Doctoral Degree Policies

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Graduate School Doctoral Degree Policies

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION PROGRAM

Applicants for admission to the Doctor of Education degree program must be in good standing in the graduate school of an accredited institution.

Admission to the Graduate School does not imply admission to the Doctor of Education degree. Students desiring to pursue graduate work for which they have not completed the prerequisites will be required to make up deficiencies. Specific program requirements and details are outlined under the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) section of this bulletin and on the following pages.

General Requirements for the Degree

Candidates must earn a minimum of 99 hours of graduate credit beyond the bachelor’s degree. This quantitative requirement is a minimum, as the quantity of coursework to be completed by each candidate is arranged individually by the advisory committee, subject to the approval of the graduate dean, and may be modified both as to quantity and as to type during the progress of the student's coursework.

Advisory Committees

Advisory committees will consist of no fewer than five members. Three members who possess expertise in students’ major areas of concentration will be selected by students in consultation with the director of graduate studies in the Center for Excellence in Education. Two will be appointed, one by the dean of the Graduate School and one by the dean of the College of Education in consultation with students and the director of doctoral graduate studies. The education dean’s appointee will possess expertise in professional education and will represent the interests of the faculty of the College of Education. The graduate dean’s appointee, representing the university faculty at large, will be chosen from graduate faculty outside the field of professional education, but from a field related to the student's research interest. These names will be forwarded to the graduate dean for official appointment. No committee is considered constituted without the final written approval of the dean of the Graduate School.

Membership of advisory committees may be changed if either the student or a member of their committee feels that such a change is appropriate, and the requested change is approved by the Director of the Center for Excellence in Education and the graduate dean. Such a change will not be approved except in clearly unusual circumstances. If approval is given, the student will be notified in writing by the Graduate School.

Degree Plan

As the successful completion of 12 semester hours approaches, students should file a degree plan listing all courses completed and to be completed. This plan must be approved by the advisory committee and submitted to the graduate dean for approval. The dean will notify the applicant after the degree plan has been approved. Students will not be permitted to register for more than a cumulative total of 12 semester hours before an approved degree plan is on file in the Graduate School.

Transfer Credit

The Ed.D. Program consists of a minimum of 99 credits beyond the bachelor's degree. Students who have not completed the master's degree will be encouraged to do so prior to pursuing admission to the doctorate. Although all appropriate graduate credits from master's and beyond will be transferred to the Ed.D., all students must complete the doctoral block and dissertation which total 45 credits plus the necessary prerequisites. Students enrolled in the Ed.D. program who receive six hours with a grade of "C" or lower in the Doctoral Knowledge Core will be dismissed from the program. Students will be held responsible for the content of each course placed on the program of study through written
examination.

Comprehensive Examination Structure

The comprehensive examination for the Ed.D. has multiple parts; the students must choose three of four options.

Individual written exam,
Cohort project,
Portfolio, or
Presentation/publication/grant.

Prior to committing to the options, students are advised to consult the department handbook and confer with their faculty advisers. Any failed portion may be repeated once but the student may be directed by the program advisory committee to take additional coursework. If the examination or any portion thereof is failed a second time, the student will be dismissed from the program. The re-examination on any portion failed must be successfully passed within the next consecutive full semester.

Failure to pass the comprehensive examination the second time terminates the degree program and the student will be dismissed from the program. Upon successful completion of the examination, the program advisory committee will endorse advancement to candidacy. Students must complete all portions of the comprehensive examination by December 31 following the last semester in which the student completes the block.

Admission to Candidacy

Students may apply for admission to candidacy upon satisfactory completion of the comprehensive examination. Students may not apply for candidacy while on probation or with a GPA of less than 3.00.

Continuous Enrollment

Doctoral students must maintain continuous enrollment subsequent to passing the comprehensive examination. They must maintain continuous enrollment in a minimum of one semester hour of dissertation during each regular semester, including at least one summer term each year, until the dissertation has been accepted by the graduate dean.

Time to Degree

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within a period of four (4) years from the last semester in which the student completes the block courses. A student who has not completed the dissertation four years from the last semester in which the student completed the block courses has two options to extend the time to degree. Time limits are strictly monitored. Students exceeding the time limit may be required to repeat the comprehensive examination, replace out-of-date credits with up-to-date work, and/or show other evidence of being current in their major and minor fields. Students anticipating that they will exceed the time limit should apply for an extension.

Holding a full-time job is not in itself considered sufficient grounds for requesting an extension. Time spent in obligated military service of the United States will not be considered in computing these time limits. However, career members of the armed forces should consult the graduate dean concerning credit given to work completed before entering active service.

The faculty approved the following procedure to operationalize the "Time to Degree" policy:

Students who have not completed the dissertation four years from the last semester in which the student completes the block courses have two options to extend the time to degree.
Doctoral students who have completed a dissertation proposal that has been accepted by the committee prior to the expiration date will be granted a one year extension upon committee approval.
For those individuals who have not had a proposal approved by their committee, a two year extension may be granted contingent upon committee approval with the completion of additional prescribed course work and a retake of the written comprehensive examination.

Dissertation

Approval of Dissertation Research by the IRB

Under federal regulation, all institutions receiving funds from any of 16 federal agencies, including USDA, NASA, NSF, EPA, Department of Education, and NIH, are required to establish institutional review boards to monitor all funded research involving humans. Human research is defined as any systematic activity involving the collection and/or analysis of data on human subjects for the purpose of advancing generalizable knowledge, unless this activity is specifically exempted by current federal regulations. It is the policy of this university to apply the regulations to all research and research related activities which involve humans, funded or not. Dissertation research involving human subjects is included.

Copies of the Arkansas State University Institutional Review Board Information Packet are available in the Office of Research and Technology Transfer.

Seminar for the Defense of the Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal should be distributed to all members of the advisory committee at least one week before the date set for the defense seminar. Enough copies should be made for all members of the doctoral committee and for visitors to the defense seminar. The defense seminar will be open to faculty and to master’s and doctoral students. After candidates have successfully defended the proposed problem, it is assumed that they will develop, with the supervision of the advisory committee, this proposed problem into a completed dissertation. The candidates will be notified in writing of their committee’s approval.

Dissertation Defense

Upon completion of the dissertation, an oral presentation of the dissertation research and results followed by an examination which deals with the dissertation and any other aspect of candidates' programs which the committee designates will be held.

Arrangements for this examination will be made by the CEE, but announced by the Graduate School. This oral examination will be open to the public.

Final Form

The completed dissertation must follow the style and format requirements of the Graduate School as contained in the Guide for Writers of Dissertations and Theses. It is the responsibility of candidates to assure that the completed dissertation follows this designated form. Before submission to the graduate dean, the completed dissertation must be approved by the entire advisory committee and the CEE Director, as listed in the Guide. Five copies of the completed dissertation will be submitted by candidates. The bound copies will be on file with the ASU Library, Graduate School, CEE, adviser, and the student. The Center endorses the use of APA as the approved style for formatting the dissertation. Any deviation from APA should be approved by the advisor.

The Abstract

Candidates will be responsible for the preparation of an abstract of the dissertation which will be submitted at the same time as the completed dissertation or project. The abstract must not exceed 300 words.

Deadline for Submission

The completed dissertation and abstract, signed by all members of the advisory committee, must be in the office of the dean of the Graduate School by the deadline set for accepting dissertations. The date for each semester and summer term is given in the University Calendar.

Checklist for the Last Semester Before Graduation

In the last semester before graduation, candidates must

Register for the graduation fee.
File an Intent to Graduate Form with the relevant deadline.
Complete the final oral examination on the dissertation.
Pay the fee for binding the dissertation.
Submit four copies of the dissertation for binding and microfilming. This is detailed in the Guide for Writers of Dissertations and Theses.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES PROGRAM

As a reflection of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, a course of study will be tailored to each student's own scholarly interests, research, and proposed career direction. The specific quantity and content of each student's course of study will require approval by the student's Doctoral Advisory Committee. General course requirements are outlined below and in the section of this Bulletin entitled Program of Study for the Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences. Applicants are advised that admission to the Graduate School does not imply admission to the Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences Program.

Doctoral Advisory Committees

Each student is expected to identify a doctoral advisory committee chair during the first year of their program of study. The Doctoral Advisory Committee will consist of members of the graduate faculty and other professionals as deemed appropriate and approved by the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee and the Graduate Council. Each committee must have at least five members with at least one member of the natural and social sciences. Committee membership is subject to the approval by the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences, the Environmental Sciences program director, review by the dean's office, and final approval by the graduate dean. The doctoral advisory committee is to review the student's dissertation proposal and to provide guidance toward the successful completion of the research project.

Students in the program without a designated committee chair during their first semester will be assigned an interim adviser by the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee. The primary role of the interim adviser will be to establish a tentative curriculum for the student pending establishment of the Doctoral Advisory Committee. An interim adviser may serve for a maximum of one year until the student selects a permanent advisory committee chair.

Membership of advisory committees may be changed if either the student or a member of their committee feels that such a change is appropriate and the requested change is approved by the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee and the graduate dean. Such a change will not be approved except in clearly unusual circumstances. If approval is given, the student will be notified in writing by the Graduate School.

A Doctoral Advisory Committee chair must be a member of the graduate faculty and must be approved to direct the research of graduate students by the Graduate Council and the graduate dean.

Program of Study

A program of study, to be developed by the student in consultation with the Doctoral Advisory Committee, is to be submitted to the Director of the Environmental Sciences Program for approval no later than the end of the second semester after admission to the program. Programs of study may change to meet course requirements and match the student's academic goals, scholarly aspirations and career preparation needs. Each Doctoral Advisory Committee will meet at least once a year to review and provide record of the student's progress.

Satisfactory Progress

Students are required to earn a grade of "B" or better in the core courses. A single grade of "C" will be accepted for courses in the focus area. A second instance of a grade of "C" or a single instance of a grade below "C" will be cause for the review of the student's status within the program by the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee. After such review, the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee may recommend the student enter the Master's of Science program in Environmental Sciences or dismissal of the student from the program.

Time to Degree

A minimum of six semesters of graduate study beyond the baccalaureate degree is required. All requirements for the degree must be completed within eight calendar years of admission to the program. Requirements subsequent to admission to candidacy must be completed within four calendar years of admission to candidacy. A student exceeding the time limit may be required to repeat the qualifying examination, replace out-of-date credits with up-to-date ones, and/or show other evidence of being current within both the core curriculum and the student's area of specialization. Extension of the eight-year requirement will be granted only if a student has obtained prior approval from his or her Doctoral Advisory Committee, the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee and the Arkansas State University Graduate School.

Residence Requirement

One year of full-time residence at Arkansas State University normally will be required. This requirement may be waived under special circumstances if approved by the student's Doctoral Advisory Committee, the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee and the Arkansas State University Graduate School.

Qualifying Examination

These examinations are required by the Program, but take a variety of forms in the case of individual students. The practice requirement is determined by the student's choice of specialty area and the student's advisory committee and approval by the Director of the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences. The goal of these examinations is to assess the students preparedness for doctoral level study and assess the students potential in their chosen field. The examination may be written or oral in part or in whole. The subect(s) of the examination may include core course work and /or work relevant to the students specialty area. One examination, typically oral, is taken in a core course area outside of the students specialty area. The second can be oral or written in part or whole in the specialty area (administered by the doctoral advisory committee or portion thereof) or in a second non-specialty core discipline. Possible outcomes of these examinations are (i) pass, (ii) fail with option to retake (one time only) the examination, or (iii) fail. Students who fail initially or after the second attempt will be reclassified to the MS Program and will be re-considered for the PhD Program only under extraordinary circumstances. It should be noted that there is a Program requirement that ten calendar weeks must pass before a retake of either or both of the qualifying examinations may be scheduled. These examinations must be taken prior to the end of the fourth semester in residence.

Dissertation Proposal

Each Ph.D. student must pass the oral research proposal defense examination. Possible outcomes of the first examination are i) pass, ii) fail with option to retake (one time only) the examination, or III) fail. The oral defense of the research proposal occurs after successful completion of the qualifying examination. Students who have not defended their proposal by end of their fifth semester or who have not passed by the end of their sixth semester will no longer be in good standing in the PhD Program. They will be reclassified into the M.S. program and will be reconsidered for the Ph.D. program only under extraordinary circumstances. It should be noted that there is a Program requirement that ten calendar weeks must pass before a retake of the oral proposal defense examination may be scheduled.

It is imperative that each student register the time and date of the oral proposal defense with the Graduate School two weeks in advance of the proposal defense seminar. Announcements of the public portion of the proposal defense must be posted a minimum of two weeks in advance of the presentation. The timing of this examination should be in coordination with the student's advisory committee.

Admission to Candidacy

A student may apply for admission to candidacy upon successful completion of the qualifying examination and defense of the dissertation proposal. A student may not apply for candidacy while on probation or with a GPA of less than 3.00. Doctoral students, upon reaching PhD candidacy (passing both qualifying examinations, oral proposal defense and examination, and completing the core course requirements (9 hours of core, 6 hours of stats, 1 hour of research ethics, 2 hours of topical seminar, 2 hours of environmental seminar) are granted an MS in Environmental Science provided that they have met the requirements above. Students who intend to earn an MS in Environmental Sciences must complete an Intent to Graduate Form in the semester they will attain candidacy. This form is available in the Graduate School.

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination is designed to test general knowledge of environmental science as well as the student's expertise in specialized areas of research and interest. The examination consists of a mandatory oral component and an optional written component. Students intending to take comprehensive examinations must submit an intent form to the program office at the beginning of the semester in which they intend to take the examination.

Students will have not more than eight hours to complete their answers to the questions. The oral examination is conducted by the student's Doctoral Advisory Committee. The dean of the Graduate School will appoint an additional member to the committee for purposes of the oral examination to represent the interests of the graduate faculty in its entirety. In case of failure, the examination may be retaken if the committee feels that additional study is justified and the student continues such studies for an additional period of time as specified by the committee. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program.

Continuous Enrollment

Students must maintain continuous enrollment subsequent to passing the qualifying examination. They must maintain a minimum of one semester hour of dissertation during each regular semester, including at least one summer term each year, until the dissertation has been accepted by the graduate dean.

Dissertation Defense

After the research is completed, the student will submit a draft of the dissertation to his or her advisory committee. Upon the recommendation of the committee, the candidate will arrange with the chair of his or her advisory committee to schedule and conduct a presentation of the results.

The candidate will also be required to orally defend the dissertation before the Doctoral Advisory Committee, members of the faculty, students, and interested persons. Arrangements for the dissertation defense will be made through the Environmental Sciences Program Office, but announced by the Graduate School. Students are advised to be aware of the deadlines set by the Graduate School for submission of defense results and dissertations.

The defense must occur at least four weeks before the date of graduation. A successful defense receives no more than one negative vote by the members of the Doctoral Advisory Committee. Failure of the defense requires a one semester probation before a second defense can be scheduled. A second failure of the defense constitutes elimination from the program.

Submitting Dissertation

The completed dissertation must follow the style and format requirements of the Graduate School as contained in the Guide for Writers of Dissertations and Theses. Before submission to the graduate dean, the completed dissertation must be approved by the advisory committee. Candidates will also be responsible for the preparation of an abstract of the dissertation, not to exceed 300 words, which will be submitted with the completed dissertation.

At least five copies of the completed dissertation will be submitted by candidates for approval by the graduate dean and for binding. The bound copies will be on file with the ASU Library, the Graduate School, the Environmental Sciences program office, and the chair of the advisory committee. The remaining copies will be given to the student.

Checklist for the Last Semester Before Graduation

In the last semester before graduation, candidates must:

Register for the graduation fee.
File an Intent to Graduate Form with the graduate dean by the relevant deadline.
Complete the oral defense of the dissertation.
Pay the fee for binding the dissertation.
Submit four copies of the dissertation for binding and microfilming. This is detailed in the Guide for Writers of Dissertations and Theses.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HERITAGE STUDIES PROGRAM

Policies specific to the Ph.D. in Heritage Studies may be found in the Program of Study located here.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES PROGRAM

Program Description

The mission of the program is to produce scientists with sufficient background and training to advance the field of Molecular Biosciences. Molecular Biosciences addresses classical and contemporary problems in biology through creative integration of molecular, genomic, cellular and developmental information. Among other topics Molecular Biosciences research may include the study of biomolecular interactions, the engineering and design of metabolic pathways to produce bioactive molecules, bioinformatics, discovery and development of novel biomaterials, and process development and scale-up.

Admission Requirements

Students seeking admission into the Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Biosciences Program must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School in addition to the program’s specific requirements. Each applicant must have a minimum of a B.S. in a basic or applied science, although preference may be given to M.S. level applicants. In addition to official transcripts, applicants must also provide official Graduate Record Examination scores for the Verbal, Analytical and Quantitative tests. The minimum combined Verbal and Quantitative scores must be 1000. Although not required, scores from an advanced test related to Molecular Biosciences may increase a candidate’s chance for admission. Once the basic Graduate School application requirements are met, applications will be forwarded to the Molecular Biosciences Program Committee for their consideration and determination for student admission. Applicants are advised that admission to the Graduate School does not imply admission to the Molecular Biosciences Ph.D. Program. Other materials required of MBS applicants are three letters of recommendation and a statement of research interests that includes identification of possible faculty mentors. Foreign applicants must also meet the requirements of the Office of International Programs.

Graduate Student Support

Any university support, whether as a Graduate Teaching Assistant or as a Graduate Research Assistant, will be awarded competitively through the Molecular Biosciences Program Committee. Students may also be supported from faculty research grants.

Doctoral Advisory Committees

During the first year of their program of study, each student is expected to identify a Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair to direct the research of the student and who must be approved by the Molecular Biosciences Program Committee and the graduate dean. In addition to the chair, the Doctoral Advisory Committee will consist of members of the graduate faculty and other professionals as deemed appropriate and approved by the Molecular Biosciences Program Committee, the Molecular Biosciences Program director and the graduate dean. Each committee must have at least four members. The Doctoral Advisory Committee is to review the student’s dissertation proposal, administer the Qualifying and Candidacy Exams and provide guidance toward the successful completion of the research project.

Students in the program without a designated committee chair during their first semester will be assigned an interim adviser by the Molecular Biosciences Program Committee and the graduate dean. The primary role of the interim adviser will be to establish a tentative curriculum for the student, pending establishment of the Doctoral Advisory Committee. An interim adviser may serve for a maximum of one year until a permanent advisory committee chair is selected.

Membership of Advisory Committees may be changed if either the student or a member of their committee feels that such a change is appropriate and the requested change is approved by the Molecular Biosciences Program Committee and the graduate dean. Such a change will not be approved except in clearly unusual circumstances. If approval is given, the student will be notified in writing by the Graduate School.

General Program of Study

A program of study, to be developed by the Doctoral Advisory Committee in consultation with the student, is to be submitted to the Director of the Molecular Biosciences Program for approval no later than one calendar year after admission to the program. As a reflection of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, a course of study will be tailored to each student’s own scholarly interests, research, and proposed career direction. General course requirements are outlined on the Molecular Biosciences homepage under “Program of Study for the Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences”.

Each Doctoral Advisory Committee will meet at least once a year to review and provide a written report of the student’s progress.

Satisfactory Progress

Students are required to earn a grade of “B” or better in all courses attempted. A single grade of “C” will be accepted for courses outside the student’s immediate research topic area. A second instance of a grade of “C” or a single instance of a grade below “C” will be cause for the review of the student’s status within the program by the Molecular Biosciences Program Committee. After such review, the Program Committee may recommend dismissal of the student from the program.

Time to Degree

A minimum of 72 graduate credits beyond the baccalaureate degree or 45 graduate credits beyond the master’s degree is required. All requirements for the degree must be completed within eight calendar years of admission to the program. Requirements subsequent to admission to candidacy must be completed within four calendar years of admission to candidacy.

A student exceeding the time limit may be required to repeat the qualifying examination, replace out-of-date credits with up-to-date ones, and/or show other evidence of being current within both the core curriculum and the student’s area of specialization. Extension of the eight-year requirement will be granted only if a student has obtained prior approval from his or her Doctoral Advisory Committee, the Molecular Biosciences Program Committee and the Arkansas State University Graduate School.

Qualifying Examination

The student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee will administer a Qualifying Examination as one means of assessing a student’s preparedness for doctoral level study. This exam will consist of the student’s written dissertation proposal which is then orally defended. The student may be required to take additional academic work at the discretion of the committee. All dissertation research proposals must be approved by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee through the mechanism of a dissertation proposal seminar. It is the responsibility of the student to file an announcement of the seminar with the program office at least two weeks in advance of the seminar. The seminar will be an open forum. The candidate will be notified in writing of the committee’s approval. If required by the committee, the candidate may hold a second seminar in order to meet the committee’s approval. This exam must be taken during the third semester, and successfully completed no later than the end of the fourth semester.

Admission to Candidacy

A student may apply for admission to candidacy upon successful completion of the Qualifying Examination and defense of the dissertation proposal. A student may not apply for candidacy while on probation or with a GPA of less than 3.00.

Candidacy Examination

The Candidacy Examination is designed to assess a student’s ability to develop and defend a hypothesis-driven research proposal outside the area of the student’s thesis project. The selected topic must be approved by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee. The format of the proposal will follow that of either NSF or NIH guidelines or another federal agency approved by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee. The seminar will include an open forum and, if required, may involve a second seminar in order to meet with the Doctoral Advisory Committee’s approval. This exam must be completed within one year after passing the Qualifying Exam.

Dissertation Defense

After the research is completed, the student will submit a draft of the dissertation to his or her Doctoral Advisory Committee. Upon the recommendation of the Committee, the candidate will arrange with the chair of the Doctoral Advisory Committee to schedule and conduct a presentation of the results.

The candidate will also be required to orally defend the dissertation before the Doctoral Advisory Committee, members of the faculty, students and interested persons. Arrangements for the dissertation defense will be made through the Molecular Biosciences Program Office, but announced by the Graduate School. Students are advised to be aware of the deadlines set by the Graduate School for submission of defense results and dissertations.

Submitting the Dissertation

The completed dissertation must follow the style and format requirements of the Graduate School as contained in the Guide for Writers of Dissertations and Theses. Before submission to the graduate dean, the completed dissertation must be approved by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee. Candidates will also be responsible for the preparation of an abstract of the dissertation, not to exceed 300 words, which will be submitted with the completed dissertation.

Four copies of the completed dissertation will be submitted by candidates for approval by the graduate dean and for binding. The bound copies will be on file with the ASU Library, the Molecular Biosciences Program Office, and the chair of the Advisory Committee. The remaining copy will be given to the student.

Checklist for the Last Semester Before Graduation

In the last semester before graduation, candidates must

Register for the graduation fee.
File an Intent to Graduate Form with the relevant deadline.
Complete the oral examination on the dissertation.
Pay the fee for binding the dissertation.
Submit four copies of the dissertation for binding and microfilming. This is detailed in the Guide for Writers of Dissertations and Theses.

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