Information for the Graduating Ph.D. Candidate

The Graduate Board considers candidates for Ph.D. degrees two times each year -- November and May. The degree becomes effective when it is approved by the Graduate Board. If you should need certification that you have completed all requirements for the Ph.D. degree before your receive your diploma in May, the Graduate Board Office will furnish this proof after the Graduate Board has approved your degree. If you need certification before the Graduate Board Meeting, please contact Hope Stein in room 204. She will prepare a letter for the Chairman's signature.
A Graduate Board Schedule is prepared by the Graduate Board Office each year. It announces the periods for Graduate Board Oral Examinations and deadlines for the submission of dissertations, etc, and the meeting dates of the Graduate Board. Copies of this schedule are in Hope's office and also on the web.
Establishing Your Degree Candidacy - Notify Hope in room 204 that you expect to be finishing the degree requirements as soon as possible before the appropriate Graduate Board Meeting. She will then place your name on a "tentative degree list" that is sent to the Registrar's office approximately six weeks before each Graduate Board Meeting. Your department will be notified at least a week before the deadline date for submission of materials for degree candidates in the event there are any problems with your candidacy. You may not receive a degree if you are on leave of absence. You must be registered for the term in which you defend. Register for "Research in Psychology". Your name will appear on the official course roster and you should receive a passing grade for this on your last transcript.

Application for Graduation - Must be filled out by you and submitted by you to the Registrar's Office. Hope should receive yellow copy. These forms are in Hope's office.

Graduate Board Oral Examination - Before you take the Graduate Board Oral Examination, we will submit the form entitled "Oral Examination for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy" (Hope prepares this form. Please provide information to her. She will need the official title of your dissertation, the date of your examination and the time you would like for it to take place. You will need to speak with your advisor as there will be three inside committee members and at least two outside committee members (you may have more if you wish) and also two alternates (one inside, one outside) that need to be selected. You may discuss potential committee members with your advisor, however, your advisor and Hope are responsible for contacting the committee members and scheduling the GBO. Please let Hope know your preferred time and date of the exam and she will coordinate room scheduling with the department secretary. If your exam is held during one of the formal examination periods, the request form must reach the Graduate Board Office by the deadline specified on the Graduate Board Schedule. If you must take your exam outside the regular examination period, the form must be submitted at least three weeks before the proposed date of the examination. The results of the exam are reported to the Graduate Board Office by the signing of the form that Hope gives to the Chair of the Graduate Board Oral Examination Committee. Once the form has been signed she will deliver it to the GBO.)

Dissertation - The instructions for typing the dissertation are available on the web or if you would like them in hard copy, they are in Hope's office. The University requires that one copy of your dissertation be submitted to the library. Also, the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences requires one copy of your dissertation to be kept on file in Hope's office. You should distribute to the members of your Graduate Board Committee a copy of your dissertation two weeks before the exam date. All dissertations must be in the library by the deadline dates on the schedule. At the time the dissertation is deposited, the microfilm agreement must be completed, signed, microfilming and binding and shipping costs must be paid. The library assumes that all pages are in order and that none are missing when the dissertation is deposited. Also if all library fines are not paid, you will not receive your diploma at graduation. The library will submit a form to put a hold on it.

Referee's Report - Your two readers are responsible for submitting the written report recommending acceptance of your dissertation. This is given to Hope who will deliver it to the Graduate Board Office. This letter must be in the Graduate Board office one week before final Graduate Board Oral Examination.

Departmental Certification - The Department (via Hope) will submit the "Certificate for an Advanced Degree" form to the Graduate Board Office as soon as you complete all degree requirements.

If you have any further questions regarding the dissertation rules and regulations or forms, please see Hope in room 204.