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 an accredited institution (or equivalent) and a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate studies, or a score of at least 1000 on the combined verbal-quantitative portion of the GRE or a combined verbal-quantitative 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 train 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, at least one-half of which must be taken at UCF. At least 6 semester hours of the course work taken at UCF must be outside the student's program area. A university-wide minimum of at least 15 hours of dissertation credits is required for all doctoral programs. 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.
At the discretion of the program, students admitted with a master's degree from an accredited institution may be admitted into a post-master's program of study without a course-by-course transfer of completed coursework. In these cases, programs will have established minimum degree requirements for a post-master's program of study with more than one-half of the degree-required course work hours taken at UCF. For example, if a program requires a total of 72 hours for the doctoral degree, the program will establish a program of study for the completion of a minimum of 42 hours beyond the master's level with at least 37 hours (including dissertation hours) taken at UCF. If there are deficiencies in the student's master's degree program, the student may be required to take additional pre-requisite or background courses in addition to the minimum (e.g., 42 hours) required by the university. In the case of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, which allows up to 36 credit hours, including up to 6 thesis credits, to be transferred from a master's program, the minimum post-master's requirement is 37 hours of course work at UCF.
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.
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 Requirements
Each doctoral student is expected to complete two contiguous semesters in full-time graduate student status after acceptance into a doctoral program.
Special Degree Requirements
Each student may be expected to demonstrate an appropriate competency (e.g., computer skills, writing skills, lab skills, etc.) in an area related to his or her degree program. The appropriate competency must be carefully defined by the program area and approved by the student's committee and the Dean of the college. Any course credit earned in attaining such a skill does not count toward minimum hour requirements.
Transfer Credits
Doctoral transfer credits typically consist of hours completed at an accredited institution (including UCF) BEFORE a student is given graduate status in his/her doctoral program at UCF. Only 4000-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. Transfer hours may include a maximum of six hours of 4000-level courses (and no 3000-level or lower courses) if taken as part of an approved graduate program. The acceptance of transfer credits must be recommended by the program director of the student's major.
Students admitted with a master's degree from an accredited institution may be admitted into a post-master's program of study without a course-by-course transfer of completed coursework. This admission will place students into a post-master's program of study that will include minimum university requirements, prerequisites, and background courses as determined by the student's graduate program. At a minimum, the post-master's program of study will require at least 37 hours (in the College of Engineering and Computer Science) or 42 hours (in the other colleges) beyond the master's level, with at least 37 hours (including dissertation hours) taken at UCF. 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 may choose to conduct a course-by-course review and to transfer in only selected courses.
For students without a master's degree who are admitted into doctoral programs, up to 30 semester hours of graduate credit may be transferred from an accredited institution. Approval of transfer credits will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the graduate committee of the program area generally at the time the student is admitted to the program. The transfer hours will consist of a maximum of six hours of 4000-level work, no 3000-level courses, and no courses with grades of less than "B-." The College of Engineering and Computer Science allows up to 36 credit hours, including up to 6 thesis credits, to be transferred from a master's program. In all cases, the transfer work will constitute less than half of the course work hours necessary for degree requirements, per accreditation guidelines.
Graduate programs are permitted to accept up to nine hours of graduate course work taken at UCF while an undergraduate student was enrolled in an undergraduate program of study. 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. This does not apply to 4000-level course work taken while an undergraduate student. (See also the section on "Senior Scholars".)
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 taken since the original program entry date at UCF may be older than seven years and used in the program of study. Graduate course work taken elsewhere and not part of an earned graduate degree is subject to the 7-year rule.
Students who do not maintain continuous enrollment without a Special Leave of Absence (see "Continuous Attendance" within the section on Academic Policies) 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" within the section on Academic Policies), 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.
Candidacy Examination. This title is used for the examination that the student takes 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.
Dissertation Proposal Examination. After passing the general Candidacy Examination, the student will write and defend a Dissertation Proposal in an oral examination.
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 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. 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. Post-candidacy enrollment is allowable for a maximum of four years subject to the seven-year time limitation.
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. 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 Thesis Advisory Committee is provided in UCF Faculty Senate Resolution 2004-2005-3. A link to this resolution can be found on the UCF Faculty Senate's news site (http://facultysenate.ucf.edu/resolutions/04-05-newsite.html).
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 Graduate Studies 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. Graduate students can obtain the manual from the Graduate Student website (www.graduate.ucf.edu). The Thesis/ 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 (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). The editor will send dissertations to UMI, with the student's completed UMI form and microfilming fee.
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 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.
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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