Students are expected to be aware of and follow the policies and requirements in effect at their term of admission. Departmental and Graduate College policies may change subsequent to the term of admission, but subsequent changes in program requirements may not be imposed on students. Doctoral students should also review the General Graduate Degree Requirements.
Doctoral degrees require successful completion of a minimum of 96 semester hours of graduate credit (see section A of this chapter for doctoral degree stages) as well as the preliminary and final examinations. Any doctoral degree candidate, regardless of transfer credits or a master's degree completed elsewhere, must complete at least 64 hours of residence credit out of the total of 96 hours required for the doctoral degree. Thesis hours can count toward residence credit.
The Graduate College does not require students to be registered at the time of deposit. However, all doctoral candidates must be registered for the entire semester or term during which they take the final examination. For this purpose only, "term" is defined as extending through the day prior to the first day of the following term. If enough thesis credits have been accumulated, registration for 0 hours is acceptable. There is one exception to the registration requirement. A student who was registered during summer session need not register for the fall semester if the final examination occurs on or before the final October examination deadline for the doctoral degree students. This date is published on the Thesis Office Deadlines Web page. This exception provides a grace period at the beginning of the fall semester for students who are unable to assemble their dissertation committees over the summer. For example, in Fall 2007, a doctoral student who wants to defend but does not want to register for the fall term must: (a) have been registered for Summer 2007 and (b) successfully defend by September 14, 2007, the deadline for holding the final examination for October 2007 graduation.
Stage I: A doctoral student is considered to be in Stage I from initial enrollment in the Graduate College to completion of a master’s degree or its equivalent. Each department should have a procedure for evaluating a student's progress at this first stage of doctoral work. Elements of this evaluation will include not only GPA, but other factors related to good academic standing and satisfactory progress. In some departments, this evaluation may take the form of a qualifying examination, or other examination or series of examinations, which a student must pass before entering Stage II of the doctoral degree program. Evaluation of progress in Stage I, whether by examination or other formal review, should take place no later than the end of the second year after a student enters the doctoral program. The evaluation results should be communicated in writing to the student. Students who apply to a doctoral program having already completed a master's degree equivalent to that awarded by the University of Illinois are considered to have completed Stage I of the doctoral program unless the department stipulates otherwise.
Stage II: A doctoral student is considered to be in Stage II from completion of the master’s degree or equivalent to completion of all departmental requirements (except the defense and deposit of the dissertation), including passing the preliminary examination. In some programs, doctoral students entering with a master’s degree will take a qualifying examination early in Stage II. Stage II usually consists of one or more years devoted to course work and research in preparation for the preliminary examination. A student who passes the preliminary examination has completed Stage II is often referred to as being "ABD" (all but dissertation), and is formally a candidate for the doctoral degree.
Stage III: Stage III is the time from the completion of Stage II to passing of the final defense and deposit of an approved dissertation. Registration is required for the entire term in which a student takes the final defense, regardless of when the thesis will be deposited or when the degree will be conferred. See the Thesis Handbook for more information about enrollment dates for each term, deadlines and time limits, and also review the registration requirements for doctoral students (see chapter VI.B).
Committees may be formed and examinations given at various stages of graduate study in order to monitor and ensure the quality of graduate work.
Qualifying examinations are not required by the Graduate College, but are required by some departments. Qualifying exams are generally given at the end of Stage I of the doctoral work (see chapter VI.A). Departments may internally appoint committees to conduct these examinations.
The preliminary examination is required for completion of Stage II of graduate study. The Graduate College does not require that students be registered to take preliminary examinations, although individual departments may have such a requirement. Preliminary examinations may be oral or written or both, depending on the unit's policy. Preliminary examinations generally evaluate the student's overall and specific knowledge in the field. Preliminary examinations usually also include an oral presentation to review the feasibility and appropriateness of a student's dissertation research proposal. The doctoral degree program prescribes the scope of the examination or other procedures.
The preliminary examination is conducted by a committee appointed by the dean of the Graduate College upon recommendation of the executive officer of the unit. In some units the same committee acts for all students taking preliminary exams in a given year. In other units, the preliminary examination committee may be comprised at least in part of those members who will serve on the student's dissertation or final examination committee. In either case, the committee must include at least four voting members, at least three of which must be members of the Graduate Faculty, and two of which must also be tenured. The Policy on Doctoral Committees allows this last requirement to be met by term members of the Graduate Faculty who retired or resigned with tenure for a period of three years following their resignation or retirement. Individuals who are not members of the Graduate Faculty who will be voting members of the committee must be approved in advance by the dean of the Graduate College. To request approval, a curriculum vitae for the individual and a justification from the chair of the committee should accompany the request for appointment of the doctoral committee. Non-voting members may be appointed but are rare on preliminary examination committees. The process for selection of committee chairs vary by unit.
The student and committee chair must be physically present for any oral presentation (e.g. presence by teleconference is not acceptable). Decisions of the preliminary examination committee must be unanimous. The committee may make one of three decisions:
The result of the examination is communicated to the student and to the graduation unit of the Office of Admissions and Records as soon as possible at the conclusion of the exam. If the Office of Admissions and Records is not informed of the result of the preliminary examination within six months after the scheduled examination date, the committee is considered dissolved. In this case, a new committee must be appointed before the examination occurs. The newly appointed committee may or may not consist of the same members as the dissolved committee.
The Graduate College encourages formation of a dissertation committee as early as possible after the successful completion of the preliminary examination. This committee does not need to be formally appointed or approved. The purpose of this committee is to advise the student with dissertation research, often before a student is ready to form the final examination committee. In units with preliminary examinations that include the presentation of a proposal for the doctoral research, the dissertation committee membership may be substantially the same as the preliminary examination committee. The dissertation committee membership may also be the same or essentially the same as the final examination committee. There is no time limit on the duration of service of the dissertation committee, other than the length of time that the student is allowed to complete the degree. The intention is that the committee be formed early in the student's dissertation research work so that the committee can most effectively monitor the student's progress toward completion.
The final examination committee is appointed by the dean of the Graduate College, upon recommendation of the unit executive officer. The chair of the final examination committee must be a member of the Graduate Faculty. The final examination committee chair is responsible for convening the committee, conducting the examination, and submitting the Certificate of Result of Final Examination to the department in which the student is enrolled and to the graduation unit of the Office of Admissions and Records. A contingent chair, who must also be a member of the Graduate Faculty, may be designated to serve as the chair of the final examination committee should the original chair be unable to serve for any reason. The student's thesis adviser need not be the chair of the committee. 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 (see Chapter VI.C).
The final examination committee must include at least four voting members, of which at least three must be members of the Graduate Faculty and at least two must be tenured. This last requirement can be met by term members of the Graduate Faculty who retired or resigned with tenure for a period of three years following their resignation or retirement. If there are more than four voting members on the committee, at least half of the voting members should be members of the Graduate Faculty. Committee members should be chosen for their expertise in the student's research area, but may also be chosen to give diversity in viewpoint, methodology, or academic discipline. Such diversity may be achieved by including members from more than one sub-discipline within the department, from other departments, or from other institutions. The faculty of a department may establish procedures or requirements for introducing diversity in the membership of the final examination committee. Students must adhere to departmental procedures or requirements. Individuals who are not members of the Graduate Faculty who will be voting members of the committee must be approved in advance by the dean of the Graduate College. To request approval, a curriculum vitae for the individual and a justification from the chair of the committee should accompany the request for appointment of the doctoral committee. Upon departmental request, the dean of the Graduate College may also appoint non-voting members to doctoral committees, such as an external reader, an Urbana-Champaign faculty member who is on leave, or others who have made a significant contribution to the dissertation.
The committee chair and the defending student must be physically present at the final examination (e.g. presence by teleconference is not acceptable). All voting members of the committee must be present at and participate in final examinations. In exceptional circumstances, the Graduate College will allow up to two voting members to participate via electronic communication media such as speaker phone or video conference link. Students wishing to take advantage of this option should seek approval from the department. Non-voting members do not need to be present at the final examination. Final examinations are oral and open to the public.
For the final examination, each committee member must indicate that the thesis has been read and approved. Decisions of the committee for final examinations must be unanimous. The committee may make one of four decisions:
Students who fail the first exam may, at the discretion of the committee and according to departmental rules, be granted another opportunity to take the examination after completing additional work. The chair will inform the Graduate College if the student is allowed a second examination.
At the completion of the final examination, both voting and non-voting committee members may sign the Certificate of Committee Approval that becomes a part of the thesis document. Only the voting members of the final examination committee sign the Certificate of Result. Only original signatures are acceptable on the Certificate of Committee Approval and the Certificate of Result, and signatories must sign for themselves. Department heads also sign the Certificate of Committee Approval, and persons authorized by the Graduate College to sign dissertations, may sign in place of the department head on the Certificate of Committee Approval form.
The result of the final examination should be reported to the graduation unit of the Office of Admissions and Records immediately, on the original form with all necessary signatures.
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.