Graduate Degree Programs
The Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree, and the Doctor of Education, a professional degree, are conferred by the University. Recognized as different in purpose, the two programs consequently have different requirements in certain respects.
A student who has been admitted to the Graduate School and has been accepted by the department or committee in charge of a major program in which the doctorate is offered may begin working toward a doctoral degree. However, the student has no official status as a doctoral student and no assurance of acceptance as a doctoral candidate until the candidacy examination has been passed. This examination is administered by the major department or graduate program and is given early in the student's program.
It is the policy of the Graduate School not to encourage applicants to work for a second doctoral degree. (See Policy on Second Doctorates). However, the President, on recommendation of the dean of the Graduate School, will welcome, as guests, holders of earned doctoral degrees who may be visiting the University Park campus for purposes of noncredit study. Guest privileges apply to persons holding the degree from Penn State or other accredited colleges and universities. Guests may attend seminars and courses and, if space and facilities are available, carry on research. There will be no charge except for laboratory expenses. Arrangements should be made in advance with the dean of the Graduate School.
No specified number of courses completed or credits earned will assure attainment of the doctorate. The general requirements are based upon a period of residence, the writing of a satisfactory dissertation acceptance by the doctoral committee and the Graduate School, and the passing of a comprehensive and a final oral examination. A doctoral program consists of such a combination of course seminars and individual study and research as meets the minimum requirements of the Graduate School and is approved by the doctoral committee for each individual student.
A master's degree is not a prerequisite for the doctorate in some major programs. However, the first year of graduate study leading to the Ph.D. may be substantially the same as that provided for the M.A. or M.S. degree. Similarly, the first year of the D.Ed. program may be essentially the same as that provided for the M.Ed. degree.
A minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for work done at the University is required for doctoral candidacy, for admission to the comprehensive examination, the final oral examination, and for graduation.
A doctoral student is required to complete the program, including acceptance of the doctoral thesis, within eight years from the date of successful completion of the candidacy examination. Individual programs may set shorter time limits. Extensions may be granted by the Director of Graduate Enrollment Services in appropriate circumstances.
A maximum of 30 credits beyond the baccalaureate at an accredited school not granting the doctorate in the student's major program may be accepted by the Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirement for a D.Ed. degree at Penn State. A maximum of two full academic years of work (60 credits) beyond the baccalaureate at an accredited graduate school that grants the doctorate in the candidate's major program may be accepted here to apply toward D.Ed. degree requirements. A completed master's degree may be transferred to a D.Ed. program with no intervening time limitation. Because there is no total-credit requirement for the Ph.D. degree program, advanced standing is not awarded for a master's degree. Advanced standing is awarded for only one master's degree.
Subject to the approval of the adviser and the head of the major department or program chair, a student may register for research to be done away from the University Park campus.
Academic work to be so transferred must meet the following criteria:
Credits earned toward a previously completed postbaccalaureate professional degree program (law, medicine, etc.) are not transferrable. However, up to 10 credits can be transferred from a professional degree program if the degree has not been conferred. All transfer credit must be substantiated by the former institution as having at least B quality whatever grading system is in place (e.g., this includes P/F grading).
Following admittance to a degree program, the student should confer with the head of that major department or program concerning procedures and the appointment of an academic adviser. Consultation or arrangement of the details of the student's semester-by-semester schedule is the function of the academic adviser. This person may be a member of the doctoral committee or someone else designated by the head of the major program for this specific duty. The academic adviser may be different from the dissertation adviser.
Doctoral Committee--General guidance of a doctoral candidate is the responsibility of a doctoral committee consisting of four or more active members of the Graduate Faculty, which includes at least two faculty members in the major field, and one outside member, as described below. The dissertation adviser must be a member of the doctoral committee and usually (but is not required to) serves as chair. If the candidate has a minor, that field must be represented on the committee. (See also Major Program and Minor Field under D.Ed.�Additional Specific Requirements in this bulletin.) This committee is appointed by the graduate dean through the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, upon recommendation of the head of the major program, soon after the student is admitted to candidacy. A person not affiliated with Penn State who has particular expertise in the candidate�s research area may be added as a special member, upon recommendation by the head of the program and approval of the graduate dean (via the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services). A special member is expected to participate fully in the functions of the doctoral committee. If the special member is asked only to read and approve the doctoral dissertation, that person is designated a special signatory. Occasionally, special signatories may be drawn from within the Penn State faculty in particular situations.
Chair--The chair or at least one co-chair must be a member of the specific graduate faculty of the doctoral program in which the candidate is enrolled. A retired or emeritus faculty member may chair a doctoral committee if he/she began chairing the committee prior to retirement and has the continuing approval of the department head or program chair. The primary duties of the chair are: (1) to maintain the academic standards of the doctoral program and the Graduate School, (2) to ensure that the comprehensive and final examinations are conducted in a timely fashion, (3) to arrange and conduct all meetings, and (4) to ensure that requirements set forth by the committee are implemented in the final version of the thesis.
Outside Member--While one or more members of the doctoral committee may be from outside the department in which the graduate program resides, an official “outside member” must be appointed, who serves a specific role as described below. The primary responsibilities of this outside member are (1) to maintain the academic standards of the Graduate School and (2) to assure that all procedures are carried out fairly. The outside member represents the Graduate School; and, as such, the outside member shall be a member of the Graduate Faculty but need not have direct expertise in the research area of the candidate. The outside member may contribute technical expertise, but this role is subordinate to the aforementioned primary responsibilities. In this context, the head of the doctoral program will recommend to the dean (via the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services) a sufficient number of members, exclusive of the outside member, so that sufficient technical expertise is represented on the committee. Thus, the outside member may be in addition to a full complement of committee members with technical expertise in the area. Heads of doctoral programs will seek an outside member who has no conflicts of interest with members of the committee, in such a way as to preclude their fulfilling the primary duties as the outside member. The outside member shall not hold a budgetary or adjunct appointment in the department or academic unit to which the student’s doctoral program belongs. The outside member shall also not have a budgetary or adjunct appointment in or other conflict of interest with the unit(s) to which either the chair or the dissertation adviser belongs. The outside member cannot chair or co-chair the committee. This does not preclude other members of the Graduate Faculty regardless of budgetary appointment from serving on the committee, and potentially in dual roles, for example, as co-chair. The committee member representing the minor may serve as the outside member if his or her budgetary appointment satisfies the conditions noted above.
The membership of doctoral committees should be periodically reviewed by the program chair to ensure that its members continue to qualify for service on the committee in their designated roles. For example, if budgetary appointments, employment at the University, etc., have changed since initial appointment to the committee, changes to the commmittee membership may be necessary. If changes are warranted, they should be made as soon as possible to prevent future problems that may delay academic progress for the student (e.g., ability to conduct the comprehensive or final examinations).
Responsibilities of Doctoral Committees--The doctoral committee is responsible for approving the broad outline of the student’s program and should review the program as soon as possible after the student’s admission to candidacy. Moreover, continuing communication among the student, the committee chair, the research supervisor, and the members of the committee is strongly recommended, to preclude misunderstandings and to develop a collegial relation between the candidate and the committee.
Doctoral Examination--The (entire) committee will prepare and administer the examination, and evaluate the candidate’s performance on the examination. If a committee member is unable to attend the final oral defense, the member may sign as a special signatory. A revised committee appointment form will need to be sent to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, 114 Kern Building, removing the faculty member as a regular committee member and moving the member to a special signatory. If there are then not enough members serving on the committee (i.e., four or more active members of the Graduate Faculty) another Penn State faculty member will need to replace that member to constitute a legitimate doctoral committee. (Substitutes are not permitted.) These changes and approvals shall occur before the actual examination takes place. The department or program head will notify the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services when the candidate is ready to have the comprehensive and the final oral examinations scheduled and will report the results of these examinations to that office.
The dissertation adviser, as well as the chair of the doctoral committee (if not the same individual as the dissertation adviser), along with additional members of the committee to total a minimum of three (3), must by physically present at the final oral examination. The graduate student must also be physically present at the exam. (Thus for a five-person committee, two could participate via distance.) No more than one member may participate via telephone; a second member could participate via PicTel. The examination request and a request for exceptions must be submitted to the director of Graduate Enrollment Services for approval at least two weeks prior to the date of the exam. Special arrangements, i.e., requirements for meeting participation via distance, should be communicated to the student and the doctoral committee members well in advance of the examination.
A favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the committee is required for passing a comprehensive or a final oral examination. If a candidate fails an examination, it is the responsibility of the doctoral committee to determine whether another examination may be taken.
The committee examines the dissertation, administers the final oral examination, and signs the approval page of the dissertation. At least two-thirds of the committee must approve the dissertation.
A candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is required to demonstrate high-level competence in the use of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking, as part of the language and communication requirements for the Ph.D. Programs are expected to establish mechanisms for assessing and improving competence of both domestic and international students. Assessments should include pieces of original writing. Programs and advisers should identify any deficiencies before or at the candidacy examination and direct students into appropriate remedial activities. Competence must be formally attested by the program before the doctoral comprehensive examination is scheduled. (International students should note that passage of the minimal TOEFL or IELTS requirement does not demonstrate the level of competence expected of a Ph.D. from Penn State.)
In addition to demonstrating competence in English as described above, each candidate for the Ph.D. must meet communication and foreign language requirements that have been established within the major program. The candidate should ascertain specific language requirements by contacting the professor in charge of the program, whose name appears with the program description under Graduate Programs, Faculty, and Courses.
Candidates for the Doctor of Education degree may be required to demonstrate competence in foreign languages.
Every student who wishes to pursue a doctorate must take a candidacy examination administered by the Graduate Faculty in the graduate major program. The purpose of the candidacy examination should be to assess whether the student is capable of conducting doctoral research based on evidence of critical thinking or other measures that the Graduate Faculty of the program view as important to a successful doctoral student. It should be taken early in the student’s program. The nature of the examination varies with the program and may be the master’s examination if so prescribed by the program and understood by the student. The decision to admit or not to admit a student to candidacy must be made by the graduate faculty or a designated committee of graduate faculty in the program. For the Ph.D. student, the examination may be given after at least 18 credits have been earned in graduate courses beyond the baccalaureate. The examination must be taken within three semesters (summer sessions do not count) of entry into the doctoral program.
The student must be registered as a full-time or part-time degree student for the semester (excluding summer session) in which the candidacy examination is taken.
For the D.Ed. student, the examination should be given when the student has earned a total of about 30 credits, including the master’s program and work done elsewhere. A student transferring from another graduate school with 30 or more transfer credits must take the candidacy examination prior to earning more than 25 credits at Penn State.
When a candidate for the Ph.D. or D.Ed. degree has substantially completed all course work, a comprehensive examination is given. The examination is intended to evaluate the candidate’s mastery of the major (and if appropriate, minor) field. (Note: Some programs require students to pass various “area” examinations, “cumulative” examinations, and the like, or require presentation of a thesis proposal, prior to the comprehensive. These are matters of departmental or program policy, distinct from the general policies of the Graduate School described here.)
A candidate for the Ph.D. must have satisfied the English competence and the communication and foreign language requirement before taking the comprehensive examination.
All candidates are required to have a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for work done at the University at the time the comprehensive examination is given, and may not have deferred or missing grades.
The student must be registered as a full-time or part-time student for the semester in which the comprehensive examination is taken.
The examination is scheduled and announced officially by the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services upon recommendation of the department or program head. Two weeks� notice is required by the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services for scheduling this examination, which may be open to the public at the department�s discretion. It is given and evaluated by the entire doctoral committee and may be either written or oral, or both. A favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the committee is required for passing. In case of failure, it is the responsibility of the doctoral committee to determine whether the candidate may take another examination. The results are reported to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services.
The dissertation adviser, as well as the chair of the doctoral committee (if not the same individual as the dissertation adviser), along with additional members of the committee to total a minimum of three (3), must by physically present at the comprehensive examination. The graduate student must also be physically present at the exam. (Thus for a five-person committee, two could participate via distance.) No more than one member may participate via telephone; a second member could participate via PicTel. The examination request and a request for exceptions must be submitted to the director of Graduate Enrollment Services for approval at least two weeks prior to the date of the exam. Special arrangements, i.e., requirements for meeting participation via distance, should be communicated to the student and the doctoral committee members well in advance of the examination.
When a period of more than six years has elapsed between the passing of the comprehensive examination and the completion of the program, the student is required to pass a second comprehensive examination before the final oral examination will be scheduled.
The doctoral candidate who has satisfied all other requirements for the degree will be scheduled by the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, on the recommendation of the department or program head, to take a final examination. Two weeks� notice is required by the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services for scheduling this examination. Normally the final oral examination may not be scheduled until at least three months have elapsed after the comprehensive examination was passed, although the director of Graduate Enrollment Services may grant a waiver in appropriate cases. It is the responsibility of the doctoral candidate to provide a copy of the dissertation to each member of the doctoral committee at least one week before the date of the scheduled examination.
Both the dissertation adviser and the student are responsible for ensuring the completion of a draft of the dissertation and for adequate consultation with members of the dissertation committee well in advance of the oral examination. Major revisions to the dissertation should be completed before this examination. The dissertation should be in its final draft, with appropriate notes, bibliography, tables, etc., at the time of the oral examination; both the content and style should be correct and polished by the time this final draft of the dissertation is in the hands of the committee.
The final examination of the doctoral candidate is an oral examination administered and evaluated by the entire doctoral committee. It consists of an oral presentation of the dissertation by the candidate and a period of questions and responses. These will relate in large part to the dissertation, but may cover the candidate�s entire program of study, because a major purpose of the examination is also to assess the general scholarly attainments of the candidate. The portion of the examination in which the dissertation is presented is open to the public.
The dissertation adviser, as well as the chair of the doctoral committee (if not the same individual as the dissertation adviser), along with additional members of the committee to total a minimum of three (3), must by physically present at the final oral examination. The graduate student must also be physically present at the exam. (Thus for a five-person committee, two could participate via distance.) No more than one member may participate via telephone; a second member could participate via PicTel. The examination request and a request for exceptions must be submitted to the director of Graduate Enrollment Services for approval at least three weeks prior to the date of the exam. Special arrangements, i.e., requirements for meeting participation via distance, should be communicated to the student and the doctoral committee members well in advance of the examination.
The student must be registered as a full-time or part-time degree student for the semester in which the final oral examination is taken.
A favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the committee is required for passing. The results of the examination are reported to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services. If a candidate fails, it is the responsibility of the doctoral committee to determine whether another examination may be taken.
Completion of the requirements of a doctoral degree program entails acceptance of the dissertation, as indicated by the signatures of at least two-thirds of the doctoral committee, including the dissertation adviser, committee chair, and the program chair or department head on its approval page, and by its acceptance as meeting the editorial standards of the Graduate School, so that it constitutes a suitable archival document for inclusion in the University Libraries. Thus it is to be noted that passage of the final oral examination is necessary but not sufficient for award of the degree; the dissertation must be accepted, as the ultimate step.