5XÉçÇø

Students must register within two years after admission date, or will need to reapply. Timetables for part-time students or students who transfer graduate credit from another institution will be set after consultation with the Graduate Coordinator.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Qualifiers

• Entered with a Bachelors: should take before end of second calendar year at Kent State
• Entered with a Masters: should take before end of first calendar year in the PhD program

Candidacy

• Entered with a Bachelors: must pass by end of fifth calendar year
• Entered with a Masters: must pass by end of fourth calendar year
• Must pass at least 9 months before graduation (ensures 30 credits of Dissertation I)

Thesis

• Thesis students must allow time for 6 credit hours of Thesis I
• At least one semester before defense: "Notification of Thesis Topic" form must be filed
• 20+ days before oral defense: Advisor circulates dissertation to Dissertation committee for evaluation and corrections (Corrections are then given to student.)
• 10 days before oral defense: Exam committee reviews dissertation in final form

Dissertation

• Dissertations must be completed no longer than five calendar years after candidacy.
• At least one semester before defense: "Notification of Dissertation Topic" form must be filed (after foreign language requirement satisfied)
• 20+ days before oral defense: Advisor requests Graduate Faculty Representative
• 20+ days before oral defense: Advisor circulates dissertation to Dissertation committee for evaluation and corrections (Corrections are then given to student.)
• 10 days before oral defense: Exam committee reviews dissertation in final form

LIMITS

Graduate Assistantship

• Master's students, if offered, could receive Assistantship for a maximum of two years
• Doctoral students, if offered, could receive Assistantship for a maximum of four years

Completion of degree

• Master's degree must be completed within six years
• Doctoral degree must be completed within ten years

139/173 - Hour Rule

Students NOT eligible for Graduate appointment support:

• Entered with a masters degree (from another institution) and have 139 KSU hours
• Entered without a masters degree and have 173 KSU hours

(Total credit hours includes courses with letter grades, and courses with "grades" of Incomplete, In Progress, and Not Reported.)

GRADUATION DEADLINES