The UIGC program is not an external program. The program requires periods of intense residence including the ten-day Entry Colloquium, three UIGC Seminars of five days each, and ten Peer Days. All of the residency events are scheduled at the convenience of the learner with many numerous options regarding both time and site. After matriculation, each learner forms a doctoral committee. The first core is the primary contact and guide for each learner in the UIGC doctoral process.
Learners have frequent and intense contact with the core faculty member.
Cores are chosen most often on the basis of a compatibility of mutual interest, background and communication styles, rather than on the basis of geographic proximity. The Second core reader is responsible for engaging a thorough, detailed and critical review of the major written documents of each learner's program. The second core provides a written report which is examined by the learner and the other member of the doctoral committee at two strategic points in the program process. The adjunct doctoral committee members are individuals who have doctoral degrees and who represent the greater academic and professional community. Learners frequently engage adjuncts in tutorial sessions or other forms of individualized learning experiences appropriate to their programs.