Each student should select a research advisor by the end of the first semester of residence. By the end of the second year of residence, the student must submit a written and an oral progress report to their dissertation committee of at least four faculty members, including the Research Advisor, at least two more members of the Department, and at least one person from outside the Department. The committee will consider the student’s progress and will recommend to the department whether the student should be allowed to continue toward a Ph.D.
Students who do not satisfy the academic milestones described in the Departmental Handbook (e.g., maintaining a departmental GPA over 3.0, finding a mentor, passing the qualifying exam, etc.), as determined by the department, will be dismissed from the program.
Dissertation
To fulfill the final Ph.D. degree requirement the candidate must submit and defend a satisfactory dissertation to the dissertation committee.