Steps to Graduation: PhD, EdD

1) Faculty Advisor and Doctoral Program Plan
Upon admission to EDHI, each student is assigned a faculty advisor. This assignment is made based on the student’s stated interests and the research interest of the faculty member. A faculty advisor will assist in developing an initial program of study using the Doctoral Program Plan: http://www.education.umd.edu/EDHI/forms/forms.html .

Students must file the doctoral program form prior to the completion of 21 CREDIT HOURS of doctoral study. The doctoral comprehensive examination may not be taken until a program is on file in the College Graduate Studies Offices/Student Services.

The Doctoral Program Plan is an agreement about how the student will fulfill the course requirements for the Doctoral program. Program planning should serve as a contract between the student and his/her advisor/department. It protects students from future changes in requirements and identifies any previous graduate course work that will be accepted for credit in the program.

When the Doctoral Program Plan form is completed, it is signed by the student and the program advisor. This program is then forwarded to the EDHI Department where it is reviewed for compliance with Department and College requirements. Once approved, signed copies will be returned to the Office of Student Services, the student’s program advisor and the department. For specific requirements for your area of specialization please refer to the Doctoral Handbook pages 15 through 24: http://www.education.umd.edu/EDHI/forms/forms.html .

2) Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination is required of all doctoral students.  The comprehensive examination is a series of examination questions, usually taken in the final semester of course work or after completion of the appropriate course work.  A student may not take the comprehensive examination until an approved doctoral program plan is on file with the College.  

The student will receive a formal, written notification of his or her performance on the comprehensive examination from the department Chair.  A copy of the letter will be sent to the program advisor and the Office of Student Services.
For specific requirements for the comprehensive examination, please refer to the Doctoral Handbook pages 30 through 32: http://www.education.umd.edu/EDHI/forms/forms.html .

3) Advancement to Candidacy
Advancement to candidacy requires prior approval of your doctoral program plan of study, completion of coursework and successful completion of the comprehensive examination. An application for advancement to candidacy will not be forwarded to the Graduate School by the Office of Student Services until the College has received written notification from the Department Chair that the student has passed the written comprehensive exam and an approved program plan is on file.

Students must be advanced to candidacy within five years following admission to their doctoral program and at least six months before the date on which the doctoral degree is conferred. Students have four years after advancement to candidacy to complete their doctoral program, including the dissertation.

It is the student’s responsibility to secure the signatures of the program advisor and department Chair on the Advancement to Candidacy form,   http://www.education.umd.edu/EDHI/forms/forms.html .

After a complete Admission to Candidacy form is received, the student will be assigned a status of “Degree Candidate.” If the student is a Graduate Assistant he/she is entitled to an increase in compensation (Step III).  The Graduate Assistant must notify the employing department about the degree candidate status for the increase in compensation.

4) Dissertation Credits and Certification of Doctoral Research Committee and Dissertation Proposal
After admission to candidacy, the student will automatically be registered each semester for 6 credits of Dissertation Research, EDHI 899, and be billed for an equivalent of 1.5 credits. Summer registration is not required unless the student is using University facilities or graduating. The student has four years from the date of admission to candidacy to complete the dissertation requirements for graduation.

As a degree candidate, the student must complete the Certification of Doctoral Research Committee and Dissertation Proposal to certify that the proposal is suitable for a dissertation. This form must be approved by the dissertation chairperson and reviewed for conformity of research on human subjects. Work on the research proposal should occur only after members of the research committee have accepted the proposal. For more detailed information about the research committee, proposal and human subjects please refer to the College of Education website: http://www.education.umd.edu/studentinfo/graduate_info/gradtnstepsdoc.html .

5)  Application for Graduation
An electronic Application for Graduation must be submitted at the beginning of the semester in which you plan to graduate. Apply online at http://www.testudo.umd.edu .

6)  Graduation Audit
Student Services Office will provide you with a personalized Graduation Audit and a copy of the "Important Dates" (Deadlines). Please refer to the College of Education website, Graduate Audit: http://www.education.umd.edu/studentinfo/graduate_info/gradsteps.html .

7) The Doctoral Dissertation Examination
After the dissertation or doctoral research study proposal has been approved, the second step is to select an Oral Examination Committee which will review the completed dissertation or doctoral research study and conduct your oral examination. Typically, both committees include the same members.

The committee will review the completed dissertation or doctoral research study and conduct the oral examination. The members of the Dissertation Examining Committee must receive the dissertation at least ten working days before the scheduled examination. The members must be appointed at least six weeks prior to the date on which the oral examination is scheduled, and before established university deadlines. However students normally submit the Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation Committee appointment form long before that time because the oral examination cannot be held until the Graduate School approves the composition of the Oral Examination committee.

The Nomination of a Doctoral Dissertation Committee form is due approximately the beginning of September for fall graduates and early February for spring graduates, please refer to:

After approval of the Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation Committee, the advisor will be notified to complete two additional forms: "Report of the Examining Committee" and the "Interim Report of the Examining Committee". The advisor will be notified when these forms are available.

Please refer to the College of Education website for more detailed information:
Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation Committee: http://www.education.umd.edu/studentinfo/graduate_info/FormsExplanGrad.html .

The College of Education requires that all doctoral oral exams be publicly announced (typically via  e-mail, listserv announcements and fliers). The Oral Defense Announcement must be posted five working days in advance to all members of the Graduate Faculty and graduate students within the graduate program in which the candidate’s degree is to be awarded: http://www.education.umd.edu/EDHI/forms/forms.html . 

To schedule a room for the oral examination please contact Stephanie Goodwin, sgoodwin@umd.edu or Clarissa Coughlin, caa@umd.edu

8)  Submission and Publication of the Dissertation
The Thesis and Dissertation Style Guide is the official style guide for all University of Maryland Theses and Dissertations. After final approval of the dissertation by the Dissertation Examining Committee, dissertations are to be submitted to the Graduate School in electronic format. Please refer to forms and handbooks: www.education.umd.edu/edhi .The Graduate School at the University of Maryland, College Park maintains specific requirements as to the format and appearance of the Dissertation.

Please be aware the outline above for the Degree Completion Process for Doctoral Degree at the University of Maryland, College Park is a general overview for the graduate degree experience. Please check with your academic advisor and refer to the EDHI Doctoral Handbook for specific area requirements and/or go to the following link for more graduate information http://www.education.umd.edu/studentinfo/graduate_info/gradsteps.html .

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