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Degree Requirements (60 Post Baccalaureate Hours)

The requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy include 60 semester hours of advanced course work (or 30 semester hours beyond the master’s degree), written and oral examinations for admission to candidacy, a reading knowledge of one foreign language, and a dissertation. Beyond the basic courses taken by most graduate students, the formal course work of Ph.D. students is quite flexible and is decided by consultation between the student and the student’s advisory committee. Usually five or six years are required to complete the doctoral program. The majority of time during the student’s last two years of residence will be devoted to individual research under the guidance of a member of the faculty on a problem of mutual interest. This research forms the basis for the doctoral dissertation.