The doctoral degrees (Ph.D. and Ed.D.) are conferred in recognition of outstanding ability and scholarship in a recognized field of learning after an extended period of study and investigation. Much of the student’s work is in a selected field of learning in which the student has gained mastery of the method of advanced study as demonstrated finally in a doctoral dissertation. While a well-prepared student of outstanding ability may secure the degree upon the completion of three years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree, time is secondary to maturity and achievement of the student as a scholar.
Specific doctoral degree requirements are outlined in the “Graduate Programs and Courses” section of this catalog.

Admission
A student is admitted as a doctoral applicant upon approval by the departmental doctoral committee and the dean designate of the Graduate College. Admission as a doctoral applicant does not imply admission to candidacy.

Residence Requirements
A student is considered to be in residence when registered on campus as a graduate student. The minimum residence requirement beyond the master’s degree or equivalent may be met by satisfactorily completing 15 hours of course work (not 799 research) on the main campus in no more nor fewer than two consecutive terms with at least three hours of registration in either of the two terms. The residence requirements of individual departments may exceed this minimum requirement.

Credit Hour Requirements
Students must complete at least 60 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the master’s degree or 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. These hours must include at least 16 hours of dissertation research (no more than 30 are applicable to the degree). The rest of the student’s course of study is designed, with the advice of the student’s doctoral committee, to meet the student’s needs and interests.

Students must complete a preliminary written and oral examination usually by the end of the second year of study. Students successfully completing this examination are considered to be candidates for the Ph.D. degree.
Unless a degree program has been specifically approved by the Ohio Board of Regents as an off-campus graduate degree program, a student must complete at least 51 percent of the graduate course work on the main campus of the University, as distinguished from Firelands branch campus or an extension center.

The policy concerning transfer of credit from other institutions into graduate degree programs at the University is described in this catalog under “Academic Regulations.”

500-level Courses
For doctoral-level students, the number of 500-level credits that may be counted toward the minimum required hours (60 post-master’s) for the Ph.D. shall not exceed ten hours or three courses in post-master’s studies.

Time Limit for Completion of Work
The time limit to complete all degree requirements for doctoral students is eight years from the end of the earliest course used to fulfill degree requirements on the tentative degree program (TDP). A doctoral student may apply for an extension of one year if the request for an extension is made before the time limit has elapsed. Doctoral students may be granted two extensions, not to exceed a total of two calendar years.
If the extension is approved by the graduate coordinator and the graduate dean designate, revalidation of outdated courses (over eight but no more than ten years old) will be necessary.

Language Requirement
Some doctoral programs require a basic level of foreign language proficiency; others do not. Descriptions of the various ways that students can fulfill the foreign language requirement, when it is mandatory, are located in the descriptions of individual doctoral programs.

Consortium Ph.D. in Technology Management
The College of Technology is a member of a consortium that offers the Ph.D. in Technology Management through Indiana State University. Other member institutions are Central Missouri State University, East Carolina University, North Carolina A&T State University, Texas Southern University, and the University of Wisconsin - Stout. The degree consists of a research core and dissertation (27-33 hours), a general technology core (15 hours), a specialization (24-30 hours), and an internship (six hours). Cognates are also possible. Most of the graduate course work may be accomplished via distance technology; however, a short residency requirement must be satisfied. For additional information contact the Director of Graduate Studies, College of Technology, at (419) 372-7613, or check the website for current information (web.indstate.edu/consortphd).

Inter-disciplinary Doctoral Degree
The Interdisciplinary Studies degree option is a response to increasing interest by students and faculty in an interdisciplinary approach to graduate study and scholarship. It is available to students who have been admitted to a doctoral degree program, but who have unique educational needs that cannot be met within a single degree program. It is limited to those areas in which sufficient faculty and adequate material resources exist to support the proposed course of study.

Any student who has been admitted to a doctoral degree program and who is interested in pursuing the Interdisciplinary Studies degree option may develop a proposal under the direction of a faculty advisory committee representing each program or major area of scholarship identified in the proposed interdisciplinary course of study. The course of study must be one that is not available through an existing program, must be at the level (i.e., master’s, specialist, or doctoral) of the program to which the student has been admitted, and must combine at least two different graduate degree areas which offer the graduate degree at the level (i.e., master’s, specialist, or doctoral) sought by the student. The faculty advisory committee must include a minimum of three members of the graduate faculty for a master’s student and a minimum of four members of the graduate faculty for a doctoral student.

Students submit their proposals to the Graduate College in accordance with the “Petition for Interdisciplinary Degree Options Guidelines,” available at the Graduate College.

The transcript of doctoral students pursuing the interdisciplinary degree option will designate the doctoral degree in the field of Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialization noted in two or more areas.

Doctoral Committee
Each Ph.D. student is responsible for forming a preliminary exam and dissertation committee. The doctoral committees consist of a minimum of three professors from the student’s program and a graduate faculty representative. A faculty member cannot be required to serve on a doctoral committee. Students are also responsible for fulfilling any additional departmental requirements regarding committee membership.
The doctoral committee prepares and administers the preliminary examination. For dissertation work, students may retain original committee members or change committee members after passing the preliminary examination. Any changes in committee membership must be approved by the graduate coordinator and filed with the Graduate College. Students must also adhere to specific departmental guidelines for the dissertation committee. It should be noted that results of examinations conducted without the participation of the representatives are not acceptable.

Graduate Faculty Representative
The Graduate College appoints one graduate faculty representative to each doctoral student’s committee from the list of qualified members of the regular graduate faculty.

All members of the regular graduate faculty are eligible for appointment regardless of whether their program area offers a graduate degree. Thus, prior experience as a dissertation advisor is not a prerequisite for serving as a graduate faculty representative on doctoral committees.
The graduate dean designate, attempts to rotate these assignments to ensure broad participation among the members of the regular graduate faculty. The Graduate College does not invite recommendations or suggestions concerning the names of particular faculty members to be appointed as the graduate faculty representative for the committee of a particular doctoral student.

Although the graduate faculty representative is not assigned as a subject matter expert, the representative may have general familiarity with the disciplinary area of the student. In cases where an individual graduate student (or the student’s doctoral committee) feels the need for an interdisciplinary contribution from a faculty member outside the student’s program area, such an individual may be included on the student’s doctoral committee in addition to the graduate faculty representative appointed by the dean designate.

In general, the graduate faculty representative to a Ph.D. committee has two primary responsibilities:
(1) to assure that all minimum standards of the Graduate College, both written and implied, have been met in all aspects of the preliminary examination process and in the writing of the dissertation; and
(2) to ensure that the student is treated fairly and equitably in all aspects of the exam and dissertation processes.
The graduate faculty representative on preliminary examination and dissertation committees is a full member and must be a participant in all deliberations and actions. As it is for any member of the committee, results of examinations conducted without the participation of the representatives are not acceptable. The representative is expected to contribute to the examinations of a candidate in order to ensure the Graduate College of the satisfactory quality of the student’s performance. The representative is therefore expected to read and criticize the dissertation. Any comments and suggestions are to carry equal weight with those of all other committee members. The representative is not to sign the dissertation unless the suggestions have been considered, the questions have been answered, and there is evidence that the student has successfully completed the requirements for the Ph.D. degree.

The appointment of the graduate faculty representative should be made before the preliminary examination is taken; the representative may assist in the preparation of the examination.

The graduate faculty representative is responsible for monitoring both the content and form of the material under review. This monitoring includes an assessment of the academic quality of the written examination, the oral examination, and the dissertation manuscript.

The procedures associated with the administration of the examination and the dissertation defense are also the province of the graduate faculty representative. Under this procedural category are included such considerations as appropriate scheduling and notification of committee meetings, distribution of material in advance of committee meetings, and the protection of the student’s rights.

Examinations
All doctoral students must take a preliminary examination, administered by their preliminary examination committee. Some departments also require students to take qualifying examinations at an earlier stage in the doctoral process. Students must contact their department or departmental graduate coordinator for specific details.

Preliminary Examination
This examination is both written and oral. The student may request permission to take this examination after having:
(1) removed any conditions upon admission;
(2) completed or approached completion of at least 90 hours in the approved course of study beyond the bachelor’s degree; and
(3) achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 on all graduate work, including work at the master’s level. The request to take the examination, approved by the graduate coordinator, must be filed in the office of the Graduate College at least four weeks prior to the date of the examination. The Graduate College will appoint a graduate faculty representative to participate in the examination and dissertation once the examination request has been filed.

For a student to pass the comprehensive, preliminary, or final examination, the committee must either cast a unanimous vote or a vote with one dissenter. If the committee decides to pass the candidate with conditions, the conditions must be met before the exam is recorded as satisfactory. These conditions must be conveyed in writing to the Graduate College.

Re-examination
If the student fails the preliminary examination, he or she may (after a lapse of six months or more) take a second examination upon the recommendation of the departmental doctoral committee. Dismissal from the doctoral program will result if the second examination is failed.

Dissertation Research
Candidacy
After completing the foreign language requirement, where required, and passing the preliminary examination, a student may achieve candidacy by securing approval for the dissertation topic from the graduate coordinator, the departmental doctoral committee, and the Graduate College.
Depending upon program guidelines, the composition of this committee may be similar to or different from the preliminary examination committee. However, in all instances, the graduate faculty representative appointed to the preliminary examination committee also serves on the dissertation committee.

The dissertation is a mature piece of writing embodying the results of significant research by the student in a specialized area. Students should begin registering for dissertation research (799) at the time when they begin planning their dissertation. Students who register for dissertation research are required to maintain continuous registration in dissertation research from one semester to another, regardless of whether they are in residence, until the research is completed and the dissertation is accepted by the Graduate College. Students are not required to register for dissertation research during summer sessions unless they use university services. However, they must enroll in dissertation research for the summer term in which they graduate. The minimum continuous registration for a dissertation student is one hour per semester. A student who has completed the hours designated for dissertation research in the Tentative Degree Program but has not completed the dissertation is required to register for at least one hour each semester until the degree is granted.

Students who do not maintain continuous registration will be required to “back register” for all terms they have missed. Tuition will be assessed at the current rates in effect when the “back registration” is processed.
A doctoral student must register for a minimum of 16 credits of dissertation research (799) as a degree requirement.

Final Examination
Each candidate must pass a final oral examination, also called a dissertation defense, which is administered by the dissertation committee. The examination covers the dissertation and also may cover directly related fields of study. A written examination may be required at the discretion of the committee.

Because the dissertation defense is traditionally a public defense of research, the student is required to publicize the date by notifying the Monitor, the in-house weekly newsletter for faculty and staff, three weeks before the final oral examination is to be held.

Retaking the Final Exam
If a student does not pass the dissertation defense, he or she may take a second examination, upon the recommendation of the dissertation committee, four months or more after the date of the first examination. No student is permitted to take the final examination more than twice.

Deadlines
Students must be aware of deadlines established by the Graduate College and published in the Graduate College calendar. Specifically, the following procedures should be followed:
1. Formal application for graduation with the doctoral degree should be filed at least ten weeks prior to the commencement at which the student expects to receive the degree.
2. Copies of the final draft of the dissertation should be submitted to the dissertation committee sufficiently prior to the date set for the final examination to allow for a rigorous and careful reading of the manuscript by the committee. The graduate coordinator or program handbook should be consulted for this deadline.
3. A student must pass the final examination not later than six weeks prior to the commencement at which the degree is to be conferred. A student should be registered at the time he or she takes the oral examination.
4. An error-free copy of the completed dissertation must be deposited with the office of the Graduate College not later than Monday of the sixth week before commencement.

Publication of Dissertation
Upon accepting the dissertation and the abstract, the dissertation committee certifies approval for publication by University Microfilms International. The student is charged $75 for microfilming and binding. After the degree has been granted, the dissertation is microfilmed twice. The bound dissertation and one microfilmed copy is placed in Jerome Library. The master microfilm negative remains on deposit with University Microfilms International at Ann Arbor, Michigan. Copies of the microfilmed or paper dissertation are available from University Microfilms International at nominal costs.

Students may make other arrangements for publication, provided such publication does not interfere with publication by University Microfilms International. If students wish to copyright their dissertations, they may do so through University Microfilm at a cost of $45. Copyrighting is not required by the Graduate College.

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