GRADUATE PROGRAM GUIDELINES: ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY
(Doctoral Degrees Only)
It is the responsibility of the student to file for admission to candidacy with the Dean of the Graduate School. This is
done through the Graduate Coordinator. This is a certification that the student has demonstrated the ability to do acceptable graduate work in the chosen field and that certain requirements have been fulfilled:
Under ordinary circumstances, admission to candidacy for a doctoral student is requested
immediately after the successful completion of the comprehensive oral examinations. The
following is a complete list of requirements for admission to candidacy:
1. all prerequisites set as a condition to admission have been satisfactorily completed;
2. research skills requirements, if applicable, have been met;
3. the final program of study has been approved by the advisory committee, the graduate
coordinator, and the dean of the Graduate School;
4. an average of 3.0 (B) has been maintained on all graduate courses taken and on all
completed courses on the program of study (no course with a grade below C may be
placed on the final program of study);
5. written and oral comprehensive examinations have been passed and reported to the
Graduate School;
6. the advisory committee, including any necessary changes in the membership, is
confirmed and all its members have been notified of their appointment;
7. a dissertation prospectus has been approved (if required by the department); and
8. the residence requirement has been met
The Application for Admission to Candidacy form must be submitted to the Graduate School
as soon as possible following the completion of these requirements. Candidacy begins on the
date the form is received in the Graduate School. The graduate coordinator must notify the
Graduate School should there be a reason to delay admission to candidacy as indicated on the
comprehensive examination report form.
After admission to candidacy, a student must register for a combined total of ten hours of
dissertation or other appropriate graduate credit during the completion of the degree program.
Students planning to graduate the same semester they enter candidacy must be admitted to
candidacy by the published deadline for candidacy during that semester and register for ten
hours. The student must also meet all other deadlines for graduation in that semester. A student
must register for a minimum of three hours of credit in any semester when using University
facilities, and/or faculty or staff time.
Time Limit on Candidacy
The dissertation must be completed in order to qualify for
graduation within five years following admission to candidacy. If a doctoral student's candidacy
expires after the first week of classes in the final semester, the student is granted the remainder of
the semester to complete degree requirements without special permission of the dean of the
Graduate School.