After Admission

Current Students

Seven Year Rule

The dissertation must be completed within seven years of passing the oral qualifying examination. After this time, doctoral candidacy is terminated for students who have not completed the dissertation.

Such students may apply for readmission. This process is initiated with a letter to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies requesting readmission. Students applying for readmission are subject to current admission criteria.

If readmitted, such students must retake the current qualifying examinations and fulfill other conditions imposed by the department in order to establish currency (such as taking or auditing selected courses).

If the qualifying examinations are passed and the other conditions are met, these students are readmitted to candidacy. They have three years from this date to complete a dissertation.

Seven Year Rule for Doctoral Programs: If course work is complete on November 15, 2002, and your qualifying exam is passed on November 15, 2009, you have until November 15, 2016 to complete your dissertation.