2005-06 - Office of the Registrar - Duke University

working on their dissertations, it is expected that this progress summary will also be given
to their doctoral committees. Failure on the part of a student to submit an annual progress
report will jeopardize the Graduate School’s ability to certify satisfactory progress towards
the degree and thus both the student’s continuation in their graduate program and their
eligibility for financial support.
Residence. The minimum residence requirement is one academic year of full-time
registration at Duke (that is, two consecutive semesters of full-time tuition).
Time Limits. Ordinarily a student registered for full-time study should pass the
preliminary examination by the end of the third year. A student who has not passed the
examination by this time must file with the dean of the Graduate School a statement,
approved by the director of graduate studies in the major department, explaining the delay
and setting a date for the examination. Except under unusual circumstances, extensions will
not be granted beyond the middle of the fourth year.
Ordinarily, credit is not allowed for graduate courses (including transfers) or foreign
language examinations that are more than six years old at the date of the preliminary
examination. Similarly, credit will not be allowed for a preliminary examination that is
more than five years old at the date of the final examination. In cases of exceptional merit,
however, the dean of the Graduate School may extend these limits. Should either of these
limits be exceeded, the student’s department must submit to the dean specific
requirements for revalidating credits or examinations.The doctoral dissertation should be
submitted and accepted within two calendar years after the preliminary examination is
passed. Should the dissertation not be submitted and accepted within four years after the
examination, the candidate may, with the approval of the committee and the director of
graduate studies, petition the dean of the Graduate School for an extension of up to one
year. If this extension is granted and the dissertation is not submitted and accepted by the
new deadline, the student may be dropped from candidacy. The student must then pass a
second preliminary examination to be reinstated as a candidate for the degree. In such
cases, the time limit for submitting the dissertation will be determined by the dean of the
Graduate School and the candidate’s committee.
Preliminary Examination. A student is not accepted as a candidate for the Ph.D.
degree until the preliminary examination has been passed. The examination ordinarily
covers both the major field and related work, although some departments or programs cover
such field expertise in a separate qualifying examination. Please consult the chapter on
‘’Courses of Instruction’’ for individual department or program procedures. In the summer
a preliminary examination may be scheduled only between the opening and closing dates of
the summer session. A student must be registered during the term in which he or she takes
the preliminary examination.
Successful completion of the preliminary examination requires at least three
affirmative votes and no more than one negative vote. The sole exception to this policy is
that a negative vote cast by the chair of the examining committee will mean a failure on
the examination. A student who fails the preliminary examination may apply, with the
consent of the full supervisory committee and the dean of the Graduate School, for the
privilege of a second examination to be taken no earlier than three months after the date of
the first. Successful completion of the second examination requires the affirmative vote of
all original committee members. Failure on the second examination will render a student
ineligible to continue a program for the Ph.D. degree at Duke University.
The qualifying and/or preliminary examination may also be used as the completion
exercise for awarding a master’s degree either for a terminal master’s or, where
appropriate, for awarding a master’s degree en route to the Ph.D.
The Dissertation. The dissertation is expected to be a mature and competent piece of
writing, embodying the results of significant and original research.
One month before the dissertation is presented and no later than January 25 preceding
the May commencement, July 1 for a September degree, and November 1 for a December
Degree Regulations—The Doctoral Degree 57