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For Doctoral Students
Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Education
The Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) and Doctor of Education (Ed.D) are awarded on evidence of a particular field of knowledge, evidence of ability to carry out independent research, and the ability to present the results of such research in a scholarly manner.
Course and residency requirements are secondary to these objectives, and the degree is not awarded solely for faithfully completing a number of courses over a prescribed period.
The Doctoral Degree Application Process
Application for all doctoral degrees at Montana State University is made using the Division of Graduate Education application. A student who is completing a master’s degree at Montana State University and who wishes to begin a doctoral program in the same department the immediate following term may submit a letter, co-signed by the department head, to the Graduate Vice Provost, requesting permission to continue graduate studies.
The Department of Education requires an entirely new application process for all Ed.D. applicants following completion of the master’s degree. Other departments may exercise this option as well. Please contact the academic department to which you are applying for current procedures.
General Credit Requirements for Doctoral Degrees
All Ph.D. candidates are expected to be familiar with both the Division of Graduate Education and their specific academic college and department degree requirements. All Ed.D. candidates are expected to be familiar with both the Division of Graduate Education and the Department of Education degree requirements.
MINIMUM CREDIT REQUIREMENT
All students earning a doctoral degree from Montana State University must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours post-baccalaureate, of which 18 – 28 of must be dissertation credits. A maximum of 30 credits from a previously earned master's degree (from MSU or another accredited University) may be applied toward the 60 credit minimum required for the doctoral degree.
In some departments, a greater number of credits are required. In others, in addition to dissertation/research credits, the satisfactory completion of certain courses is stipulated. The student must check specific departmental requirements.
COURSE LIMITATIONS FOR DOCTORAL DEGREES
1. Special Topics (580): Credits allowed toward degree requirements for Special Topics (580) courses may not exceed the number defined by each degree program.
2. Individual Problems (570): Not more than six credits of Individual Problems (570) courses may be included on a doctoral Program of Study.
3. Pass/Fail credits: A maximum of three credits (excluding dissertation) may be included on a doctoral Program of Study.
4. Limit on Age of Courses: The age of courses at the time of graduation for a doctoral degree may not exceed 10 years.
5. Courses from a Master’s program: The Graduate ‘Program of Study’ lists those courses the student’s committee feels are required to earn the doctoral degree.
Courses taken while in a master’s degree program at M.S.U, beyond those listed on the graduate Program of Study, may be used on an additional master’s program or a doctoral program at a later time.
DISSERTATION CREDIT REQUIREMENTS
All Ph.D. candidates are required to register for and complete a minimum of eighteen dissertation (690) credits. Fourteen credits of dissertation (690) are required for Ed.D. candidates. An unlimited number of 690 credits may be taken to finish a dissertation; however, only the 18-28 (Ed.D.) 690 credits are applicable toward degree requirements.
Foreign Language Requirement
Individual departments determine the language requirement for their graduate programs.
RESIDENCE CREDIT REQUIREMENTS FOR DOCTORAL DEGREES
1. A minimum of thirty (30) credits applicable to the degree must be taken from MSU.
2. A student must be registered for a minimum of three (3) credits during the semester of a comprehensive examination, a defense of dissertation, and the semester of graduation.
Doctoral Graduate Committee
The graduate committee advises the student on academic matters and is the examining committee for the comprehensive examination and dissertation defense.
Committee composition
A graduate committee must include a minimum of four members excluding the Division of Graduate Education-assigned Graduate Representative. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of many degrees the committee does not have to be composed entirely of faculty from the same department. The major professor and the department head recommend the committee which must be approved by the DGE through the Program of Study.
The final member is the Graduate Representative, who is appointed by the Graduate Vice Provost. See “Graduate Representative” below.
The committee must have a majority of tenured or tenure track faculty members from MSU. Exceptions and justification for a waiver from the majority may be requested in writing by the chair of the committee to the DGE. These will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
Committee members not holding faculty status at MSU must submit documentation of their qualifications, including a vita. Non-MSU individuals may not hold positions as committee chairs.
Changes to the committee
The student has the right to make faculty changes to their committee, using the Change of Committee form. Changes in committee composition may not be made due to examination scheduling problems.
Faculty affiliates, faculty of other institutions, and nonacademic experts
Faculty affiliates, faculty of other institutions, and nonacademic experts may serve as additional committee members, but may not serve as the committee chair.
Committee size
A maximum committee size is not stipulated. However, students are advised to keep the committee size to a reasonable number.
Deadline to appoint the Committee
The committee must be selected and appointed no later than the end of the student's third semester of attendance. If committee appointments are not submitted by the end of the student's third semester, the student is not seen as making satisfactory progress; s/he becomes ineligible for financial aid (including graduate assistantships, student work-study and student labor) and will be placed on college probation due to lack of identifiable satisfactory progress toward the degree.
Major Professor (Committee Chair)
As early as possible after admission, a student should secure a tenured or tenure-track faculty member to serve as the major professor. This professor is the student's graduate advisor, chairperson of the student's graduate committee, and acts as a channel of communication within the major department.
The department head or graduate coordinator may act as the advisor during the first term or until a major professor is selected. In the event that the student does not select a major professor within the first term of attendance as a doctoral student, the department head must appoint a temporary advisor. The faculty member will advise the student until a major professor is selected.
The selection of a major professor must be completed and approved by the department head and the Graduate Vice Provost no later than the third term the doctoral student is in attendance.
The Graduate Representative
The Division of Graduate Education appoints the Graduate Representative at the time the student submits their Program of Study. The Division of Graduate Education will notify, via e-mail, each committee member of the appointment within three weeks of receiving the proposed committee from the department.
The Graduate Representative’s Responsibility
The primary responsibility of the Graduate Representative is to monitor and insure compliance with the policies and policies of the Division of Graduate Education as well as ensure that committee meetings are conducted in a fair and satisfactory manner. The Graduate Representative is to be advised of all committee meetings and is encouraged to attend these meetings.
The Graduate Representative must attend the oral comprehensive and final examination (defense of dissertation. ) Written examinations are also to be made available to the Graduate Representative who must attend any committee meeting(s) held to discuss an examination or the results of an examination(s). At examinations that are open to faculty, the Graduate Representative has the same privileges to question and comment that are accorded to any other faculty member.
Graduate Representative’s responsibility to file exam report
Within five days after the examination, the Graduate Representative must file a brief written report with the DGE regarding the examination, stating whether it was conducted in a fair and satisfactory manner. Comments may also be made regarding the candidate’s performance. The DGE will carefully consider any written suggestions submitted by the Graduate Representative.
Identifying a replacement Graduate Representative
The student and the student’s advisor are responsible for arranging meeting times that allow the Graduate Representative to attend. If illness or some other emergency will prevent the Graduate Representative from attending an examination, that individual is responsible for identifying a suitable replacement. If the Graduate Representative is unable to find his/her own substitute, then the chair of the committee may find a replacement. However, the Division of Graduate Education must be notified of any substitutions before the examination is held in order to approve the replacement Graduate Representative. In cases where a substitute Graduate Representative is not approved by the Division of Graduate Education, the exam must be postponed and rescheduled.
Examinations held in the absence of the graduate representative or a previously approved substitute will be considered invalid and will have to be repeated.
Doctoral Graduate Program of Study
The student’s graduate committee and the student complete a Program of Study that lists those courses that are required to earn the doctoral degree. It is not unusual for students to take classes beyond those listed on their Program of Study; however, courses used on a Program of Study to meet the degree requirements for a particular degree may not be used on a new program of study to be applied towards an additional graduate degree (master’s or doctoral. )
Transcripts of all transfer course work must be submitted with the Program of Study or when the student completes the course. If the student submitted those transcripts during the application process, the Division of Graduate Education will reuse the transcript for program auditing purposes.
Program approval
The Program of Study must be approved by each committee member, who will indicate approval by signature on the Program of Study form. Final approval for the Program of Study rests with the DGE.
Filing deadlines
A Program of Study must be submitted on official forms to the DGE by the end of the third semester of attendance. If a student's Program of Study has not been submitted by the end of the student's third semester of attendance at MSU, they become ineligible for financial aid (including graduate assistantships, student work-study and student labor), and will be placed on college probation for failing to make satisfactory progress toward the degree. Exceptions to this policy will be granted only for extraordinary reasons.
Filing final program changes
The deadline for filing final changes in a graduate Program of Study is the submission date for filing an Application for Advanced Degree.
Doctoral Dissertation
A dissertation is required for doctoral degrees. The dissertation must embody the results of extended research by the doctoral student, be an original contribution to knowledge, and include new material worthy of publication.
An outline or proposal for the doctoral dissertation should be submitted to and approved by the student's graduate committee as early as possible. The final dissertation must be presented in an acceptable form and defended to the student's graduate committee not later than five years after successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination.
When to register for dissertation (690) credits
Registration in appropriate 690 (Doctoral Dissertation) courses is required during those terms when the student is working on the dissertation, using faculty time or university facilities.
Submission of the final dissertation
The dissertation must be submitted as an electronic dissertation, in final form to the Division of Graduate Education not later than 14 working days before the end of the term in which graduate work is completed. The dissertation must meet all the requirements set forth in the most current Division of Graduate Education ‘Guide for Preparation of Theses, Dissertations and Professional Papers’. Final authority for approval or rejection of the dissertation rests with the DGE.
Dissertation quality
Printable quality, proper use of the English language, punctuation and spelling, as well as consideration of the subject researched, completeness of the research and overall, scholarly quality of the final product will be the responsibility of the student's department.
Final dissertation approval
Approval of the dissertation will be defined by the signature of the Graduate Vice Provost only after the dissertation has been judged to meet all expectations. A dissertation is considered completed when accepted by the MSU Library in an electronic format.
MSU has the authority to require graduate students to submit the graduate dissertation to the MSU Library and to UMI for microfilming. Therefore, graduate students should submit a final electronic copy of the dissertation to the Division of Graduate Education following ETD (Electronic Theses and Dissertations) guidelines.
Doctoral Qualifying Examination
To test the student’s preparedness, a qualifying examination may be administered by the major department. The student usually takes the examination during the first year of attendance.
Doctoral Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination is the major academic examination during doctoral study that assures that the student has attained sufficient mastery of their Program of Study, including sufficient knowledge of pertinent literature, academic background, training and ability to conduct research.
Written and oral comprehensive requirement
The comprehensive examination must be both written and oral. The comprehensive examination will be assessed by the committee formally approved as the student’s Graduate Committee by the Division of Graduate Education.
Minimum registration to take the comprehensive examination
A student must be registered for a minimum of three (3) credits at Montana State University during the term in which an examination or defense is taken.
If a student wishes to sit for the comprehensive exam during the intersession (i.e. , the time between semesters), the student must be registered for a minimum of three (3) credits the term prior to the intersession or the term immediately following the intersession.
When to take the comprehensive examination
Two-thirds (2/3) of the course work required for a degree must be completed prior to sitting for the comprehensive exam.
In certain instances, the graduate committee and department head may decide that the written and oral sections of the examination should be held on separate occasions.
The last day to take the comprehensive examination or defend a thesis if you plan to graduate during the same semester is on or before the fourteenth (14 th) business day prior to the end of the semester.
Reporting the results of the comprehensive examination
The Committee and department head are responsible for submitting written notice of the results of the comprehensive examination to the student and to the Division of Graduate Education no later than one (1) week after the examination is held or after each section is administered. If the written and oral sections are given at separate times, the results of each section must be reported in writing to the student and to the Division of Graduate Education no later than one (1) week after each section is completed by the student.
Acceptable age of the comprehensive examination
The maximum time allowed between the comprehensive examination for the Ph.D. or Ed.D. and degree completion is five (5) years.
Failed examination
If the student fails the examination, at least six (6) months must elapse before the examination may be repeated. Failure to pass a second examination will result in termination of doctoral work and dismissal from the academic program. Students who are dismissed from the program are ineligible to reapply to the same degree program at any time.
Invalid examination
Written examinations not made available to the Graduate Representative or oral examinations held in the absence of the Graduate Representative and Chair(s) will be invalidated and must be rescheduled. The Graduate Representative must be included in the process as an impartial observer to ensure the examination is fair for the student, comprehensive in nature (e.g. , includes both breadth and depth), and that it is conducted within the guidelines set by the university.
All committee members approved by the Division of Graduate Education must be present at the comprehensive examination. Last minute committee changes based on scheduling conflicts must be approved by the Division of Graduate Education. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all committee members are available when scheduling an exam.
Defense of Dissertation
A defense covering the dissertation must be taken by all doctoral candidates. The defense usually consists of a public presentation and an oral examination of the candidate’s research focus and background.
If a student wishes to sit for the dissertation defense during the intersession (i.e. , the time between semesters), the student must be registered for a minimum of three (3) credits the term prior to the intersession or the term immediately following the intersession.
Notification of the defense date
Each member of the examining committee must be given a minimum of one (1) week’s notification before the student's final examination to read the draft of the dissertation. The dissertation defense will be arranged by the major professor and the graduate student, and is given before the final draft of the dissertation is completed. The defense is an oral examination only. Examinations in which any committee member has had insufficient time to prepare should not take place and may need to be rescheduled. The committee chair should discourage a student from defending if the chair (or the committee) feels the student is not adequately prepared.
Registration during the semester of the defense
A student must be registered for a minimum of three (3) credits at MSU during the term in which the defense is held.
Defense of dissertation deadlines
If a student wishes to hold their defense the semester of graduation, the defense must be held and passed at least fourteen (14) working days before the end of the term of graduation.
The “open” and “closed” defense
A portion of the defense must be open to the public. This is usually a presentation of the student’s research. Following the open portion of the defense, the committee chair will excuse all attendees other than committee members from the room. This begins the closed portion of the defense in which the student’s knowledge of the subject matter will be assessed by the committee.
Advertising the dissertation defense
The student and the academic department are responsible for supplying the following information for publication in the Division of Graduate Education “News and Announcements” on the DGE website:
a) the name of the candidate,
b) title of the doctoral dissertation,
c) time and place of defense, and
d) the place where a copy of the dissertation may be obtained for inspection.
The defense date must be advertised at least one (1) week prior to the actual defense date.
Reporting the defense results
The Dissertation Defense report must be submitted to the Division of Graduate Education no later than one (1) week after the defense is held. Failure to submit the report of the defense may invalidate the examination.
Failed defense of dissertation
If the student fails the defense, at least two (2) months must elapse before the examination is repeated. Failure to pass a second examination will result in termination of doctoral work and dismissal from the academic program. Students who are dismissed from the program are ineligible to reapply to the same degree program at any future time.
Invalid defense of dissertation
An examination held in the absence of the Chair(s) and/or the Graduate Representative will be considered invalid and must be rescheduled. The Graduate Representative must be included in the process as an impartial observer to ensure the examination is fair for the student, comprehensive in nature (includes both breadth and depth), and that it is conducted within the guidelines set by the University.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all Committee members are available when scheduling an exam. All Committee members approved by the Division of Graduate Education must be present at the defense of dissertation. Last minute committee changes based on scheduling conflicts must be approved by the Division of Graduate Education.
Application for Advanced Degree
Students expecting to receive a doctoral degree must file an ‘Application for Advanced Degree’ with the Division of Graduate Education for the intended semester of completion. The deadline for filing the application is on or before September 20 for Fall Semester, February 5 for Spring Semester, and June 10 for Summer Semester. If a student fails to meet semester deadlines, they must file an Application for Advanced Degree the next semester in which they expect to graduate.
‘One Credit Registration’
If the dissertation is submitted after the published deadline and the student is currently registered for three credits, the student may choose to make all corrections/changes before the first day of the following academic term and be eligible for a one-credit registration the following term (instead of the mandatory three credit registration the term of graduation). Students who choose and are eligible for this option will be certified to graduate the following term. If more time is needed beyond the first day of the following term, the student will be required to register for at least three credits to be eligible for graduation that term.
Summary of Procedures
What |
When |
Procedure |
1. Pre-application form. |
If required by the academic department, the pre-application must be submitted before obtaining application packet. |
Send pre-application form to appropriate department. |
2. Graduate Record Examination |
May be required for admission. |
Take exam at the designated testing center in your area and have results sent to MSU-Bozeman (code 4488). |
3. Admission to degree program and the Division of Graduate Education
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Per departmental deadlines. |
Request application packet from appropriate department or apply on-line. |
4. Qualifying examination. |
If required, during the first year. |
If required, will be arranged by the major department. |
5. Selection of major professor and advisory committee. |
As early as possible, but not later than the end of the third semester of registration. |
See department head; submit the committee form to the Division of Graduate Education. |
6. Program of Study.
*extra fees apply for this form |
By the end of the third semester of registration. |
Consult major professor; submit the program in official format to the Division of Graduate Education. |
7. Foreign Language. |
If required, as early as possible. |
See department head. |
8. Dissertation outline. |
Before completion of coursework. |
Submit outline to dissertation committee for approval. |
9. Comprehensive examination. |
After at least two-thirds of the content coursework has been completed. Doctoral students usually sit for the comprehensive exam near the end of their ‘content’ coursework. |
Make arrangements with major professor. |
10. Application for Advanced Degree.
*extra fees apply for this form |
Submit on or before the third Friday of the semester of completion of degree requirements. |
Complete form obtained from major department. |
11. Final changes in program. |
Submit on or before the third Friday of the semester of completion of degree requirements . |
Submit form to the Division of Graduate Education. |
12. Defense of dissertation. |
When the dissertation is complete, but not more than five years after passing the comprehensive examination. Must be passed at least 14 days before the end of the semester in which graduate work is completed. |
Make arrangements with major professor. Be sure examination is announced in the What's New Bulletin in the Division of Graduate Education web pages. |
13. Approval of dissertation. |
After the defense and at least 14 working days before the end of semester in which graduate work is completed. |
Approval by the Graduate Vice Provost. |
14. Commencement. |
End of spring semester. |
See Commencement section. |
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Commencement
Diplomas are dated the last day of the semester in which the requirements for the degree are completed. Degrees are conferred once a year at May commencement.
Eligibility to participate in commencement
Montana State University allows only those graduate students who have completed all requirements for the degree (including all coursework, examinations, and final papers (including approval of the thesis or dissertation by the Graduate Vice Provost) and who have applied to graduate by the deadline to participate in commencement exercises. Graduate students who will finish the degree the following August may walk through the May ceremonies only if they are utilizing the one credit extension and have documentation from their major advisor of the student’s assured completion of degree requirements by the one credit extension deadline.
Students who are unable to attend commencement must make special arrangements with the Registrar to have their diplomas mailed to them. Students who participate in commencement must purchase academic robes and hoods. These may be purchased from the MSU Bookstore, usually in February.
Students listed in Montana State University’s commencement book are those candidates who have identified themselves as eligible to graduate. The degree will not be awarded until all requirements for the advanced degree are met and the candidate has been certified to graduate by the Division of Graduate Education. Being listed in the commencement book does not imply completion of the degree.
Satisfaction of Financial Obligations
All candidates for degrees must fully satisfy their financial obligations to the University (or make arrangements with MSU for doing so) as a condition for completing their degree programs. Candidates failing to comply with this requirement shall not be eligible for graduation, diplomas, degrees or any transcripts of their records.
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