Doctoral Program Policies

Doctoral Admission Requirements

Eligibility for admission to a doctoral program is limited to superior students who have demonstrated intellectual ability, high achievement, and adequate preparation for advanced study and research in a chosen field.

Minimum university standards for admission to a doctoral program require a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or recognized foreign institution and a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate studies, or a competitive score on the GRE or a score of at least 540 on the GMAT, or a master's degree from an accredited institution and GRE or GMAT scores. A GRE or GMAT (Business Administration) score is required of all applicants. However, meeting minimum university admission standards may not satisfy doctoral program admission requirements. Programs often require additional or higher criteria.

Course Requirements

The course requirements for a doctoral degree will consist of lectures, seminars, discussions, independent research, independent study, and dissertation research. However, because of the advanced nature of doctoral education, seminars and independent study are used frequently to encourage student participation, debate, evaluation, and discussion of diverse ideas and approaches. Student presentations and discussions are a standard instructional technique in doctoral programs, and careful analysis, independent research, and greater understanding and application of ideas is expected. A primary objective of doctoral study is to educate students to a point of excellence in conducting, reporting, and applying scholarly research. Successful students must demonstrate that they are able to conduct and report original independent research that contributes substantially to the discipline in which they study.

Each doctoral program of study will include a minimum of 72 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the baccalaureate degree. All course work in a doctoral program must be at 5000 level or higher. At least one-half of the credit hours must be in 6000 -level or 7000-level including the allowed number of research and dissertation hours. For students with waived hours from an earned master's, this amount is at least one-half of the program hours remaining after the waived hours are applied. Only graduate level course work with a grade of "C-" or higher may be used to satisfy degree requirements. A university-wide minimum of at least 15 hours of dissertation credits is required for all doctoral programs, although some programs require a greater number of dissertation hours. In no case will the number of dissertation hours in excess of the amount required by a program be counted toward degree completion. Some programs require considerably more than the minimum of 72 hours because of the nature of the discipline and the standards of the associated profession.

Students admitted with an earned master's degree from a regionally accredited institution or recognized foreign institution may be eligible to have up to 30 hours of their doctoral program waived without a course-by-course review of completed course work; provided the master's degree was earned in the same area of study. In cases where a student's master's degree is in an area that is different from the doctoral program into which he/she is admitted, programs must conduct a course-by-course review and can waive up to 30 hours of selected courses. If there are deficiencies in the student's master's degree program, the student may be required to take additional prerequisite or background courses in addition to the minimum (e.g., 42 hours) required by the university.

Course Levels

6000- and 7000-Level Courses—A minimum of 36 credit hours (including courses taken in a master's program) must be in 6000-level and 7000-level courses, which are designed, respectively, for graduate students and doctoral students only. For students with waived hours from an earned master's, this amount is at least one-half of the program hours remaining after the waived hours are applied.

Independent Study Hours

No more than 12 total semester hours of independent study (including up to six hours counted toward a master's degree) may be applied to a doctoral program of study.

Residency Requirement

In order to meet the residency requirement, doctoral students must register for 9 hours in each of two consecutive semesters.

Transfer Credits

Graduate programs are permitted to transfer up to 9 graduate hours (including Senior Scholar hours) that have not been applied to a previous graduate degree, or waive up to 30 hours of course work from a previously awarded master's degree. Doctoral transfer credits typically consist of graduate course work completed at a regionally accredited institution or recognized foreign institution (including UCF) BEFORE a student is given graduate status in his/her doctoral program at UCF. Only graduate-level or higher courses may be accepted as transfer credits. Similarly, only courses with a grade of "B-" or higher may be transferred into a program of study. The acceptance of transfer credits must be recommended by the program director of the student's major.

Graduate programs are permitted to accept up to nine hours of graduate course work taken at UCF while an undergraduate student enrolled in an undergraduate program of study, as part of the Senior Scholars program. Transfer work that is not part of an earned degree is subject to the seven-year rule as explained in the Continuous Attendance section of the Graduate Catalog. The use of these hours of graduate course work in the doctoral program of study is at the discretion of the doctoral program director and graduate college coordinator. Not all graduate programs permit students to use graduate credit hours for a graduate program of study if the hours have been used for an undergraduate degree. It is the student's responsibility to obtain advisement from the graduate program director of the specific program before registering in graduate-level courses.

Time Limitation and Continuous Enrollment

The student has seven years from the date of admission to the doctoral program to complete the dissertation and complete the doctoral degree. No courses used in a program of study can be older than seven years at the time of graduation. There is no time limitation for waived hours from a completed master's degree used toward a doctoral degree.

Students who anticipate being out for an extended period of three semesters or longer should apply for a Special Leave of Absence. Students who do not maintain continuous enrollment without a Special Leave of Absence (see Continuous Attendance in the Graduate Catalog) must file for readmission to the university, although seven years is measured from when the student was first admitted to the program.

Readmission

If doctoral students do not maintain continuous enrollment (see Continuous Attendance in the General Graduate Policies section), they must file for readmission to the university. To file for readmission, the student must complete a new online Application. For more information about readmission, refer to the Admissions and Registration section of this catalog.

Readmission decisions are individually made, based on such factors as space in the program, reasons for the break in graduate education, progress in the degree program, among others. Readmission is not guaranteed.

Examinations

To avoid confusion of terminology for examinations, all programs should use the following terms:

Qualifying Examination. Eligibility to continue a doctoral program should be limited to superior students who have demonstrated intellectual ability, high achievement, and adequate preparation for advanced study and research in a chosen field. The decision to allow a student continuing progress toward a doctorate is made by the graduate committee of the program area concerned and the Dean of the college on the basis of the qualifying examination (optional by programs) and/or other criteria as specified by the individual program area. This exam is normally given within the first year of the doctoral program. This is a written examination and is permanently filed in the student's records in the program. Programs have their own requirements as to how many times this exam can be repeated.

Candidacy Examination. This exam takes place prior to admission to Candidacy Status. This is a written examination and is permanently filed in the student's permanent records. It is normally taken near the end of completion of course work, and must be passed before being allowed to enroll in doctoral dissertation (XXX 7980) hours. Programs have their own requirements, which are explained in their graduate student handbooks, as to how many times this exam can be repeated.

Dissertation Proposal Examination. After passing the general Candidacy Examination, the student will write and defend a Dissertation Proposal in an oral examination. Programs have their own requirements as to how many times this exam can be repeated. All materials including the approved proposal and other agreements will be kept in the student's file in the program.

Dissertation Defense. This is an oral examination (or defense) of the dissertation.

Examination Committee

In some programs a doctoral examination committee will be formed consisting of several faculty members representing the appropriate disciplines and approved by the Dean or college designee to administer qualifying and/or candidacy examinations. In many cases this committee will consist of the program graduate committee. All members will evaluate and vote as to whether students have successfully completed the exams.

Candidacy

Admission to Candidacy

Students may not be admitted to candidacy until a Doctoral Committee has been appointed, and the Committee has certified that the student has successfully completed the Candidacy Examination and demonstrated the qualifications necessary to successfully complete requirements for the degree. Only after admission to candidacy may a student register for doctoral dissertation hours (XXX 7980). The admission to candidacy will be approved by the graduate college coordinator and forwarded to UCF Graduate Studies for status change. Doctoral students admitted to candidacy are expected to enroll in dissertation hours and to devote full-time effort to conducting their dissertation research and writing the required dissertation document. Students in doctoral candidacy must continuously enroll in at least three hours of dissertation course work (XXX 7980) each semester (including summer) until the dissertation is completed.

Candidacy Examination

The purpose of the Candidacy Examination is for the student to demonstrate knowledge of the field, including theory, bibliography, and research methodology. The examinations must be written and should be based on the student's plan of study and may be a defense of a written dissertation proposal. Written examinations are administered and established on campus by the student's Doctoral Committee in coordination with the college. All written original examination materials will be kept in the student's file in the program.

Dissertation Requirements

Dissertations are required in all doctoral programs. The dissertation consists of an original and substantial research study designed, conducted, and reported by the student with the guidance of the Dissertation Committee. The written dissertation must include a common theme with an introduction and literature review, details of the study, and results and conclusions prepared in accordance with program and university requirements. The dissertation is expected to represent a significant contribution to the discipline. Since this work must be original, it is very important that care is taken in properly citing ideas and quotations of others. Failure to do so is academic dishonesty and subject to termination from the program without receiving the degree. An oral defense of the dissertation is required.

Enrollment in Dissertation Hours

The university requires all doctoral students to take a minimum of 15 credit hours of doctoral dissertation hours; however, specific programs may require more than this minimum. Only those dissertation hours required by the program may be used in the program of study. Dissertation research is considered to be a full-time effort, and post-candidacy enrollment in at least three doctoral dissertation (XXX 7980) credit hours constitutes full-time graduate status. Doctoral students who have passed candidacy and have begun taking doctoral dissertation hours (XXX 7980) must enroll in at least three dissertation hours each semester (including summers, without skipping a semester) and continue doing so until they complete the dissertation and graduate. Students wishing to enroll in part-time hours should consult with their adviser.

Dissertation Advisory Committee Composition

Doctoral students must have a Dissertation Advisory Committee prior to the Candidacy Examination. The Committee will consist of a minimum of four members, who are graduate faculty approved for doctoral advisory committee membership. See the Graduate Faculty section for a list of those approved faculty members. At least three members must be qualified regular faculty members from the student's department (or college, if a college-wide program) at UCF, one of whom must serve as the chair of the committee. One member must be from either outside the student's department at UCF (or college, if a college-wide program) or outside the university.

Adjuncts, visiting faculty members, and outside scholars may serve as a member or co-chair of a dissertation advisory committee, but may not serve as the chair. One of the co-chairs must satisfy faculty qualifications for serving as a chair of a dissertation advisory committee. The other co-chair must satisfy the minimum requirements for serving as a member of a dissertation advisory committee. A member from outside the university may serve as co-chair without being appointed as an adjunct or visiting faculty member provided that all other membership requirements are met.

Program areas may specify additional committee membership beyond the minimum of four. Qualifications of additional members must be equivalent to that expected of UCF faculty members. UCF faculty members must form the majority of any given committee. Additional information regarding the criteria for serving as a member, co-chair, or chair of a Dissertation Advisory Committee is provided in UCF Faculty Senate Resolution 2004-2005-3 Regarding Minimum Qualifications for Participating in Graduate Education.

Committee membership must be approved by the Dean or designee of that college. All members must be in fields related to the dissertation topic. UCF Graduate Studies reserves the right to review appointments to a dissertation advisory committee, place a representative on any dissertation advisory committee, or appoint a co-chair. A student may request a change in membership of the dissertation advisory committee.

All members vote on acceptance or rejection of the dissertation proposal and the final dissertation. The dissertation proposal and final dissertation must be approved by a majority of the committee.

Dissertation Preparation

The UCF Thesis and Dissertation Manual describes UCF's formatting requirements for dissertations and outlines the steps graduate students must follow in order to submit their dissertations electronically to UCF Graduate Studies. The Thesis and Dissertation Office maintains online workshops to inform graduate students about procedures, deadlines, and requirements associated with preparing a dissertation. Students who have just passed Candidacy are strongly encouraged to visit the online workshop.

Dissertation students will submit their dissertations electronically. Electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) submissions will be archived by the UCF library in digital format and will be more widely accessible. In addition, students may use video and audio clips as well as other formats that may be appropriate for their field of study.

All dissertations that use research involving human subjects, including surveys, must obtain approval from an independent board, the Institutional Review Board (IRB), for this prior to starting the research. Graduate students and the faculty that supervise them are required to attend training on IRB policies, so this needs to start well in advance of the research start date. It is imperative that proper procedures are followed when using human subjects in research projects. Information about this process can be obtained from the Office of Research and Commercialization (www.research.ucf.edu). Click on "Compliance" and the IRB Policy and Procedures Manual is available. In addition, should the nature of the research or the faculty supervision change since the IRB approval was obtained, then new IRB approval must be sought. Failure to obtain this prior approval could jeopardize receipt of the student's degree.

Students who wish to complete their degree requirements in a given semester must take their oral defense and submit their dissertation to UCF Graduate Studies by the dates shown in the Academic Calendar. Doctoral students also must provide their electronic copy for microfilming by University Microfilms International (UMI). Graduate Studies will send the student's completed UMI form and microfilming fee to UMI, and the Library will send the electronic dissertation to UMI.

Dissertation Defense

The dean of the college or his/her designee will normally attend all dissertation defenses. Dissertations will be approved by a majority vote of the dissertation advisory committee. Further approval is required from the Dean or Dean designee and UCF Graduate Studies before final acceptance of the dissertation in fulfilling degree requirements.

Review for Original Work

Effective Fall 2008, the university requires all students submitting a thesis or dissertation as part of their graduate degree requirements to first submit their electronic documents through Turnitin.com for advisement purposes and for review of originality. The thesis or dissertation chair is responsible for scheduling this submission to Turnitin.com and for reviewing the results from Turnitin.com with the students advisory committee. The advisory committee uses the results appropriately to assist the student in the preparation of their thesis or dissertation.

Before the student may be approved for final submission to the university, the thesis or dissertation chair must indicate completion of the Turnitin.com requirement by signing the Review for Original Work section on the Thesis and Dissertation Attachment form (see www.graduatestudies.ucf.edu, Forms & Files).

Dissertation Dissemination

While UCF respects the wishes of students who would like to publish their work and/or apply for patents, it is essential for scholarly research conducted at a university to be available for dissemination. While several options are available for the release of an ETD, it is the goal of the university that all dissertations be available through the UCF Libraries catalog. Upon uploading the final ETD to the UCF Libraries ETD website, students, in some cases with their advisers, must choose one of the options for the availability of their ETD through UCF. Students with potential patent concerns are required to discuss the following options with their dissertation adviser and indicate the availability choice on the Thesis and Dissertation Attachment form (see www.graduatestudies.ucf.edu, Forms & Files).

• For those with no patent or copyright concerns:
• Immediate worldwide dissemination with no restrictions.
• For those who have patent issues, dissemination options must be discussed and agreed to with your adviser. Choices are:
• Pending dissemination of the entire work for six months for patent or other proprietary issues, with an additional six months extension available. Once the patent and proprietary issues are resolved, then immediate worldwide dissemination with no restrictions.
• Pending dissemination of the entire work for six months for patent or other proprietary issues, with an additional six months extension available. Once the patent and proprietary issues are resolved, choosing this option allows the student to make the dissertation available to the university community for the period chosen below, and then for it to be distributed via the Web beyond that time.
• one year
• three years*
• five years*
• For those who have copyright concerns, dissemination options are a student decision within the guidelines of individual departments that may have requirements for dissemination. If a department has no guidelines for dissemination, then students are free to choose one of the options below. In general, those in the sciences and engineering will choose one year while students in the arts and humanities may choose longer. Choosing this option allows the student to make the dissertation available to the university community for the period chosen below, and then for it to be distributed via the Web beyond that time.
• one year
• three years*
• five years*

*Does not require dissertation adviser signature and approval.

Public Access

Students, faculty, staff, and other interested parties are strongly encouraged to attend dissertation final defense sessions. Notices providing date, time, and location of such meetings must be distributed to all academic departments.

These sessions are educational and informative for graduate students and provide an opportunity for colleagues to observe the work of their peers with students. At the discretion of the Chair of the Committee, questions may be invited from the audience. That part of the session involving committee discussion leading to a vote on the acceptance of the work will be closed. Sessions may be recessed briefly to excuse visitors and the candidate before this stage begins.

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