General Information

Program of Study. Each student selects a program of study in consultation with an advisor. It must include a reasonable concentration and breadth of study designed to foster research, scholarship, and knowledge of a specialty in relation to allied academic areas, must be approved by the advisor, and is subject to the rules of the Graduate Studies Committee.

Second Doctoral Degree. Admission to a second nonprofessional (the PhD or DMA) doctoral program by a student who has completed one such degree requires the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School.

Foreign Language Requirement. The Graduate School has no foreign language requirement for doctoral degrees; however, knowledge of one or more foreign languages may be required by the Graduate Studies Committee of certain programs of study. Students who wish to acquire a reading knowledge of French, German, Latin, Russian, or Spanish may take special courses offered by language departments. Completion of these courses fulfills the language requirement in many graduate degree programs. Students are advised to take language courses as soon as possible in the program of study. Placement examinations are given by the language departments to assist students in choosing an effective procedure for meeting language requirements. See Section 2.7 for language requirements to serve in a teaching role.

Credit Hours and Residency Requirements. AA minimum of 80 graduate credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree is required to earn a PhD or DMA degree.

If a master’s degree has been earned by the student, then a minimum of 50 graduate credit hours beyond the master’s degree is required. If a doctoral student has taken a master’s degree at this university and has earned graduate credit in excess of the minimum required for that degree, the student’s advisor, with the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee, notifies the Graduate School of the courses to be counted toward the 50 graduate credit hours required for the doctoral degree. It is recommended that this notification occur by the end of the first semester beyond completion of a master’s degree, but no later than the student’s final semester in the PhD or DMA degree program. If the master’s degree was earned at another university, then its graduate credit hours must be transferred to this university. Of the 50 post-master’s hours, at least 24 graduate hours must be taken at this university. 

A student must be registered for at least three graduate credit hours during the autumn or spring semester(s) or summer term(s) of the candidacy examination, the autumn or spring semester or summer term of the final oral examination, and the autumn or spring semester or summer term of expected graduation.