The Ph.D. is the highest degree offered by the University. The
program leading to its attainment is intended to give persons of
outstanding ability the opportunity to become creative contributors in a
scholarly field. Award of the degree testifies to broad mastery of an
established subject area, acquisition of acceptable research skills, and
a concentration of knowledge in a specific field.
While certain minimum requirements are set by the Graduate School, it
is important for students to realize that work toward this degree is not
merely a matter of accumulating course credits or of satisfying other
requirements. The degree will be conferred after the advisory committee
and the Graduate Faculty are convinced that the student has developed
independence of judgment and mature scholarship in the chosen field. An
individual may not earn more than one Ph.D. in a single field of study
at this institution.
This book will describe in detail each step for completing the
Program. Students who are awarded GPC assistantships must complete these
requirements in a timely manner in order to be eligible for support each
year. Students not supported by the GPC should also use these criteria
as guidelines
2. Time Limits
The equivalent of at least three years of full-time study beyond
the baccalaureate or two years beyond the master's degree (in the same
or closely-related field) is required. All work must be completed
within eight years of the beginning of doctoral study, or, if the
student entered with a master's degree in the same or a closely
related field, the doctorate must be completed in seven years. The
beginning of doctoral study is defined as the beginning date of the
earliest course, wherever taken, listed on the approved doctoral plan
of study. Failure to complete the work within the periods specified or
failure to maintain continuous registration (See "Continuous
Registration") shall necessitate reevaluation of the entire program
and may result in a notice of termination. In addition, students
receiving assistantships must follow the Timely Completion
requirements in order to continue receiving support. (See Timely
Completion requirements above.)
3. Residence Requirement
The graduate student can fulfill the special demands of a doctoral
program only by devoting a continuous period of time to concentrated
study and research with a minimum of outside distraction or
employment. During the second or subsequent years of graduate work in
the field, at least two consecutive semesters or, with the consent of
the advisory committee and the student, one semester together with a
contiguous summer period consisting of Summer Session I and Summer
Session II of full time study (six credits or the equivalent in each
session) must be completed in residence. This residence period must be
completed at the Health Center in Farmington.
In any fall or spring semester which is to be part of the student's
residence period, registration for courses must be processed through
the University Registrar via the Health Center's Office of
Records/Registration. Payment of semester fees must also be submitted
via the Health Center's Office of Records/Registration.
The essential criterion for full-time study as required for
fulfillment of the doctoral residence requirement is whether the
student is in fact devoting essentially full-time effort to studies,
without undue distracting causes by outside employment. It is left to
the advisory committee to determine whether a student's outside
employment is a distraction that prevents the student from devoting
essentially full-time effort to the planned program. The advisory
committee shall record this determination on the plan of study
together with a description of the nature, extent, and period(s) of
employment in all cases of approved outside employment during the
residence period. Students receiving Graduate Programs Committee
Assitantship should not be engaged in outside employment.
4. Plan of Study
The Plan of Study must be prepared in triplicate, signed by the
student and the members of the advisory committee, and submitted to
the Office of Records/Registration prior to taking the General Exam.
The Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty Council reviews the
plan for approval. The student may not take the General Examination before
the Plan of Study has been fully approved. In addition, students
on GPC assistantship funding must have an approved Plan of Study on
file to be eligible to receive support for the second year.
a. Course Credit Requirements
Courses elected shall be consistent with the student's objectives
and related to the field in which the degree will be taken. While
there are no specific course requirements for the doctorate, except
those in place by the Areas of Concentration at the Health Center and
the required 15 research credits for students matriculating in the
Fall of 1998 and later, the Executive Committee ordinarily expects the
Plan to include about twenty to twenty-four credits of course work
beyond the master's degree or its equivalent in the same or a similar
field. The course work presented for the Ph.D. degree, including the
required research credits, should generally equate to 44 to 48 credits
beyond the baccalaureate or its equivalent.
The Plan shall designate any courses comprising a related or
supporting area. Course credit by examination is not allowed as a
means of accumulating credits to meet the requirements for advanced
degrees at this institution. If an examination is permitted to be used
to fulfill a related-or-supporting-area requirement for the Ph.D.
degree, course credit is not given.
b. Research Credit Requirement
Ph.D. students matriculating in the Fall of 1998 and later are
required to complete a minimum of 15 research credits. Students will
generally register for these credits after they have completed all of
their required course work. Courses that are used to fulfill this
requirement include GRAD 495, 496 and 497.
c. Non-Degree Courses Included on the Plan of Study
Advanced course work taken on a non-degree basis at The University
of Connecticut may be included on a Ph.D. Plan of Study provided the
following conditions are met: (1) the grades earned in such course
work are B (not B-) or higher; (2) such course work is within the
seven or eight year limit (whichever applies) for completion of Ph.D.
degree requirements; and (3) such credits have not been applied toward
any other degree here or elsewhere, awarded or to be awarded. In any
event, inclusion on the Plan of Study of non-degree course work
requires the consent of the advisory committee and is subject to the
approval of the Executive Committee.
d. Change of Plan of Study
After approval of the Plan by the Executive Committee, any request
for change must be submitted to the Office of Records/Registration on
an official form bearing the signatures of the members of the advisory
committee and the student, for approval by the Executive Committee.
The successful completion of all work indicated on the approved Plan
of Study is a fundamental prerequisite to the conferring of the
degree.
5. Transfer Credit
Transfer of credit for course work completed at other institutions
is approved only after the student has demonstrated the ability to do
acceptable graduate work at The University of Connecticut. Such
ability must be demonstrated by successful completion of
graduate-level University of Connecticut course work. The equivalent
of two years of graduate work completed at accredited institutions may
be accepted at accredited institutions, provided it is of at least B
(not B-) quality, contributes to the objectives of the proposed
doctoral program. Such graduate work may be
approved for transfer provided that the general examination is to be
passed and all degree requirements are to be completed within the
prescribed periods-respectively, four or five years and seven to eight
years-from the beginning date of the earliest course, wherever taken,
listed on the approved doctoral plan of study. (See "Time Limits.")
Transfer credit is not granted for individual courses used toward a
degree elsewhere awarded. Instead, consideration is given to that
degree program as an entity when the doctoral Plan of Study is being
prepared. The number of transfer credits accepted to a plan is
contingent upon the AoC and will be reviewed on an individual basis.
6. Evaluation of Performance
The advisory committee shall evaluate on a regular basis the
student's performance. Any graduate student whose scholastic record
does not meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School may be
subject to dismissal. However, the committee may insist on more than
the minimum scholastic requirements and may take other factors into
consideration in deciding whether or not to or not to recommend to the
Dean that the student be permitted to continue in the degree program.
7. General Examination
The General Examination, also known as the Preliminary Exam, is
usually taken in year 2 except in the case of Immunology students
who take it in the fall of year 3. An approved Plan of Study
must be on file before a student can receive credit for taking the
General Examination.
This examination shall be under the jurisdiction of the student's
advisory committee. Each AoC has designated a specific way of
conducting the General Exam. Please check your AoC for details
regarding this Exam. The examination may be written, oral, or both.
All members of the advisory committee must be present during any oral
examination. Students shall be examined in the several facets of their
field of study, not merely in their area of concentration. However,
advisory or examining committees may give a cumulative series of
examinations to be taken at intervals over the student's period of
study. For practical purposes, the final part of such a series shall
be regarded as "the general examination," and its scope may be limited
as the advisory or examining committee may judge appropriate.
The examiners shall include at least one faculty member
representing each of the major areas included in the examination.
Not fewer than five faculty members, including all members of
the student's advisory committee shall participate in the examination.
All examiners shall be invited to submit questions and to evaluate
answers, but the final decision as to whether or not the student has
passed the examination shall rest solely with the advisory committee
unless the members of the Graduate Faculty in a student's field of
study have voted to assign this authority to an examining committee.
After the examination, the major advisor shall communicate the
results to the candidate as soon as a final decision can be made and
immediately send the official report on the examination bearing the
signature of each member of the advisory committee to the Office of
Records/Registration. Should the committee permit the student to take
the examination in several sections, only the final result should be
reported. Forms are available in the ORR.
8. Dissertation Prospectus
Before preparation of the dissertation is well underway, the
student shall file a prospectus of the proposed research, using the
form obtainable at the Office of Records/Registration and following
guidelines included thereon. If human or animal subjects are involved
in the proposed research, the major advisor certifies by signing the
above-mentioned special form that all required institutional and
external approvals have already been obtained and that documentary
evidence of these approvals can be produced by the major advisor upon
request. The prospectus must be submitted to the chair of the area
review committee for approval before it is submitted to the Graduate
Records Office (via the Office of Records/Registration). The Chair of
the Graduate Programs Committee serves as the Chair of the Area Review Committee.
The approved Prospectus must be filed in the Graduate
Records Office at least six months prior to completion of the degree
program. It then must be approved by the Executive Committee of the
Graduate Faculty Council not later than three months prior to the
completion of the degree program.
The Graduate Programs Committee has stated in the assistantship
criteria that within 12 months of passing the General Examination, the
Dissertation Prospectus must be complete and approved by the Area
Review Committee.
9. Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy
Upon passing the General Examination, completing any remaining
courses on the Plan of Study and any related or supporting-area
requirements, fulfilling the residence and any internship
requirements, and having had the Dissertation Prospectus accepted by
the Executive Committee, the student becomes a candidate for the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy. A letter of candidacy is sent from the
Graduate Records Office at Storrs to all students successfully
completing all requirements for the degree except the dissertation and
its oral defense.
10. The Dissertation
A dissertation representing a significant contribution to the
candidate's field is a primary requirement. The dissertation shall be
under the immediate and continuous supervision of the advisory
committee and shall meet all standards prescribed by the committee and
by The Graduate School. It must be acceptable in literary style and
organization. The dissertation may not include any data or research
results that cannot be made public at the time of the oral defense or
that are subject to any other restriction.
Prior to writing the dissertation, the student is advised to obtain
a copy of the University of Connecticut's specifications for
preparation and submission of the dissertation. This booklet is
available from the Office of Records/Registration. It is the student's
responsibility to be certain that the dissertation conforms exactly to
the specifications prescribed by the Graduate School. The dissertation
is to be dated as of the calendar year in which all requirements for
the degree are met.
When a student, in consultation with the advisory committee, sets a
date for the defense, written notification of this date must be made
at least four weeks prior to the actual defense. Setting a date
for the oral final exam implies that the student’s committee has read
and approved the thesis pending only minor changes. A dissertation
packet of forms necessary for completion are available in the Office
of Records/Registration. At least seven days prior to the actual
defense date, a complete preliminary or "working" copy of the
dissertation must be received by the Office of Records/Registration.
This copy incorporates changes suggested by their committee and should
be the final completed document. This copy is reviewed by the ORR and
then sent to the Graduate Records Office for format verification. A
tentative approval form signed by all members of the advisory
committee must be submitted along with the working copy.
Following the oral defense, the student must deposit at the Office
of Records/Registration, three final, fully-revised original
dissertations, all bearing original signatures. Two of the final
copies of the dissertation will be submitted to the Graduate Records
Office. One is bound and held in the reference section of the Homer
Babbidge Library at Storrs. The other is sent to the microfiche
company. The third copy is bound and held in the Lyman Maynard Stowe
Library at the Health Center. These final copies must be printed on at
least 25% rag-content bond paper of at least 20-pound weight.
In some cases, revision of the dissertation is required by the
advisory committee as a result of the final examination. Final
approval of the dissertation following the examination shall be
indicated by the original signatures of all members of the advisory
committee on final-approval pages, which must be submitted to the
Office of Records/Registration immediately after the student has been
examined if revisions are necessary. In any case, three final
approval pages, with original signatures, and the dissertation copies
must be received at the Office by the conferral period deadline in
August, December, or May.
11. Copies of the Dissertation
If departments or programs require an extra copy of the student's
dissertation, it is the student's responsibility to supply one
directly to the department or program. Additional copies of the
dissertation can be bound for personal use. The Office of
Records/Registration has specific recommendations for binding these
copies at a nominal charge.
12. Abstract, Microfilming, Copyright and Other
Completion Requirements
At the time the three final copies of the dissertation are
submitted to the Office of Records/Registration, five typed copies of
the abstract, not to exceed 350 words in length, shall also be
submitted. The abstract is published in Dissertation Abstracts
International.
The microfilming by University Microfilms International of all
doctoral dissertation is required. Agreement forms for microfilming
must be completed by doctoral candidates when submitting the
dissertation to the Office of Records/Registration. This form also may
be used to arrange for optional copyrighting of the dissertation.
Completion fees are charged for the binding and microfilming of the
dissertation. If the dissertation is lengthy, the Babbidge Library may
require that it be bound as more than one volume. Arrangements for fee
payment are made at the Office of Records/Registration. There is also
a fee for copyrighting, if desired.
All doctoral students must complete the "Survey of Earned
Doctorates," form available at the Office of Records/Registration.
Dissertations handled by ProQuest Information and Learning (PQIL)
are copyrighted in the name of the author. PQIL registers the
copyright for the author (graduate student) with the U.S. Copyright
Office (web site,
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/). Accordingly, student authors own
their dissertations and can publish the contents of these works when
or where they choose.
In cases where a dissertation contains all or part of a previously
published work, PQIL requests a permission letter from the publisher
(e.g., American Cancer Society) who usually approves, often with
the proviso that the dissertation can only be distributed in paper and
microfilm formats, not digitally. The proviso is acceptable to PQIL.
13. The Final Examination
The final examination shall be oral and under the jurisdiction of
the advisory committee. It shall deal mainly with the subject matter
of the dissertation. The examination shall be held not earlier than
seven days after a working copy of the complete dissertation and
tentative advisory committee approval have been
submitted to the Office of Records/Registration but no later than the
conferral period deadline in August, December, or May. Invitation to
participate in the examination is issued by the advisory committee,
although members of the faculty may attend. Not fewer than
five members of the faculty, including all members of the candidate’s
advisory committee, shall participate in the final examination unless
written approval for a lesser number has been secured in advance from
the Dean of the Graduate School.
It is required that notification of the time and place of the
examination be sent, on special form, simultaneously to the to
Graduate Records Office and to the UConn Advance Office in time
to appear in the Advance not later than seven days prior to the
examination. The special form is available only from the Graduate
Records Office (or the Office of Records/Registration at the Health
Center). Consult the specifications for the preparation and submission
of the dissertation (which may be obtained at the Graduate Records
Office) for Advance publications schedule and deadline. When the
Advance is not being published (between semesters) or published
irregularly (during the summer), the notice nevertheless must be
submitted, for publication retroactively, and meanwhile the
examination should be advertised widely through the University mail
and/or through other means at least seven days prior to the
examination.
The decision as to whether a candidate has passed, conditionally
passed, or failed the examination rests solely with the advisory
committee, which shall take into account the opinions of other
participating faculty members and other experts. The vote of the
advisory committee must be unanimous. Immediately following the
examination, the major advisor shall communicate the results to the
student and send the official report on the examination to the
Graduate Records Office.
14. Application for the Degree
Students are required to file for graduation using the PeopleSoft
website. If filing is not timely, conferral is delayed to the
next conferral period, even though all other degree requirements may
have been completed on time.
15. Commencement at Storrs
Commencement is held once a year, at the end of the Spring
semester. Individuals who have had degrees conferred at the end of the
previous summer, during the previous fall semester or candidates for degrees
who complete degree requirements by the end of the Spring semester may
participate in the annual commencement ceremony and are urged to do
so. Academic regalia appropriate for the University of Connecticut
degree being conferred is strictly required. This regalia can be
purchased from the UConn Co-Op on the Storrs campus. Commencement
instruction, announcements, and tickets are available during the last
full week of classes. Storrs will send tickets to all students who
have designated participation in the ceremony. Extra tickets may be
available to students and faculty by request.
16. Recognition at the Health Center's
Commencement
The Ph.D. and Master degrees are officially conferred by Storrs in
May, August, and December and awarded at the Storrs
commencement ceremony in May of each year. However, graduate students
who have spent their time at the Health Center and who have
completed all degree requirements are invited to
participate in the Health Center's commencement ceremony. Graduate
students participate in the processional and are individually called
to walk across the stage to be recognized by the Associate Dean of the
Graduate School. Diplomas are not awarded at the Heath Center
ceremony. Academic regalia is required and can be rented for a nominal
price.
