Degree Process
Initial Advising
An academic advisor is assigned to each student at the start of his/her program to guide the student, plan his/her studies and to provide academic guidance until the student identifies a dissertation advisor and supervisory committee members.
Plan of Work
The Plan is initiated by the student and completed with his/her advisor to plan the sequence of study. Fifty-seven (57) graduate credits beyond the Master’s degree are required: Thirty-nine (39) hours in coursework and 18 hours in dissertation research and preparation.
Annual Review
An advisor and the student’s committee prepare a review of the student’s progress at the end of each academic year. Goals for the following year are developed with the student.
Written Candidacy Exam
The main objective of the candidacy exam is to assess Ph.D. students’ progress and confirm students’ capability to proceed to advanced curriculum. A Ph.D. student must take the candidacy exam after completing HRMA 8303 (Multivariate Analysis), HRMA 8304 (Qualitative Design) and one approved data analysis course after finishing the first year of the Ph.D. program. The student must be enrolled full-time for the semester in which the exam is administered. A student must have a minimum grade-point-average of 3.0 to be eligible to take the exam. The candidacy exam will be administered once a year, in the first week of the fall semester.
The exam will consist of two main sections: 1) Methodology and 2) Data Analysis. The exam will be scheduled for one day. The students must pass the exam to continue in the program.
The standing committee will evaluate the results and will submit the recommendation to the program director and associate dean of academics. If a student passes the exam at a satisfactory level, the student will be recognized as a Ph.D. candidate and allowed to proceed for the second year. In case of a student failing for the first time, the student is required to retake the exam in the first week of August or take appropriate course work in the following semester and retake the exam at the end of the semester. If the student fails the candidacy exam for the second time, the student will not continue the Ph.D. program.
Dissertation Supervisory Committee
The student selects a dissertation advisor and committee to guide him/her through the dissertation research and preparation. The naming of a dissertation advisory committee is a requirement for Ph.D. candidacy.
Comprehensive Exam
The purpose of the comprehensive exam is to evaluate Ph.D. students’ progress in the academic development process, assess the need for additional coursework, and ensure the readiness to conduct a doctoral dissertation. Students must take the comprehensive exam after fulfilling a set of competencies for the students’ focus area, which are developed by the second semester of their program. This will allow students to determine when to take their comprehensive exam.
The standing and supervisory committee will be responsible for writing the comprehensive exam questions. Students should be able to take the comprehensive exam upon approval by the supervisory committee. The standing and supervisory committees will be responsible for writing the exam questions. The student must be enrolled for a minimum of nine hours for the semester in which the exam is administered.
First, the standing committee will write questions for the Research and Statistics section. Each of the candidate’s supervisory committee members will write four one-hour questions in the focused areas of research.
The examinations must be completed within a two-week period. Students should provide copies of all responses to each committee member for evaluation. The committee will evaluate the answers within 14 business days. The director of Graduate Program will be responsible for obtaining feedback from all committee members. If a student successfully passes the two areas of the written examination, the major professor will schedule the oral examination.
The purpose of oral examination is to verify the student’s understanding of the issues and further discussion beyond the written questions. After the student has passed the oral exam, the major professor will submit the comprehensive written and oral exam questions and the student’s responses to the Graduate Program Director’s Office. The student can retake the exam only once. Students required waiting a minimum of 60 days before their second attempt if they are unsuccessful in their first attempt. A second failure of the exam will result in the student being dismissed from the program. The composition of the supervisory committee shall not be changed before a final decision is reached on the result of the comprehensive exam.
Oral Comprehensive Exam
Upon receiving the results of the written comprehensive exam, the oral comprehensive exam is then scheduled within the next two weeks. The main purpose of the exam is to confirm the student’s competency level by asking additional comprehensive questions involving an initial discussion of doctoral dissertation topics. Once the oral examination is passed, the student takes the signed original ballot to the Graduate Office and provides a copy to the Graduate Program director. At this point, the student is allowed to register for Ph.D. doctoral dissertation credits.
Doctoral Dissertation Registration
The PhD candidate is required to register for a Doctoral Dissertation Research Proposal. The candidate prepares a description of the proposed research and dissertation for approval by his/her advisory committee.
Dissertation Preparation
The dissertation presents the original scholarship or research completed by the student. A dissertation format check by the Ph.D. Office is required before the defense.
Dissertation Public Lecture - Presentation Defense
The student presents and defends the dissertation in a public lecture. The results of the defense are conveyed to the Graduate School via the Defense Final Report form.
Submission of Approved Dissertation
The student submits the approved dissertation electronically and must complete the paperwork required at this final stage.