General Requirements for Advanced Degrees

Ph.D. Degree

Major Subject and Minor Subjects

Major Subject

The student will select a major subject from the departments and programs listed in this bulletin. The major department or program is responsible for monitoring the student’s progress toward the degree and for making recommendations to the University Graduate School regarding the nomination to candi­dacy, the appointment of a research committee, the defense of the dissertation, and the conferring of the degree.


Minor Subjects

The student will select at least one minor subject. A minor pro­vides additional breadth and depth to the individual’s program. It must be taken outside the major department from among those areas of study listed in this bulletin or in a specifically approved inter- or intradepartmental area (see departmental entries).3 The determination of the minimum requirements and examination procedure (if any) for the minor is entirely at the discretion of the minor department or program. In certain cases, special interdepartmental minors (12 or more credit hours of work in two or more departments) or minors not specifically listed in this bulletin may be approved by the dean upon recommendation of the student’s advisory com­mittee, provided such approval is requested prior to pursuit of any of the proposed courses of study. Examination procedures (if any) or other requirements (for example, stipulation of the minimum grades acceptable) should also be specified in the proposal to the dean.

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