Degree Requirements

Students design their program with the guidance of their advisor.

Requirements for Ph.D. Degree

The Ph.D. degree requires core graduate credits, 12 credits of a minor or supporting program and 24 doctoral thesis credits.

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Examinations

Students must pass one written preliminary examination and one preliminary oral examination before writing the dissertation.

The final oral examination for the Ph.D. is a defense of the thesis. This must be done within five calendar years after passing the preliminary oral examination.

Requirements for the M.S. Degree

The M.S. Degree has three required courses and the remainder of the program is designed with the guidance of the advisor

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Examinations

A final oral exam is required for degree completion of a Plan A program. The basis of the oral examination is a defense of the thesis research.

The Plan B requires additional academic course work (at least nine additional credits). Those courses are determined by the student and advisor. Plan B also requires two papers of publishable quality; one paper must include a research component in which there is analysis of data.  Plan B also requires a final oral examination for degree completion. The basis of the oral exam is defense of the Plan B papers.