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Journalism & Media Communication

Writing

Ph.D. Degree Milestones

A minimum of three years is needed for students to complete the Ph.D. degree. The following timeline provides a general guideline for completing the degree in three years. See the Ph.D. Student Manual for more information.

Semester 1 (Fall)

  • Register for and complete coursework, including JTC 701.
  • Identify master’s and post-master’s degree coursework that you wish to count toward the Ph.D. degree. Then, complete the DG4 Program of Study/Transfer of Credits/GS6 Planning form and submit it to the Graduate Program Committee. This form should be completed with guidance from your temporary adviser or the Graduate Program Director.

Semester 2 (Spring)

  • Register for and complete coursework.
  • Select a permanent adviser and begin developing your dissertation topic.
  • Develop a complete draft of the DG4 Program of Study/Transfer of Credits/GS6 Planning form and submit it to the Graduate Program Committee for review. This draft should outline all the classes you plan to use to meet the Ph.D. coursework requirements. Note: The Graduate Program Committee does not approve programs of study. Instead, the committee advises students and informs them of any potential problems.

Semester 3 (Fall)

  • Register for and complete coursework.
  • Select a preliminary examination chair (typically, this is your permanent adviser) and committee.
  • Submit a final version of the DG4 Program of Study/Transfer of Credits/GS6 Planning to your preliminary examination committee. The committee will determine whether the program of study is acceptable.
  • Complete the GS6 Program of Study form and submit it to the Graduate School. Failure to complete the GS6 form in the third semester will result in a “hold” on your account and an inability to register for subsequent semester(s).

Semester 4 (Spring)

  • Register for and complete coursework.
  • Begin preparing for your preliminary examination (i.e., meeting with preliminary examination committee members, develop reading lists, etc.).
  • In consultation with your preliminary examination committee chair, schedule a preliminary examination date.

Semester 5 (Summer)

  • Complete your preliminary examinations. Note: Per Graduate School rules, students must wait at least one full semester after completing their preliminary examinations before scheduling their dissertation defense.
  • Submit the GS16 Report of Preliminary Examination for the Ph.D. Degree form to the Graduate School within two working days after the results are known.

Semester 6 (Fall)

  • Register for and complete JTC 798 and JTC 799 (three credits).
  • Complete your dissertation proposal.
  • Schedule your dissertation proposal defense in consultation with your dissertation committee.
  • Defend your dissertation proposal. Note: Bring the DG2 Thesis/Dissertation Proposal Approval form to your dissertation proposal defense.
  • Submit the IRB application for your dissertation research, if applicable.

Semester 7 (Spring)

Semester 8 (Summer)

  • Register for Continuous Registration (CR) or JTC 799 (three credits).
  • Schedule your dissertation defense date at least one month before the Graduate School’s summer graduation deadline date.
  • Defend your dissertation. Note: Bring the GS24 Report of Final Examination Results form and the GS30 Thesis/Dissertation Submission form to your dissertation defense.
  • Complete any necessary revisions to your dissertation and submit it to the Graduate School by the summer graduation deadline.
  • Submit the DG3 Graduate Degree Completion Checklist to the department’s graduate program administrator.
  • Receive your diploma in the mail (usually six to eight weeks after your dissertation defense).

Semester 9-onward (if necessary)

Students who do not complete their coursework or dissertation by the end of their third year need to complete the following steps:

  • Complete the “Reapplication for Graduation” form on RAMweb.
  • Register for a credit-bearing course or a continuous registration (CR) credit EACH semester (except summer semester). Note: Students who plan to graduate with a summer graduation date need to register for a credit-bearing course or a continuous registration (CR) course for that summer semester.
  • Defend your dissertation. Note: Bring the GS24 Report of Final Examination Results form and the GS30 Thesis/Dissertation Submission form to your dissertation defense.
  • Complete any necessary revisions to your dissertation and submit it to the Graduate School.
  • Submit the DG3 Graduate Degree Completion Checklist to the department’s graduate program administrator.
  • Receive your diploma in the mail (usually six to eight weeks after your dissertation defense).

See the Graduate School’s Steps to Student Degree for a more detailed description of university-wide requirements and Forms for instructions and additional descriptions of each form.

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