The Graduate College Handbook for Students, Faculty and Staff
Chapter VI: Requirements for the Doctoral Degree
C. Time Limits
The time by which a doctoral candidate is expected to complete all degree requirements varies depending on whether or not the student was accepted with a master’s degree that will fulfill Stage I requirements (see chapter VI.A). A doctoral candidate who must complete all three stages of the degree is expected to complete all degree requirements within seven years of first registering in the Graduate College. If the doctoral candidate has completed a master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign within the last three years, the student is expected to complete the Stage II and III requirements within five years of first registering in as a doctoral student. If three or more years passed between receipt of the master’s degree at Urbana-Champaign and returning for the doctoral degree, the student is allowed six years to complete Stage II and III requirements. If the doctoral candidate has completed a master’s degree from another university he or she is allowed six years to complete Stage II and III requirements. With the written approval of the Graduate College, a department may set time limits for completion of a doctoral degree program that are different from those of the Graduate College.
Course work that is older than the number of years by which a doctoral student is expected to complete all degree requirements will not be automatically accepted for the degree. To request acceptance of old course work, the doctoral student must petition the Graduate College. The petition must include an explanation from the department regarding how the student's knowledge in the areas covered by the old course work meets current standards. This justification is needed for degree certification and the petition should be filed during the term when the student is placed on the degree list.
If more than five years elapse between a doctoral student's preliminary and final examinations, the student is required to demonstrate that his or her broad knowledge of the field is current by passing a second preliminary examination. The form of the second preliminary examination need not be identical to that of the first. It is not adequate that the student has sufficient current knowledge in the area of the thesis. Scholarly publications and college-level teaching assignments may be used as partial evidence of the student's current knowledge of his or her field, but a preliminary examination committee must be appointed by the Graduate College, an examination given, and its result reported to the Office of Admissions and Records.
It is expected that the doctoral dissertation will be deposited within one year of the final examination. If more than one year elapses between the student's final examination and the deposit of the dissertation in the Graduate College, the dissertation must be accompanied by a statement from the executive officer of the student's department to the dean of the Graduate College. The statement should recommend accepting the thesis on the basis that it is essentially the one defended and should also state why the late award of the degree is appropriate.
