Academics

A student in good standing in the program will have performed the program requirements satisfactorily and in a timely manner. The Ph.D. Committee will review each student's progress in June of each year. Progress reviews of individual students may be conducted at other times at the discretion of the department or at the request of the student. Students who are determined not to have performed satisfactorily will be notified of the department's decision concerning remedial action or withdrawal from the program.

A student must satisfy the following standards for the department to determine that the student is making satisfactory progress. These conditions may be waived only by permission of the department.

Course Work: A student must receive a grade of B- or higher to receive credit for a course in the program. The student must maintain an average of 3.0 (B) or higher for courses taken as part of the program. For purposes of computing scholastic standing, numeric averages are assigned to letter grades as follows: A: 4.0, A-: 3.7, B+: 3.3, B: 3.0, B-: 2.7, C: 2.0, F:0.

Qualifying Examination: Comprehensive qualifying exams are given in June at the end of the first year. If a student does not pass the first time, they are given a second chance in August.

Research Paper: The proposal must be submitted by September 15 of the second year. The completed paper must be submitted by December 15 of the third year.

Dissertation: A candidate must successfully complete and defend the dissertation, along with all other work, within seven years of entering the program.