. All minor departmental requirements must be satisfied prior to taking the oral qualifying examination.
5. Dissertation Supervisor and Chair: The departmental Ph.D. committee names one or more members of the dissertation committee to be dissertation supervisor, a single member to be dissertation Chair, and certifies to the Registrar that each individual so named is qualified under the guidelines of this Manual.
6. Advancement to Candidacy: Upon successful completion of the study program, any minor, language or computing requirements, passage of the written an oral qualifying examinations and approval of a Doctoral Research Proposal, the student becomes eligible for advancement to candidacy. The departmental Ph.D. committee then recommends that the Academic Council advance the student to candidacy for the doctorate.
7. Dissertation Defense: When the candidate's investigations are complete and the dissertation has been submitted, the dissertation committee administers a final oral dissertation defense.
8. Approved Dissertation: When all members of the dissertation committee, the major academic unit Chair, and the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs have approved the dissertation and have signed the dissertation approval and release form (DRAF) and the final acceptance email from the thesis processing office are submitted to the Recording Secretary of the Academic Council.
9. Nomination for Degree: After the unanimous recommendation of the dissertation committee and the completion of all other degree requirements, the Academic Council makes the final decision to nominate a candidate for the award of the Ph.D. degree.