Doctoral Degree Requirements

The sections immediately following list the general and common requirements for doctoral degrees. Specific degree requirements, including requirements for the professional doctoral degrees, set by specific departments, programs, and schools, appear in the sections of the catalog devoted to those units.

Doctor of Philosophy

This section lists KU regulations common to the administration of all doctoral programs. The particular application, interpretation, or method of implementation of such a common element for individual degree programs and departments is, in certain cases, left to the faculty of the department or the degree program (e.g., Research Skills). Additional requirements specific to each degree, along with variations permitting each student to achieve particular academic goals, are listed in the chapter of this catalog for the school through which the degree program is offered.

When a department or program requests its Graduate Division to schedule a comprehensive oral examination or a final oral examination for a student, it must report on the student’s completion of both the general requirements and the specific requirements of the degree program, department, and school. The degree program and Graduate Division should ascertain that the graduate student is in good academic standing (3.0 or higher grade-point average) before scheduling a comprehensive oral examination or a final oral examination.

Doctoral students completing all their degree requirements within the first week of summer session or within the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester are not required to be enrolled for that term.

1. Application and Admission. A student who seeks admission to a doctoral program must apply to the graduate degree program and school offering the desired degree. Upon admission, the student is known as an aspirant for the degree and remains so designated until successful completion of the comprehensive oral examination. After passing that examination, the student is designated a candidate for the degree.

2. Program Time Constraints. Minimum Tenure: The student must spend three full academic years, or the bona fide equivalent thereof, in resident study at this or some other approved university, including the time spent in attaining the master’s degree. Resident study at less than full time requires a correspondingly longer period, but the requirement is not measured merely in hours of enrollment. Because a minimum number of hours for the degree is not prescribed, no transfer of credit is appropriate.

However, graduate degree programs take relevant prior graduate work into consideration in setting up programs of study leading to the doctorate.

Residence Requirement: Two semesters, which may include one summer session, must be spent in resident study at KU. During this period, the student must be involved full time in academic or professional pursuits, which may include an appointment for teaching or research if it is directed specifically toward degree objectives. Enrollment in approved distance-learning courses offered through KU cannot be used to meet the doctoral residence requirement. The student must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours a semester, and the increased research involvement must be fully supported and documented by the dissertation supervisor as contributing to the student’s dissertation or program objectives. Research must be performed under the direct supervision of the major adviser if on campus, or with adequate liaison if off campus. Note: These are minimum residence requirements. Please check with the Graduate

Division of your school or college for any additional requirements.

Maximum Tenure: After being admitted to doctoral programs at KU, students complete all degree requirements in eight years. In cases in which compelling circumstances recommend a one-year extension, the Graduate Division has authority to grant the extension on the written advice of the department and dissertation committee. Students who complete the master’s degree at KU and subsequently begin doctoral studies have a maximum total enrolled time of 10 years to complete both degrees. Normal expectations, however, are that most master’s degrees (excluding some professional terminal degrees) should be completed in two years of full-time study, and both master’s and doctorate in six years of full-time study. Some graduate degree programs may have more stringent time restrictions. Students should inquire about the policy in effect in the department in which they plan to study.

A student in any of the above categories may petition the Graduate Division through the department for a leave of absence during either the pre- or post-comprehensive period to pursue full-time professional activities related to the doctoral program and long-range professional goals. Leaves of absence also may be granted because of illness or other emergency. Ordinarily a leave of absence is granted for one year, with the possibility of extension upon request. After an absence of five years, however, a doctoral aspirant or candidate loses status as such and must apply for readmission to the program and the Graduate Division.

3. Research Skills. Specific research skills requirements vary with graduate degree programs, but all reflect the expectation of a significant research skill component distinct from, but strongly supportive of, the dissertation. Traditionally, a reading knowledge of two foreign (non-English) languages, a demonstrated competence in reading, writing, and speaking in one foreign language, or a reading knowledge of one foreign language and demonstrated proficiency in some other research skill, such as computer science, has been required. However, to fit research training to the needs of the individual student, some programs have found it appropriate to regard as research skills formal training in ancillary areas or within a broad spectrum of skills. A statement concerning research skills should appear in each departmental or program section of this catalog and in any graduate study guides issued by departments, programs, or schools.

When the aspirant has met the requirements for research skills recommended by the program and approved by the school, the program must report this fact to the Graduate Division on the appropriate form, certifying that the student is prepared to proceed to the comprehensive oral examination. If a program requires research skills that are tested separately from the program, completion of each requirement should be reported immediately to the Graduate Division so that it may be recorded on the student’s permanent record.

Because foreign language and computer science competences are the most commonly used research skills requirements, the formal procedures that have been established for demonstration of these competences are listed here for guidance.

Foreign Language: An aspirant who wishes to demonstrate a reading knowledge of a foreign language ordinarily may do so in one of two ways: (1) pass a language examination devised and administered by the student’s own department in consultation with the appropriate KU language department or (2) complete DANE 101, dtCH 101, FREN 100, GERM 101, ITAL 100, RUSS 101, or SPAN 100 with a grade of C or higher, or LAT 101 with a grade of B or higher. If some other language is proposed, arrangements should be made through the major or departmental adviser with the appropriate language department or competent testing authority. Some graduate degree programs accept as evidence of language competence the certification of a graduate student by a qualified KU professor in a given language at the fourth level of competence in reading, comprehension, and speaking or accept 16 hours in a single language taken at this or another university as a graduate or undergraduate student. Requirements for demonstrating competence in reading, writing, and speaking one foreign language are set by the language departments. The student should ask these departments for further information and advice. In all cases, the Graduate Division should be notified which method each student has used to satisfy this requirement.

A student whose native language is not English may use the native language to fulfill the language requirement only if the language is considered an adequate research tool for the program.

Computer Science: To establish competence in computer science, a student must (a) demonstrate proficiency in a commonly used programming language and (b) create at least one original program on a problem that is certified by the graduate degree program as important and relevant to the field of study.

As specified by the graduate degree program, requirement (a) may be met by passing an examination developed and administered by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science or by satisfactorily completing an appropriate course in computer science. In consultation with the department, the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science provides certification of requirement (b).

4. Comprehensive Oral Examination. When a doctoral aspirant has completed the major portion of the course work at a level satisfactory to the graduate degree program and school and met all other program, school, and general requirements prerequisite to the comprehensive oral examination, including the research skills requirement as appropriately applied and established for the student’s particular program, the degree program must request the Graduate Division of its school to schedule the comprehensive oral examination. It should be determined that the student is in good academic standing (3.0 or higher grade-point average) before scheduling the examination. The examination request must be submitted in advance of the examination date by at least the period specified by the Graduate Division, normally a minimum of two weeks. The Graduate Division ascertains whether all pertinent requirements have been satisfied and if reports of any previously scheduled comprehensive oral examinations have been properly submitted and recorded.

The committee for the comprehensive oral examination must consist of at least five members, all of whom must be members of the Graduate Faculty. Its members are appointed by the Graduate Division of the school or college on the basis of nominations submitted by the graduate degree program. At least one member must be from a department other than the aspirant’s major department. This member represents Graduate Studies and must be a regular member of the Graduate Faculty. The Graduate Studies representative is a voting member of the committee, has full right to participate in the examination, and reports any unsatisfactory or irregular aspects of the examination to the committee chair, department chair, Graduate Division, and Graduate Studies. The examination may be scheduled provided that at least five months have elapsed from the time of the aspirant’s first enrollment at KU.

The comprehensive oral examination covers the major field and any extradepartmental work for which the program wishes to hold the aspirant responsible. For every scheduled examination, the degree program reports a grade of Honors, Satisfactory, or Unsatisfactory. If the aspirant receives a grade of Unsatisfactory on the comprehensive oral examination, it may be repeated on the recommendation of the degree program, but under no circumstances may it be taken more than three times. In any case, the examination may not be repeated until at least 90 days have elapsed since the last unsuccessful attempt.

5. Candidacy. Dissertation Committee: Upon passing the comprehensive oral examination, the aspirant becomes a candidate for the doctorate. If it has not begun before, the traditional, close student-mentor apprenticeship relationship comes into being. The student is expected to learn by both precept and example of the mentor, and often in collaboration. The chosen field of scholarship is explored using acquired research tools. The principles and customs of academic inquiry and the codes of ethics traditional to the various disciplines and professional fields become part of the student’s thinking and working.

When the student passes the comprehensive oral examination, the Graduate Division of the appropriate school designates the candidate’s dissertation committee based on the recommendations of the candidate’s major department. The dissertation committee must consist of at least three members and may include members from other departments and divisions or, on occasion, members from outside the university. All members of the committee must be chosen from the Graduate Faculty, and the chair must, in addition, be authorized to chair doctoral dissertations. A prospective member of the committee from outside the university must have gained appointment as an Ad Hoc member of the Graduate Faculty before appointment to the committee.

Post-Comprehensive Enrollment: After passing the comprehensive oral examination for a doctoral degree, the candidate must be continuously enrolled, including summer sessions, until all requirements for the degree are completed, and each enrollment must reflect as accurately as possible the candidate’s demands on faculty time and university facilities. During this time, until all requirements for the degree are completed (including the filing of the dissertation) or until 18 post-comprehensive hours have been completed (whichever comes first), the candidate must enroll for a minimum of 6 hours a semester and 3 hours a summer session.

Post-comprehensive enrollment may include enrollment during the semester or summer session in which the comprehensive oral examination has been passed. If after 18 hours of post-comprehensive enrollment the degree is not completed, the candidate must continue to enroll each semester and each summer session until all degree requirements have been met. The number of hours of each enrollment must be determined by the candidate’s adviser and must reflect as accurately as possible the candidate’s demands on faculty time and university facilities.

6. Dissertation. The candidate must present a dissertation showing the planning, conduct, and results of original research and scholarly creativity. The purpose of the dissertation is to encourage and ensure the development of broad intellectual capabilities as well as to demonstrate an intensive focus on a problem or research area. The dissertation itself should be an evident product of the candidate’s growth and attainment of the ability to identify significant problems; organize, analyze, and communicate scholarly results; and bring to bear on a useful area of interest a variety of research skills and scholarly or creative processes. It must show some original accomplishment, but it should also demonstrate without doubt the candidate’s potential to make future contributions to knowledge and understanding.

The dissertation is to be a coherent scholarly work, not a collage of separate, distinct pieces. Its unity of theme and treatment may still accommodate several subtopics by demonstrating their relationships and interactions. If previously published material by other authors is included in the dissertation, it must be quoted and documented. It should be noted that prior publication does not guarantee acceptance of the dissertation by the dissertation committee. Final acceptance of the dissertation is subject to the approval of the dissertation committee. The dissertation—or one or more substantial portions of it, often rewritten—is expected to be publishable and indeed to be published (see Dissertation Submission and Publication section).

Both the dissertation research and the dissertation itself are to be completed under the guidance and direction of the committee appointed as described above. Instructions about the proper form of the dissertation may be obtained at www.graduate.ku.edu or from the Graduate Division of each program. Candidates and faculty members are reminded that the dissertation is to be a coherent, logically organized scholarly document. Because the demands and practices of different disciplines are varied, the format is somewhat flexibly described, and moderate departures from the norm are allowed when justified by the nature of the work or the circumstances of presentation. Any substantial divergences must be approved in advance as prescribed by the instructions, and candidates and faculty members are urged to seek early approval to avoid last-minute disappointments over unacceptable format or reproduction.

7. Final Oral Examination. Completion of the dissertation is the culminating academic phase of a doctoral program, climaxed by the final oral examination and defense of the dissertation. In all but the rarest cases, tentative approval of the dissertation is followed promptly by the final oral examination. When the completed dissertation has been accepted by the committee in final draft form, and all other degree requirements have been satisfied, the chair of the committee requests the Graduate Division to schedule the final oral examination. This request must be made in advance of the desired examination by at least the period specified by the Graduate Division (normally at least three weeks). The submission of the request must allow sufficient time to publicize the examination so that interested members of the university community may attend. At least five months must elapse between the successful completion of the comprehensive oral examination and the date of the final oral examination.

The committee for the final oral examination must consist of at least five members (the members of the dissertation committee plus other members of the Graduate Faculty recommended by the committee chair and the department and appointed by the Graduate Division). At least one member must be from a department other than the major department. This member represents Graduate Studies and must be a regular member of the Graduate Faculty. Before the examination, the Graduate Division provides a list of responsibilities to the Graduate Studies representative. The Graduate Studies representative is a voting member of the committee, has full right to participate in the examination, and provides a written report on any unsatisfactory or irregular aspects of the examination to the committee chair, department chair, Graduate Division, and Graduate Studies. The Graduate Division ascertains whether all other degree requirements have been met and if reports of any previously scheduled final oral examinations have been submitted and recorded. Upon approval of the request, the final oral examination is scheduled at the time and place designated by the Graduate Division. This information must be published in a news medium as prescribed by the Graduate Faculty. Interested members of the university community are encouraged to attend these examinations.

For every scheduled final oral examination, the department reports to the Graduate Division a grade of Honors, Satisfactory, or Unsatisfactory for the candidate’s performance. If an Unsatisfactory grade is reported, the candidate may be allowed to repeat the examination on the recommendation of the department.

8. Dissertation Submission and Publication. When the final oral examination has been passed and the dissertation has been signed by the members of the dissertation committee, a title page and acceptance page with original signatures are to be delivered to the Graduate Division so that completion of degree requirements may be officially certified. In addition, the candidate must arrange publication of the dissertation and payment of all associated fees (including copyright fee if applicable), through the electronic submission process found at www.graduate.ku.edu.

The student must be the author of the dissertation, and every publication from it naturally must indicate that authorship. However, practices vary among disciplines, and even among scholars in a given field, as to whether the mentor’s name may appear as a co-author and whether as senior or junior, on the published dissertation, usually revised, or on articles prepared from it. Clear understandings in individual cases are expected to derive from the apprenticeship period, when the inculcation of ethical practices in the student best results from their regular application by the mentor.

Ph.D. with a Major in Special Studies

The student seeking to enter the special studies program must have an outstanding academic record (a grade-point average of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale for graduate courses or a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale for undergraduate courses if no graduate courses have been taken) and must be admitted to and enrolled in a graduate program at KU at the time of application. A graduate student who has failed to maintain the required grade-point average is not eligible for the special studies program. A student is not eligible for this program if he or she has tried and failed to achieve candidacy in a regular graduate department or program at KU.

The student is expected to assume the initiative in determining his or her potential eligibility through consultation with graduate advisers and, if deemed eligible, in forming an advisory committee and preparing documentation to support the application.

Preadmission Procedures. To enter the program, a student should

1. Determine that KU offers courses and research in the areas appropriate to the student’s interest.
2. Prepare a tentative study plan based on those offerings to serve as a basis for initial discussion.
3. Approach a professor whose interests are comparable to those of the student and request that he or she act as adviser. Normally this professor is a faculty member of the program of principal interest to the student. It is essential that this program be one that grants doctorates and that the selected professor be authorized to chair doctoral dissertation committees.
4. After a professor agrees to serve as adviser, the student should assemble an advisory committee of at least three additional professors representing the disciplines covered in the special program. At least two disciplines or departments must be represented.
5. In conjunction with the adviser and the committee, the student prepares a proposal for study, including
   • A statement, with supporting documentation, that the proposed special studies Ph.D. cannot be accomplished through established programs.
   • A definition of the field of study incorporating in a consistent way a description of the contribution of each included discipline to the broader field.
   • An outline of the course of study, indicating substantive work in the fields represented. Readings courses and independent study do not substitute for regular courses.
   • A description of the method for satisfying research skills requirements.
   • A description of the comprehensive examination procedures (nature of the examinations and possible examining committee).
   • A description, to the extent possible, of the nature of the field in which a dissertation might be written, indicating the respective contributions of the selected disciplines to the final product.
   • Attach the following: (i) complete transcripts of all previous work, a cover sheet, signed by committee members, indicating their support of the proposal, (iii) letters of recommendation and other appropriate supporting documents.

Note: Diplomas and transcripts indicate the degree awarded as “Ph.D. in Special Studies” and do not specify the area of specialization.

Admission and Review Procedure. Upon completion of the above, the student must present the application for admission to the special studies program. At that time, a review committee is appointed, consisting of (a) dean(s) or director(s) of graduate studies or their designates for the school(s) involved in the interdisciplinary undertaking and (b) two or more doctoral chairing faculty members from unrelated fields who are members of the Executive Council of the Graduate Faculty, at least one of whom must represent a discipline not involved in the special studies program under consideration. The committee reviews the documents and may, if necessary, interview the student and the adviser for clarification and additional information or to discuss suggested revisions to the proposal.

Approved Program Implementation. Upon acceptance of the proposal and admission to the special program, the student is admitted to the school of the major adviser to facilitate record keeping and to provide a central administrative office. The director of graduate studies of that school must enroll the student and monitor the program and, along with the major adviser, must make periodic reports to Graduate Studies on the student’s progress. These reports are distributed to the directors of other involved programs along with a request to supply any additional information regarding the student’s performance. Proposals for major deviations from the approved course of study must be submitted for review by Graduate Studies and by the graduate studies office(s) of the involved school(s). It is understood that no additional requirements unique to traditional graduate programs of the involved school(s) or departments may be imposed unless stated explicitly in the approved study plan.

All basic rules and requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree apply to special studies doctoral programs. These include program time constraints, residence requirement, post-comprehensive enrollment, final oral examination, dissertation submission and publication, grade-point average, etc. (See Doctoral Degree Requirements, Doctor of Philosophy, in this chapter of the catalog.)

Combined Medical and Doctoral Degrees

Outstanding students who are qualified to do so may participate concurrently in work leading to the medical degree and Ph.D.

Credit hours obtained in the medical curriculum cannot be transferred as graduate credit hours toward the requirements for the Ph.D. degree, although recognition of satisfactory performance in appropriate medical courses may be given by the involved basic medical science department when formulating the student’s additional graduate curriculum for the Ph.D. All the requirements for the respective degrees must be met.