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DOCTORAL DEGREES

Time Limits

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within the seven-year period (21 fall, spring, and summer semesters) following admission to the doctoral program, with the following specific exceptions: psychology, modern languages and classics, and English (eight years if entering the doctoral program with a baccalaureate, not master's, degree). Previous graduate credit may be applied to the doctoral degree if the credit was earned during the six-year period prior to admission to the doctoral program. Such credit should be identified clearly on the Outline of Doctoral Program for the Ph.D. form, which is available under Web Forms for Students. Only those students graduating within the time limit for their doctoral program may apply previous graduate credit to the doctoral degree if the credit was earned during the six-year period prior to admission to the doctoral program.

Time Limits Extension Request

Under compelling circumstances beyond the student’s control, a student may petition for a one-semester extension to the seven-year time limit (or eight-year time limit for the selected programs noted above). If the one-semester extension is recommended by the department head and college dean (if required by the college dean), and subsequently approved by the graduate dean, the extension will not require the student to validate any out-of-date UA or transfer courses previously approved for the plan of study.

If a student fails to complete all degree requirements within the time limit for the student’s doctoral program or within a one-semester extension approved as noted above, the student will be dropped from the doctoral program. To complete a doctoral degree, the student must reapply for admission. Graduate Catalog policies do not provide the option to revalidate either UA or transfer courses completed more than six years prior to the date of admission. A readmitted student therefore would be able to apply to the new admission only those courses approved by the department and Graduate School and completed within the prior 6 years (18 fall, spring, and summer semesters).


Repeating Courses When Given an Extension

When requests are made for extensions of Graduate School time limits, and it is deemed that an out-of-date course is integral to the degree program, the college dean may request permission of the Graduate School for such a course to be repeated. In this case, both grades shall be used in calculation of the GPA.

This policy has been approved by the Graduate Council on 9/27/2005.

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