The examination is customized for each student. Upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination, and no later than the end of the fifth year of the program, the student must be admitted to candidacy. A dissertation proposal, approved by a dissertation committee, must be presented and the final dissertation must be successfully defended no later than four years from the time the student is admitted to candidacy. In addition, the applicant's study, vocational, and research plans must be appropriate to the scholarly iterests of the faculty. Admission decisions are made by the Doctoral committee and are usually preceded by an interview.
Admission is highly competitive.
New doctoral students generally enter the College at the beginning of the fall semester. For fall admission, the application and all accompanying documentation should be submitted by February 1. For spring admission, all documents must be received by October 1. International applicants must submit all documents by February 1 for fall semester and June 1 for spring semester. Financial Assistance CLIS supports several doctoral students each year through graduate assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships and nominates students for graduate School fellowships and grants.