FORMAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE Ph.D. DEGREE

There are no formal course requirements for the Ph.D. degree in terms of number of courses or credit hours.  Your advisory committee, however, will consult with you and advise on a program of coursework you will need to attain your professional goals.  The formal requirements for the Ph.D. degree are:

1. Departmental Qualifying Exam (DQE):  Graduate students in their second year of residence are expected to present themselves for oral examination before a committee of the Department for the DQE.  The exam can cover anything relevant to your program, but usually focuses on your courses and general knowledge in Earth and Planetary Sciences.  The purpose of this examination is to decide whether (1) you have our blessing to continue to the Ph.D., (2) you can try for an M.A., but not for the Ph.D., (3) you must depart at the end of the second year.  In certain cases a student may be allowed a second try if the first is unsuccessful.  The first attempt is in November, and if allowable, the second in February.  This timing allows you an opportunity to apply elsewhere for the following academic year if necessary.
   
   If you are now at the beginning of your second year of residence, please pick up a form from Kristen, which needs to be completed in advance of the DQE date.  It requires the nominations of three faculty members to examine you.  Normally, these would be people you have taken courses from or with whom you have worked.  Kristen will schedule your DQE.
   
2. Thesis Proposal:  At the end of the second year, you are expected to present a written thesis proposal, to be approved by two faculty members, usually the prospective readers of your thesis.  You will consult with your advisor about the format and content of the proposal.  Kristen has a file of recent thesis proposals that you may consult for additional guidance.
   
3. Graduate Board Oral Examination (GBO):  During or before the first term of the third year of residence, students are expected to present themselves for  a comprehensive University examination, an oral exam with five faculty members, of whom three will be from outside the Department. This is the so-called Graduate Board Oral or “GBO” exam.  Copies of your approved thesis proposal are distributed to your GBO committee at least two weeks prior to the scheduled exam date.  Kristen will then schedule your GBO.  The exam can cover anything relevant to your program but usually focuses on the thesis proposal.  General science questions are fair game.  After you pass the comprehensive examination for the Ph.D. degree you are expected to engage fulltime in research under the guidance of your supervisor. 
   
4. Thesis Dissertation:  Your advisor will be the first reader of your thesis.  Remember that you will need a second reader for your dissertation.  In the end, both readers sign a letter recommending acceptance of your thesis to the Graduate Board.  The faculty takes this seriously and you should too.  Select both readers early and keep them informed of your progress or lack thereof all along.  Changes in personnel are of course possible as your research develops, but keep your readers informed.
   
5. Thesis Presentation:  The final hurdle is the dissertation presentation.  This happens right at the end and is usually a pleasant occasion for all concerned.  Each student is responsible for inviting at least five E & PS faculty members, who must certify that the presentation is satisfactory before the degree can be awarded.  The thesis presentation can take the form of a Journal Club or Seminar and should be about 50 minutes duration.  It will be announced explicitly as a thesis presentation.

A few guidelines on what is expected in the dissertation presentation may be helpful.  The presentation should not assume that the audience is familiar with portions of the work presented in earlier seminars or Journal Club; it should be organized as a coherent, self-contained seminar presentation, and should generally include:

• A brief opening outline of the overall content of the dissertation, a summary of the major problems investigated, and a statement of why those problems are important and how they relate to other research in the field;
• An extended discussion of the dissertation as a whole (or, where this is impractical, a discussion of several topics selected from the dissertation); and
• A concise summary of the main conclusions reached, emphasizing their implications for the field as a whole.