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University Requirements for Ph.D. Degree

  1. Satisfactory completion of all coursework required by the plan of study.
  2. Satisfactory completion of the Proficiency Examination.
  3. Completion of the required residency requirements before Candidacy is awarded.
  4. Graduate cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
  5. Satisfactory completion of the Oral Dissertation Defense.
  6. Submission of an electronic version of the approved dissertation including the dissertation abstract and a copy of Human Subjects or Animal Subjects approval form (if required).
  7. Completion of Ph.D. degree requirements within five years after being admitted to candidacy.
  8. Follow the steps to apply for graduation on the Registrar’s Office website: uttyler.edu/registrar/graduation/applying-for-graduation. 

Residency Requirement

The residency requirement provides students an opportunity to be engaged in concentrated study over an extended period of time in association with faculty and other students in an atmosphere conducive to a high level of intellectual and scholarly activity.

Ph.D. students must be registered for nine (9) hours each semester at UT Tyler for a minimum of two consecutive semesters or six (6) hours each semester for three consecutive semesters (not necessarily including summer). However, the student does not necessarily have to be physically present on campus (for example, the student may be taking courses over the internet or doing field research). The residency requirement must be met prior to admission to candidacy.

Time Limit

All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be completed and the degree awarded within a maximum of nine years from the term of full Ph.D. admission, and within five calendar years from the term in which the student is admitted to candidacy.

(Example: if the date of admission is Fall 2008, the nine-year time limit ends Summer 2017. If the student in this example is admitted to candidacy in March 2010, the time to degree expires at the end of the spring semester 2015).

Extension of Time Limit

When extenuating circumstances warrant, the Dean of The Graduate School may grant an extension for one year. The student must submit a written request to the dissertation advisor and obtain approval from both the major advisor/dissertation chair and the program’s graduate director, who forwards the request to the Dean of The Graduate School. Final approval of the request rests with the Dean of The Graduate School.

The program can make a request on the behalf of the student for a leave of absence prior to or during candidacy. The proper chain of command should be followed (dissertation advisor, department chair, college dean, graduate school dean).

An approved leave of absence allows the time limit clock to stop for students during the leave.

Inactive Status

A student not yet admitted to candidacy who has not enrolled for three consecutive semesters and who has not been granted an extension or a leave of absence will be placed in inactive status.

In order to resume graduate studies, the student must complete a new graduate school application at uttyler.edu/graduate and meet all admission requirements in force at the time of the new application. Readmission under these circumstances is not guaranteed. If readmitted, the student will be subject to all program requirements in force at the time the student is readmitted.