Students'
Degree Program
Graduate Policies
Detailed information on graduate
policies can be found in the policy memorandum "Policy
on Procedures for Completing a Graduate Degree."
Faculty and students should be familiar with the policies contained in this
memorandum. Copies are on file in the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies
and in the academic department and program offices.
Program of Studies
Each student admitted to a graduate
program will have a specific program of studies agreed upon in consultation
with the Graduate Studies Committee or graduate advisor for that program,
except in those Schools with standard degree plans. A complete Program of
Studies Form will be filed in and approved by the Office of the Dean of
Graduate Studies prior to the student’s registration for his/ her 19th semester
credit hour to be counted toward a master’s degree, or 50th semester credit
hour taken beyond the bachelor’s degree to be counted toward a doctoral degree.
Change of Program
A student must be in good
academic standing to change from his/her admitted graduate program to another
one within the same graduate department. A student wishing to change
programs within their same UTD School must see their advisor prior to
registration and no later than the first day of classes of a
semester/term. If the change of program is approved, the student will
then be responsible for meeting all program requirements and course
prerequisites of the catalog in effect at the time of the change. The student
and advisor will prepare a new degree plan.
A degree-seeking student may
petition to have graduate coursework taken at another institution be counted
towards satisfying the master’s or doctoral degree requirements. To qualify for
transfer of credit the student had to be enrolled in a graduate degree program
at an accredited college or university and the grade earned in the course must
be a B or better. Grades of B- are not transferrable and the course must not be
a correspondence or extension course. Courses delivered in a distance learning
format will be considered by the Graduate Dean on a case-by-case basis.
An official transcript and an official explanation
of the course numbering system at the school where the credit was earned should
accompany the transfer request that must be prepared by the student’s Graduate
Program and submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies for approval.
Transfer of credit petitions are subject to the
following limitations
• No more than 25% of the total requirement of a masters degree may be transfer
credits. Some degree programs have more restrictive transfer of credit
requirements.
• Transfer of master’s level credit into a doctoral
program is limited to a maximum of 36 hours.
• No more than 15 semester credit hours taken as a
non-degree student at UT Dallas can be subsequently applied to a degree
program at UT Dallas.
Exceptions to these transfer
policies may be granted only on petition to the Dean of Graduate Studies.
All petitions for transfer of
credit for coursework taken prior to enrolling at UT Dallas should be
submitted to the student’s Program Graduate Advisor by the student prior to
filing a Program of Studies; however, acceptance of transfer of credit hours
will not occur until after the student has completed 9 semester credit hours at
UT Dallas with a grade point average of at least 3.0. All petitions must be
processed and approved no later than the semester prior to anticipated
graduation. Accordingly, requests to take courses at another institution during
the semester a student plans to graduate cannot be approved because the grades
may not be received in time to certify the student for graduation.
The student will be deemed to
have completed the course work degree requirements when he or she completes the
previously filed program of studies with acceptable grades.
Required Semester Credit Hours
The minimum semester credit hours
required for the degree in a Program of Studies will be those shown in the
catalog applicable to the student at the time of his or her admission or
readmission to the program. In no case will a student be allowed to graduate
with less than 30 approved graduate semester credit hours (including approved
graduate transfer credit hours) for the master’s degree. Enrollment in doctoral
study at UT Dallas for a minimum of three, consecutive long terms and for a
minimum of 18 doctoral semester hours are required for graduation with a
doctoral degree. Additional requirements for the doctoral degree may be
specified by the faculty of each program as described in the individual degree
program sections of this catalog.
Required Grade Point Average
In order to qualify for
graduation, students must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average in their
degree program’s core courses.However, individual programs may have more
stringent grade point requirements in selected courses, which must be satisfied
for graduation.
The minimum acceptable University
grade point average for graduation is 3.0 for all graduate courses taken in the student’s degree program at UT
Dallas.
Examinations or Proposal Presentation
A student must be registered for
at least three semester credit hours of graduate course work during the
semester in which any major degree examination, such as the Qualifying
Examination, Final Written Examination, or Final Oral Examination, is taken. A
student must also be registered for at least three semester credit hours of
graduate course work during the semester in which the Dissertation Proposal is
submitted for approval.
All requirements for a graduate
degree, including transfer credit, must be completed within the specified time
period. Students exceeding the specified time limit will not be eligible for
their degrees and will be dismissed from the graduate program. An approved
leave of absence will not alter the time limits placed on graduate degrees.
All requirements for the master’s
degree must be completed within one six-year period. All requirements for the
doctoral degree must be completed within one ten-year period. Students whose
master’s degrees are accepted for full credit toward a Ph.D. must complete all
requirements for the doctoral degree within one eight-year period. Work
exceeding these limits, whether done at this university or elsewhere, will not
count towards the degree.
Individual programs may set
shorter time limits. Exceptions to time limit specifications must be approved
by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
Students are encouraged to pursue
additional master’s degrees at The University of Texas at Dallas. To the extent
that the requirements of some master’s degrees overlap, some of the credit
hours taken in pursuit of previously earned master’s degrees at UT Dallas may
be counted toward an additional master’s degree. The only limitation is that
one-half of the credit hours for any master’s degree earned at UT Dallas must
be satisfied by new course work. A student is required to develop an approved
plan of studies through the department or program offering the master’s degree
prior to enrolling in that degree. Similarly, a student wishing to earn two
master’s degrees concurrently must develop an approved plan of studies through both relevant departments or programs. All coursework for
any degree must meet the academic standards of that degree.
Supervising Committee for Thesis and Dissertation
A supervising committee will be
appointed to approve a research topic, provide advice, and periodically assess
progress and accomplishments for students pursuing degree options requiring a
written master’s thesis, a doctoral dissertation or a research practicum
report. The composition of the Supervising Committee must follow the guidelines
contained in the UT Dallas policy memorandum, Policy on Procedures for
Completing a Graduate Degree (87-III.25-48), and must be submitted by the
appropriate committee or administrator of the degree program to the Dean of
Graduate Studies for approval. A student may obtain copies of this policy from
their department or program office.
The Supervising Committee must
meet at least once annually to assess the student’s progress, and send a
written report to the Dean of Graduate Studies. This report should describe any
problems which could delay the student’s research beyond its anticipated
completion date. A copy of this report must also be sent to the student.
The student may request a meeting
of the Supervising Committee through a written request to the appropriate
committee or administrator of the degree program.
Admission to Doctoral Candidacy
The research potential and
ability of each doctoral student to both understand and integrate previous
coursework will be evaluated before a student can be formally admitted to
doctoral candidacy. The format of this evaluation, hereafter referred to as a
qualifying examination, varies amongst the degree programs and can be obtained
from the student’s Graduate Program office. A student failing the Qualifying
Examination is terminated as a doctoral student in that Graduate Program unless
a two-thirds majority of the examining committee votes that a second
examination be permitted. All committee members should have all evidence of the
student’s academic record and Qualifying Examination performance prior to this
vote. The second examination typically would be taken no sooner than six months
after the first examination, and no later than one year. A student failing the
second examination will not be allowed to pursue a doctoral degree in that
program. Under no circumstances will a third examination be allowed. The student
will have advanced to candidacy when she or he has:
•
Passed the Qualifying Examination;
•
Been assigned an approved Supervising Committee;
•
Satisfied any other program or school candidacy
requirements.
Candidacy must be achieved before a student is eligible
to enroll in dissertation or in the chemistry internship practicum courses.
Doctoral Dissertation
Each doctoral candidate must
prepare and submit for examination a written Dissertation meeting the
guidelines specified in the "Guide for the Preparation of Master’s Theses and
Doctoral Dissertations." A copy of the guide can be obtained from the office of
the Dean of Graduate Studies or visit http://www.utdallas.edu/dept/graddean/.
The dissertation manuscript for
the Doctor of Philosophy degree must demonstrate an independent research
competence on the part of the candidate that substantially adds to knowledge in
the candidate’s field with respect either to its intellectual substance or
professional practice.
Final Oral Examination for Doctoral Candidates
The presentation and defense of
the Dissertation will constitute the Final Oral Examination for the doctoral
candidate. Specifics on the scheduling and conduct of the examination are
contained in the "Guide for the Preparation of Master’s Theses and Doctoral
Dissertations." The initial phase of the examination will be open to the
public. Following the public presentation, the candidate will be examined by
the members of the examining committee. This part of the examination is not
open to the public. Depending upon the school’s policy, other members of the faculty
may also attend that part of the examination. This portion of the examination
will be chaired by the representative of the Dean of Graduate Studies. The
examination will focus primarily on the candidate’s research contribution,
although aspects of the general field in which the candidate’s research was
conducted may also be covered.
One of five possible results of
the examination will be reported: (1) passed the oral examination and
manuscript accepted, (2) passed the oral examination and manuscript accepted
pending specified revisions, (3) second oral examination required, but
manuscript accepted or accepted with specified revisions, (4) major revisions
of the manuscript and a second oral examination required, or (5) oral
examination failed, manuscript not accepted and the committee recommends
dismissal from the program.
If a recommendation for
re-examination is made, the second Final Oral Examination must be taken between
six months and one year after the first examination. In no cases will a third
Final Oral Examination be given. See also Policy on Procedures for Completing a
Graduate Degree (87-III.25-48), in the University’s Handbook of Operating
Procedures and/or the "Guide for the Preparation of Master’s Theses and
Doctoral Dissertation" or visit http://www.utdallas.edu/dept/graddean/.
Required Copies of Dissertation
and Thesis
Three final, approved hard copies and one disk copy
are required. After final, approved hard
copies have been bound:
•
one hard copy will be available to the public in
the university library
•
one hard copy will be sent to the Supervising
Professor
•
one hard copy will be sent to the program office
•
one electronic copy will be sent to UMI
UMI will publish and make the dissertation/thesis
available to the public for purchase both on the web and in hard copy.
Intellectual Property Rights
In order to protect patent or other intellectual property rights, the Dean of Graduate Studies may, upon request, delay for a period of up to one year the binding, distribution, and/or publication in microform of the thesis, dissertation, or research practicum report. This request must be supported by a written recommendation of the Supervising Professor.