Steps to the Ph.D.

STEPS TO THE PHD 

A. Introduction. This chapter consolidates both departmental and Graduate School degree requirements and represents a way to put into action the formal program description of the preceding two chapters in this guide. Followed carefully, they can indeed be easy. These steps are organized to follow the order in which students proceed through the graduate program. 

B. Principles: 

It is the student's responsibility to see that her/his file is complete and up-to-date at all times. If a student has difficulty in getting a faculty member to process a form or to complete an evaluation, he/she should see the GPD or the departmental chair. 

It is the advisor's responsibility to fill out or process all required forms promptly and accurately. 

It is the obligation of the faculty to evaluate student work thoroughly and promptly, to make themselves accessible to students, and to provide frequent feedback and advice to students. 

It is the responsibility of the GPD to ensure that both departmental and Graduate School requirements are followed by both students and faculty, that standards of excellence are maintained in the graduate program, and that the paperwork that attends these processes gets dealt with correctly and promptly. Nothing will be considered official until it is certified in writing by the Program Coordinator.

Every effort should be made by students and faculty to schedule evaluative meetings (i.e., MA program assessment meetings, MA general examinations, prospectus presentations, oral preliminary comprehensive examinations, and thesis or dissertation defenses) during the academic year, but not during the final examination periods, nor vacation periods, nor over the summer when faculty have no contractual obligations to the University. Often these meetings take place in the office of the chair of the student's committee, in which case it is easy to schedule the use of that space. However, the MA thesis defense, the prospectus presentation, the Ph.D. comprehensive examination, and the dissertation defense often require a larger room. Check with the program coordinator or the chair of the department to schedule an appropriate room. 

The program coordinator maintains a file of examples of the following documents: 

• MA Coursework Plan Master's Thesis Outline 
• Doctoral Program Outline Statements of Field 
• Prospectus Dissertation Outline Title Page 
• GPD designates an initial advisor for the student. 

If the student is continuing from our MA program, their advisor is assumed to remain the same, unless the student informs GPD otherwise. For students new to the department, the GPD writes to the student before their first enrollment indicating the name of the advisor; the Advisor receives a copy of this letter. 

Students meet with their advisor before registration for the first semester's courses. The minimum outcome of this meeting is the clarification of educational goals, preliminary identification of field statement and prospectus topics, list of potential candidates to serve on the guidance committee, and coursework to be taken during the first semester. 

C. PhD Program: to the Prelims 

1. Complete form 1 during the first semester in the Ph.D. program, the student selects faculty members to constitute the guidance committee. All members must be on the Graduate Faculty of the University, two members must be from within the department, and one member must be someone outside the department and not an anthropologist. Student completes Form 1, has advisor sign it, gives it to program coordinator who gets GPD's signature and places it in the student's Basic File. 

2. Complete form 3 before the end of the second semester in the Ph.D. program, the student prepares, in consultation with the Committee, the Doctoral Program Outline and then convenes a meeting of the Committee to formally approve the outline. Student completes Form 3; Advisor signs it; Student attaches approved outline to Form 3 and submits it to program coordinator who gets GPD's signature and places it in the student's Basic File. 

Note: Each statement must be precepted by a different member of the guidance committee. The prospectus is precepted by the entire committee. For most students, the prospectus will form the basis of a proposal for external funding for field research, and the advisor will typically serve as the Principal Investigator or Supervisor. 

3. Student prepares statements of field, and prospectus, and satisfies tools of research requirement as agreed to with Committee with Form 3 and its appended outline. Statements are to be filed with the program coordinator as they are completed and approved by the preceptor. 

4. Complete form 4 when the prospectus is completed, the Student schedules the prospectus presentation with the Committee, fills out Form 4, has the advisor sign it, and submits it to the program coordinator who gets GPD's signature and places it in the student's Basic File. At a minimum, two copies of the prospectus are to be filed with Form 4: one for the Basic File and the other as a circulating copy which the G lends out to those who ask for it. 

Note: The Prospectus must be scheduled (via Form 4) at least two weeks before the prospectus presentation takes place. 

5. GPD announces the prospectus presentation by giving a copy of Form 4 to the departmental chair who then publishes the details in the Mini-Memo. 

6. Committee together with any other interested faculty and students participate in the prospectus presentation. 

7. Form 4 Upon completion of the remaining statements of field and tools of research, the student schedules the doctoral exam with the Committee. Student submits Form 4 together with final copies of statements of field to the program coordinator who gets GPD's signature and places them in the student's Basic File. 

Note: Doctoral Exam must be scheduled (via Form 4) at least two weeks before the Exam takes place.  

8. GPD announces PhD comprehensive examination by giving a copy of Form 4 to the departmental chair who then publishes the details in the Mini-Memo.

9. The Form 7 Committee holds the Ph.D. oral preliminary comprehensive examination, reporting the results on  Form 7, which is submitted to the program coordinator. 

D. Doctoral Dissertation Committee 

10. Form 2 Student forms a doctoral dissertation committee by completing Form 2 and submitting it to the program coordinator who gets the GPD's signature. At a minimum, all members of the committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty of the University; two of these must be from within the department, and the other must be someone outside the department who is not an anthropologist. 

11. The student gets members of the Committee and the chair of the department to sign their names on a newly prepared and separate title page of the prospectus indicating their approval of it as the dissertation outline and then submits it to the program coordinator. 

12. The program coordinator copies the signed version of the dissertation outline and places it in the student's Basic File. GPD sends the original signed version to Dean. 

Note: A signed version of the dissertation outline must be submitted at least seven months before the date of the dissertation defense. 

13. The graduate dean appoints the dissertation committee. 

14. The student prepares the dissertation following dissertation committee guidance and the procedures stated in the Graduate School's Typing Guidelines for Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 

15. Form 6 Student schedules the defense with the Committee when all the members approve that the dissertation is complete in form and content and ready to be defended. Student fills out Form 6, has advisor sign it, and submits it (together with a draft dissertation copy to be circulated by the program coordinator among interested readers) to the program coordinator.

Note: Dissertation Defense must be scheduled (via Form 6) at least four weeks before Defense takes place. 

16. The program coordinator gets GPD's signature on Form 6, copies it twice, sends the original to the Dean, and gives one copy to the chair who publishes the defense announcement in the Mini-Memo and places the second copy in the student's Basic File. 

17. Student completes credit requirements (see Chapter V, section C) and residency requirements (see Chapter V, section D). 

18. Form 7 Committee holds dissertation defense. Results are reported on Form 7. The advisor then submits this to the program coordinator who gets GPD's signature, who then copies it, sends the original to the Dean, and places the copy in the student's Basic File. 

E. PhD Diploma Requirements 

19. The student completes the "Certificate of Eligibility for a Doctoral Degree," available from the program coordinator; and submits it to the program coordinator. 

20. GPD checks the certificate with the student for accuracy, signs it, obtains the departmental chair's signature, and sends it to the Dean. 

21. Student satisfies remaining Graduate School fee and form requirements and submits the original signed version of the dissertation to the program coordinator, and to the Office of Graduate Student Services in Goodell.