Graduate School - The University of Akron

Academic Requirements 29Continuous Enrollment RequirementAll students admitted to doctoral programs must register for a minimum of onegraduate credit as approved by their advisers during each Fall and Spring semester.Individual departments may exceed this minimum requirement. Doctoral studentsshall consult their advisers about additional requirements. Master's programs mayrequire cont1nuing enrollment. Students should consult their advisers about thisrequirement.Time LimitAll doctoral requirements must be completed within 10 years of starting courseworkat The University of Akron or elsewhere. This refers to graduate work afterreceipt of a master's degree or the completion of 30 semester credits. Extensionsof up to one year may be granted by the dean of the Graduate School underunusual circumstances.CreditsA doctorate is conferred in recognition of high attainment and productive scholarshipin some special field of learning as evidenced by the satisfactory completionof a prescribed program of study and research; and the successful passing ofexaminations covering the special field of study and the general field of which thissubject is a part. Consequently, the emphasis is on mastery of the subject ratherthan a set number of credits. Doctoral programs generally encompass the equivalentof at least three years of full-time study at the graduate level. A minimum of50 percent of the total credits above the baccalaureate required in each student'sdoctoral program must be completed at the University. A maximum of six workshopcredits may be applied to a doctoral degree. Such credits must be relevantto the degree program, recommended by the student's adviser and approved bythe dean of the Graduate School.No graduate credit may be received for courses taken by examination or for 400-numbered courses previously taken at the 400-nurnber course level as an undergraduatewithout advance approval from the dean of the Graduate School."Repeat for change of grade" is not available at the graduate level.Transfer Credits~p to 50 percent of the total credits above the baccalaureate required in a doctoralprogram may be transferred from accredited colleges or universities. Departmentsand colleges may set more restrictive limits. The credits must be relevantto the student's academic program as determined by the student's academicdepartment and must fall within the 10-year limited to complete degree requirementsif beyond the master's degree. All credits transferred must be at the "A' or"B" level in graduate courses.Credits transferred may come from a prior degree. No more than thirty semestercredits may be transferred from a s1ngle master's degree. Credits earned in prioror concurrent programs at The University of Akron shall be treated in the samemanner as cred1ts earned elsewhere. A University of Akron student who seeks toenroll in courses elsewhere for transfer credit here must receive prior approval.A student seeking transfer credit must have full admission and be in good standingat The University of Akron and at the school at which the credits were earned.Transfer credit shall not be recorded until a student has completed 12 semestercredits at The University of Akron with a grade-point average of 3.00 or better.Transfer credits from other institutions shall not be computed as part of a student'sUniversity of Akron grade point average.Optional Department RequirementsEach department may determine requirements for a doctoral student with regardto entrance examinations, qualify1ng examinations, preliminary or comprehensiveexam1nat1ons and course sequences.Advancement to CandidacyA student should apply for advancement to cand1dacy alter complet1on of one-halfof the credits required for the degree in his or her program. A student must befully admitted and in good standing to be advanced to cand.ldacyAdvancement to Candidacy forms must be subm1tted no later than May 15 for theJanuary commencement and no later than September 15 for the May commencement.These forms are available in the office of the dean of the GraduateSchool or in the academic departmentDissertation and Oral DefenseThe ability to do independent research and demonstrate competence in scholarlyexposition must be demonstrated by ttle preparation of a d1ssertat1on on sometopic related to the major subject. It should represent a significant contribution toknowledge, be presented in a scholarly manner, reveal the candidate's ability to doindependent research and indicate experience 1n research techniques.A doctoral dissertatiOn committee superv1ses and approves the dissertatiOn andadministers an oral examination upon the dissertation and related areas of study.This examination is open to the graduate faculty The dissertation and oral examinationmust be approved by the comm1ttee before the dissertation 1s subm1ttedto the Graduate School. Two cop1es of the dissertation are due in the GraduateSchool at least three weeks prior to commencement These cop1es must besigned by the adviser, department head and college dean pnor to submiss1on tothe dean of the Graduate School. A manual titled Guidelines for Prepanng a Thesisor Dissertation is available in the Graduate School and all copies of the dissertationmust conform to these instructions.GraduationTo be cleared for graduation, a candidate must have completed the academic programwith a grade-point average of at least 3 00; been advanced to candidacy;submitted an approved dissertation and passed an oral examination; filed an applicationfor graduation with the registrar; paid all applicable fees; and met any otherdepartment and University requirementsLanguage RequirementsThere is no University-wide foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. The studentis required to demonstrate one of the following skills depending upon theparticular program.• Plan A: Reading knowledge, with the aid of a dictionary, of two approved foreignlanguages. At the discretion of the major department an average of "B" in thesecond year of a college-level course in a language will be accepted as evidenceof proficiency in reading knowledge for than language. English may be consideredas one of the approved foreign languages for a student whose first languageis not English; and demonstrated competence in research technique(e.g., statistics and/or computers) may be substituted for one of the two foreignlanguages. Under the last option, each department should define competenceand publicize.• Plan B: Comprehensive knowledge of one approved foreign language, includingreading without the aid of a dictionary and such additional requirements as thedepartment may impose.• Plan C: In certain doctoral programs (counseling and guidance, elementary education,engineering, psychology, secondary education, urban studies) thedemonstration of competence in appropriate research skills may serve as a substitutefor the foreign language requirements.