Graduate Division
General Requirements for Doctoral Degrees
Time Limits
Doctoral students (DM, DME, PhD) must complete all course work and begin qualifying examinations within seven calendar years from the date of matriculation in the doctoral program.
Students who do not complete their course work and begin qualifying examinations within the prescribed time limit must be readmitted to the major field (through interview, submission of documents, or audition, as appropriate to the major), meet current requirements, and make any other curricular changes required by the major field department and the director of graduate studies. If a student is readmitted to the major, the term of readmission is three years. If the student has not completed course work by that time, the student must once again meet the terms for readmission described previously.
In addition, any doctoral course taken more than 10 calendar years prior to the date of readmission must be revalidated according to procedures approved by the department offering the course and the director of graduate studies. For PhD students, revalidation includes courses from a master's degree used toward the 90 credits required for the PhD degree. PhD students must receive permission to revalidate courses from the dean of the University Graduate School. Consult the University Graduate School Bulletin (http://bulletins.iu.edu/iu/gradschool/2016-2017/policies/revalidate.shtml) and the director of graduate studies for more information.
Proficiencies (music history, music theory, keyboard, performance, language reading, language grammar, language diction, musical styles) more than 10 years old must be revalidated. Proficiencies must also be revalidated for students beginning a second degree more than 10 years after beginning a first.
Qualifying Examinations
All qualifying examinations, written and oral, must be completed within one calendar year.
After Qualifying Examinations
DM, DME, and PhD students must complete the degree within seven years after passing the qualifying examinations. After that time, students must be reinstated to candidacy. To be reinstated to candidacy, DM and DME students must:
- obtain the permission of the department chairperson and the director of graduate studies,
- fulfill any new departmental requirements in effect at the time of the application for reinstatement, and
- pass any qualifying examinations that may be required in the major and minor fields by the student’s advisory committee and the director of graduate studies. Exams taken for candidacy reinstatement may be taken only once.
If reinstatement is granted, it is valid for a period of three years. Revalidation of course work is not required.
PhD students follow the reinstatement procedure outlined in the bulletin of the University Graduate School (http://bulletins.iu.edu/iu/gradschool/2016-2017/requirements/phd/dissert.shtml).
These time limits are suspended for students in active military service for the duration of that active service.