Doctorate Programs - General Information

Role of the Student

The student should exhibit a willingness to go beyond the minimum requirements for the degree, including completion of coursework and/or assistantship duties, and demonstration of a desire for independent learning. In addition, the responsibilities of the doctoral student entail the following:

1. Establish a reasonable timeline for completion of all degree requirements.
   
   
2. Select a program chair and committee members who will work together to plan a program of study and provide advice on matters related to the comprehensive examination.
   
   
3. Prepare for any written or oral examinations by being thoroughly familiar with the material that is central to the topics being discussed. This preparation will greatly increase the chances of successfully passing these examinations.
   
   
4. Select a dissertation chair and committee members who will work together to provide advice on matters related to the proposal/dissertation.
   
   
5. Submit to the dissertation chair, and later to the committee members, a proposal that presents a clearly defined problem and adheres to a consistent format. This also applies later to the dissertation.
   
   
6. Monitor closely the progress toward the degree objective, using the summary checklist form that is provided herein on page 30. The program/dissertation chairs assist in this, but ultimately it is the student's responsibility to make sure forms are filed when necessary and examinations are appropriately scheduled.