Doctoral candidates should first be thoroughly familiar with the regulations in the Bulletin . The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires satisfactory completion of a minimum of 72 semester hours of approved graduate course work. A minimum of 48, but no more than 60, of the 72 hours must be taken in Unit I in preparation for the General Examination. The remainder of the 72 hours is taken in Unit II as Dissertation Research credits. The number of semester hours required for any part of the total program is assigned by the department and may exceed the minimum required by Columbian School.
Doctoral candidates have an overall eight-year time limit for completion of all degree requirements.
Transfer of Credit An entering student who has earned a masters degree relevant to the proposed doctoral field of study may be awarded up to 24 hours of advanced standing. These credit hours will be transferred when approved by the department and the Graduate Student Services office. Only rarely and only with good reason will more than 24 semester hours be transferred. Following completion of Unit I, the students academic performance and potential as a scholar are evaluated by the department or program. A favorable recommendation for admission into Unit II, as well as approval by the Graduate Student Services office, is required.