Doctoral Candidacy

Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is a prospective judgment by the faculty in the degree program of the student’s potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Students are expected to complete degree program qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the end of their second year in the doctoral program. Candidacy is valid for five calendar years (through the end of the quarter in which candidacy expires), unless terminated by the degree program (for example, for unsatisfactory academic progress). Failure to advance to candidacy results in the dismissal of the student from the doctoral program.

<Degree programs insert information on qualifying procedures here. This should include courses/seminars/workshops students must complete, exams, presentations, etc. Anything that a student must do prior to the candidacy vote should be detailed here. We also recommend including the previous paragraph as the introduction to this section.>

Students are required to maintain active candidacy through conferral of the doctoral degree. All requirements for the degree must be completed before candidacy expires. The candidacy time limit is not automatically extended by a student’s leave of absence.

Failure to make minimum academic progress or complete university, department, and program requirements in a timely or satisfactory manner may lead to dismissal.

Extensions of Candidacy

Students who are unable to complete all requirements of the degree within the five year candidacy period must apply for an Extension of Candidacy. Such an extension is not guaranteed and requires approval by the department after review of a dissertation progress report, a timetable for completion of the dissertation, and discussion of other factors regarded as relevant by the department.

<Departments may include additional information on post-candidacy here as needed.>