Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A)
General requirements. No specific number or sequence of
courses constitutes a doctoral program or assures attainment of the degree. A
formal degree program generally consists of a combination of courses, seminars,
and individual study. In some programs, research and a dissertation are
required.
(B)
Enrollment.
(1)
A doctoral student may meet the degree requirements of
the graduate school and department by full-time study or a combination of full-
and part-time study.
(2)
The graduate school requires that a doctoral student
register for a minimum of one graduate credit during each fall and spring
semester from matriculation to graduation. Individual departments may exceed
this minimum requirement. A doctoral student should consult with their academic
program.
(3)
"Full-time study" is defined as a minimum of nine
semester credits during the academic year and a minimum of two credits in the
combined summer session. Furthermore, "full-time enrollment" shall be defined
as one or more graduate hours for students satisfying one of the following
conditions:
(a)
Doctoral students in their final semester of study having
completed all degree requirements except dissertation;
(b)
International
graduate students participating in curricular practical training (CPT) and/or
academic training (AT) opportunities of thirty or more hours per week with
approval from the international center;
(c)
Doctoral students
in accreditation-mandated internships of thirty or more hours per week with
approval from the academic program; or
(d)
Doctoral students
who have completed all course credit requirements and research credit
requirements and who are only working toward completion of the research
project.
(C)
Time limit. All
doctoral requirements must be completed within ten years of starting doctoral
coursework at the university of Akron or elsewhere. Extension of up to one year
may be granted in unusual circumstances by the dean of the graduate school upon
written request by the student and recommendation by the adviser, department
head, and college dean.
(D)
Credits.
(1)
A doctorate is conferred in recognition of high
attainment and productive scholarship in a specialized field of learning as
evidenced by the satisfactory completion of a prescribed program of study. This
may include research; the preparation of a dissertation based on independent
research; and the successful passing of examinations covering the specific
field of study. Consistent with ODHE policy, doctoral degrees generally require
the successful completion of at least ninety semester credit hours of work
beyond the bachelor's degree or at least sixty semester credit hours beyond the
master's degree. A minimum of fifty per cent of the total graduate credits
required for the doctoral degree must be completed at the university of Akron.
Workshop credit must be relevant to the degree program, recommended by the
student's adviser and approved by the dean of the graduate
school.
(2)
No graduate credit may be received for
five-hundred-numbered courses previously taken at the four-hundred number
course level as an undergraduate without advance approval from the dean of the
graduate school.
(E)
Transfer
credits.
(1)
Up
to fifty per cent of the total graduate credits required in a doctoral program
may be transferred from an accredited college or university, including the
university of Akron. All transfer credit must be at the "A" or "B" level in
graduate courses. The courses must be relevant to the student's academic
program as determined by the student's academic department and fall within the
ten-year limit. A university of Akron student must receive prior approval from
his or her academic program for transfer courses taken elsewhere to meet the
requirements for the doctoral degree.
(2)
A student
admitted with a master's degree or equivalent will have work evaluated in
relation to the student's program to determine transfer credit. Up to thirty
semester credits are transferable from a master's degree. A block transfer of
credit does not apply toward the student's ten-year time limit for degree
completion.
(3)
A student seeking to transfer credits must have full
admission.
(F)
Language requirements. There is no university-wide
foreign language requirement for the doctoral degree. The student is required
to demonstrate the skills required by their degree program.
(G)
Optional
department requirements. Each department may determine requirements for a
doctoral student regarding entrance examinations, qualifying examinations,
preliminary or comprehensive examinations and course sequences.
(H)
Dissertation and
oral defense, if required.
(1)
The ability to do independent research and demonstrate
competence in scholarly exposition must be demonstrated by the preparation of a
dissertation on some topic related to the major subject. It should represent a
significant contribution to knowledge, be presented in a scholarly manner,
reveal the candidate's ability to do independent research and indicate
experience in research techniques.
(2)
A doctoral
dissertation committee supervises and approves the dissertation and administers
an oral examination based upon the dissertation and related areas of study. The
dissertation and oral examination must be approved by the committee before the
dissertation is submitted to the graduate school. A final online submission of
the dissertation is due in the graduate school at least three weeks prior to
commencement. A manual titled "Guidelines for Preparing a Thesis or
Dissertation" is available online and the dissertation must conform to these
instructions.
(I)
Graduation. To be cleared for graduation, a candidate
must have:
(1)
Completed the academic program requirements with a minimum
grade-point average of 3.00.
(2)
Submitted an
approved dissertation and passed an oral examination, if
required.
(3)
Filed an online application for graduation with the
registrar.
(4)
Settled any and all outstanding financial obligations
with the university.
(5)
Met any other applicable department and university
requirements.
Replaces: 3359-60-06.4
