Requirements for the doctorate may be completed in three years of full-time graduate work or the equivalent in combined full-time and part-time study; however, more time may be required. On the recommendation of the DGS and with concurrence of the Graduate Dean, successful completion of a master’s degree may be considered the equivalent of the first of the three years.The following residence requirements must be completed:
| 1. Students pursuing the doctorate must spend at least two (2) consecutive semesters enrolled in a degree program on campus in intensive study. Such enrollment must occur prior to passing the Qualifying Examination. During these two semesters the students must be enrolled as full-time students, carrying nine (9) or more hours. If the summer term is to be used in lieu of one of these semesters, enrollment for nine (9) hours is required.
Note : If students hold an awarded master’s degree from the University of Kentucky in the same discipline and completed two (2) consecutive full-time semesters while pursuing the degree, those semesters may be used in lieu of the above. |
2. Students must complete a second year of residency in one or a combination of the following:
Note : Students fulfilling No. 1 by use of a University of Kentucky master’s may not fulfill No. 2 in this manner. |
| 3. Candidates (students who have satisfactorily completed their Qualifying Examinations) for the doctorate must complete two (2) semesters of full-time dissertation study immediately following the Qualifying Examination. Normally, this is accomplished by registering for nine (9) hours of 769 (which is called Residence Credit) each semester and completed with a grade of S. With the written recommendation of a candidate’s advisory committee and with the approval of the appropriate DGS or graduate Dean, specified graduate course work may be taken in lieu of all or part of this residence credit (769) requirement. If a summer term is substituted for one of the semesters, three (3) credits must be taken in the four-week session and a minimum of six (6) credits in the eight-week session. The student need not be physically present on campus while enrolled for credit after the Qualifying Examination. While there is generally no formal class work attached to these credits, and in some cases the student may not be on campus, full tuition costs are assessed in that students who are preparing their dissertations are utilizing University resources such as libraries, computing facilities, and faculty’s time and energy.
Note : The semester during which the student takes the Qualifying Examination may be counted for credit for dissertation study only of the date of successful passage is within six (6) weeks [three (3) weeks for the eight-week summer session] of the first day of classes. |
| 4. Candidates who have fulfilled the above requirements, but who have not yet defended the dissertation, are required to enroll in MNG 769 (0 credit hours) each semester until the dissertation is completed and defended. MNG 749 (0 credit hours) may be substituted for students holding loans. Such registration enables the University to keep accurate records of degree candidates and facilitates rapid and accurate information processing. Some programs have additional residence requirements which must also be met. |
It should be understood that the above represents the minimum requirements of the Graduate School. some programs have additional requirements.Exceptions to this normal pattern may be made with the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School upon the written recommendation of the student’s advisory committee and the DGS, which clearly demonstrates that the principle of residence is preserved.In those situations where part-time coursework toward the doctorate may be used in lieu of full-time enrollment, each nine (9) hours of course credit earned on a part-time basis is considered the equivalent of a full-time semester. This does not apply to the two full-time consecutive residence semesters preceding the Qualifying Examinations or the two (2) residence semesters following the Qualifying Examinations.