Some departments that cannot accommodate non-degree students may restrict enrollments to majors only or require permits. These students are normally adults taking classes for enrichment purposes, public school teachers taking classes for certification renewal, or students taking classes as prerequisites for admission to degree programs. A minimum of 18 hours exclusive of dissertation in the major must be taken after admission into a WVU doctoral program. Students should be very cautious regarding courses taken prior to applying, or during the semester in which they apply. A student taking 9 hours during the semester in which the admissions committee considers his application can NOT count that semester as part of the residency requirement.
Residency requires two consecutive semesters . . .
For students who are applying hours earned prior to admission, this may need to occur during the first semester after admission. Because the qualifying examination attests to the academic competence of the student who is about to become an independent researcher or practitioner, the examination cannot precede the conferring of the degree by too long a period of time. Consequently, doctoral candidates are allowed no more than five years in which to complete remaining degree requirements . Therefore, the student has 5 years from the completion of major comps to successfully complete the dissertation.