TOPICS ON THIS PAGE:

   Requirements for Graduation
   Important Dates
   Online Forms
   Frequently Asked Questions

The Graduate Coordinator is the advisor of record until an appropriate advisor has been approved by the Graduate Studies Committee, and the dissertation proposal has been completed and filed.

Information on this page is summarized from the "Doctoral Program Requirements" (printed copies may be obtained from the Department of Geology office, 221 McGilvrey Hall or from the Graduate Coordinator). Information regarding departmental exceptions to the Arts and Sciences' "Style Guide and Instructions for Typing Theses and Dissertations" is also available from the Geology office. One chapter of your thesis/dissertation, in final form, should be examined by the Office of Graduate Affairs, College of Arts & Sciences, for conformity to the rules before you complete and photocopy all the chapters. This will assure, in advance, the acceptance of your document.

Please note that some requirements have recently been modified. If you started your degree program prior to the Fall 2006, please contact the Graduate Coordinator if you have any questions regarding your graduation requirements.

REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION (Effective Fall 2006): 

Minimum Graduate GPA  (must be maintained each semester) Accumulation of more than 7 hours of grades of C, or more than 4 hours of grades below C make the student subject to dismissal.	3.00
Minimum number of Graduate credits 90 semester hours beyond the Bachelor's degree or 60 hours beyond the Master's degree. These hours may include formal coursework, Research (80098), and Dissertation I (80199)	90
Number of Dissertation I hours needed (GEOL 80199) Dissertation I is taken in increments of 15 hours per semester for two consecutive semesters but may be taken only after completing the dissertation proposal defense.  In the event that graduation is delayed until some later term, the student must enroll for Dissertation II (GEOL 80299) continually, including summers, until graduation.	30
Additional Breadth Requirement All candidates for the doctoral degree must demonstrate either proficiency in a modern language, other than their native language, and pass an appropriate foreign language test or alternatively, demonstrate knowledge sufficiently advanced to propose research in a field ancillary to the student’s major. To satisfy this requirement the student must either pass an appropriate foreign language test or prepare and defend orally a written research proposal in an ancillary field of study.	Required  A letter certifying successful completion of the requirement must be filed with the Graduate Coordinator.
Preparation of the Preliminary Proposal and Program of Study Potential candidates for the Ph.D. degree must develop their research plan in conjunction with their potential advisor and committee members, noting the scope of the work in the form of a short preliminary proposal and determining the formal coursework required to provide the student with the skills necessary to successfully complete the proposed research project. As preparation for their candidacy exams, the student prepares a program of study listing the major and minor fields that the examinations will cover and the coursework that has prepared the student for the exam. This should be accomplished by the third or fourth semester following admission and at least four weeks prior to the candidacy examinations.	Required File signed PhD program of study form with the Graduate Coordinator.
Candidacy Examinations Candidates to the Ph.D. program must complete first a written and then an oral candidacy exam These exams are conducted in the student's major and two minor areas of study, plus general geology. The examining committee consists of faculty representing each area of study.   The candidacy examinations normally are conducted in the fourth semester if the student enters with a Master's degree, or in the fifth semester, if the student enters with a Bachelor's degree.  At least four weeks prior to the written examination, the student will present their examining committee with a preliminary dissertation proposal.  Written examinations are taken within a two-week period and the examination in each area takes 2 to 4 hours. Upon passing the written examination, the student proceeds to the oral exam during which the committee members may follow up on responses the student provided on the written exam, or question the student on topics related to the dissertation proposal. The oral examination is taken two to six weeks after the written examinations and scheduled for 2 to 3 hours duration. Students who have passed the candidacy examinations have completed their formal coursework requirements for their degree and are recognized as candidates for the Ph.D.	Required Upon completion, the Dissertation Proposal Processing Form and the Report of Candidacy Examination form must be filed with the Office of Graduate Affairs, College of Arts & Sciences and the Graduate Coordinator.
Dissertation Proposal Defense The revised dissertation proposal  (or prospectus) is modified by the student from the preliminary proposal in consultation with their potential advisor and committee,  incorporating comments obtained during the candidacy examinations.  The general geology examiner usually rotates off the committee, and the proposal is then presented to the dissertation committee, consisting of the potential advisor, two appropriate members of the geology graduate faculty representing the student's minor areas of concentration, and one additional outside member with appropriate graduate standing.  When the proposal has been approved by the committee, the student proceeds with the project under the supervision of the advisor and their committee. The graduate coordinator must be notified of the completed dissertation proposal defense so that they can sign the paperwork and request that a graduate faculty representative be appointed to the committee by the College of Arts and Sciences in preparation for the oral dissertation defense. Arts and Sciences rules regarding the Graduate Faculty Representative and Dissertation Defense Moderator Arts and Sciences rules regarding the Final Examination (Including a discussion of the Dissertation Committee Composition)	Required   The Notification of Approved Dissertation Topic and Prospectus form must be filed with the Office of Graduate Affairs, College of Arts & Sciences and the Graduate Coordinator.
Dissertation Format The dissertation must conform to the style dictated by the Office of Graduate Affairs, with the notable exception that the Department of Geology requires the abstract to be included as Chapter 1 of the dissertation, in addition to being submitted as a separate document.	Required   The dissertation must be written following the instructions in the Style Guide.
Public Oral Dissertation Defense Upon completion of the dissertation and  with the approval of their advisor, the student must present the dissertation to the examining committee, providing at least 10 working days for the dissertation to be read and critiqued. When the dissertation has been revised by the student, a defensible copy is provided to the committee and a date is set for the public oral dissertation defense. The graduate faculty representative may serve as the moderator for the public oral dissertation defense, or an additional faculty member other than the advisor or committee members may be requested to serve in this capacity. The committee must have the revised defense copy of the dissertation at least 10 working days prior to the defense.  All doctoral candidates are required to successfully complete an oral dissertation defense which is open to the Kent State community and publicly announced at least 10 working days in advance of the event.  This provides the student with the opportunity to share the results of their research with their peers and the wider community, and will help prepare them to present their work at professional meetings. Presentation of their student research at a meeting is recommended, but not required for graduation. Arts and Sciences rules regarding the Graduate Faculty Representative and Dissertation Defense Moderator Arts and Sciences rules regarding the Final Examination (Including a discussion of the Dissertation Committee Composition)	Required   The Report of Final Exam and Application for Graduation forms must be filed with the Office of Graduate Affairs, College of Arts & Sciences and the Graduate Coordinator. Complete the: Department of Geology Graduate Student Check-out Form and file with the Graduate Coordinator.

IMPORTANT DATES: 

There are several deadlines that must be met in order to graduate in a timely fashion. 

• applying for graduation 
• completing the thesis/dissertation defense, and 
• presentation of thesis/dissertation to the Office of Graduate Affairs, College of Arts & Sciences

The dissertation must be completed and defended within 10 years of the first enrollment in coursework, if the student enters with a Bachelor's degree, or within 9 years of the first enrollment in coursework, if the student enters with an Master's degree. 

The candidacy examination must be taken within 5 years of the first enrollment in coursework and the dissertation must be completed no more than 5 years after completion of the candidacy examination. 

Departmental Scholarship Applications
   Due by February 15

Application to Graduate
   Due by 4:00 pm Friday of the first week of classes for the semester in which you wish to graduate

Dissertation Defense Deadline
   Typically about 5 weeks before commencement (look for the posted deadlines each semester)

Dissertation Submission Deadline
   Typically about 3 weeks before commencement (look for the posted deadlines each semester)

ONLINE FORMS AND DOCUMENTS:

Dissertation Proposal Processing Form (Departmental Form)

Report of Candidacy Examination (Departmental Form)

Notification of Approved Dissertation Topic and Prospectus  

Style Guide

Arts and Sciences rules regarding the Graduate Faculty Representative and Dissertation Defense Moderator

Arts and Sciences rules regarding the Final Examination (Including a discussion of the Dissertation Committee Composition)

Report of Final Exam

Application for Graduation
Reapplication for Graduation

Department of Geology Graduate Student Check-out Form

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What specific course work must be taken to satisfy the Ph.D. requirements?

The only specific requirement that must be completed prior to graduation is 30 hours of Dissertation I (80199) and

60 hours past the M.S. or 90 hours past the B.S. degree. Specific coursework necessary to prepare the candidate for the dissertation work will be selected on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the faculty advisor and the members of the examination committee. Keep in mind that in addition to the formal courses offered in the department you have the following options available to help you develop the skills you need:

(a) You can take courses at the University of Akron through the Memorandum of Understanding, without transfer. This widens your choice of coursework substantially. Forms are available in the main office to do this.

(b) You can cross-train with coursework in allied fields. You may want to check out the GIS or Remote Sensing courses in Geography; the Wetlands, Limnology, and Ecology courses in Biological Sciences; the Environmental Chemistry courses in Chemistry; computer programming courses in Math & Computer Science; or relevant courses in Physics. See the Registrar's web page for available courses by semester.

How will the composition of my committee change as I progress toward my degree?

     The candidacy examination committee consists of four members of the geology graduate faculty: the potential advisor, two minor advisors, and one general geology examiner. All members of the committee must have the appropriate graduate faculty rank as described in the departmental handbook. The general geology examiner usually rotates off the student's committee at the successful completion of the candidacy examination. The dissertation committee evaluates the student's dissertation proposal. It consists of the potential advisor and the two minor advisors from the candidacy examination committee, plus an outside member who may be from another department on campus or another institution if approved by the geology graduate faculty. All members of the committee must have the appropriate graduate faculty rank as described in the College of Arts and Sciences Rules Regarding the Final Examination.

Upon completion of the dissertation proposal defense, the dissertation final examination committee is formed which consists of the advisor, the two minor advisors, and the outside member from the dissertation proposal committee, plus a graduate representative appointed by the Office of Graduate Affairs of the College of Arts and Sciences. The graduate representative may also serve as the moderator for the defense, or another individual may be appointed. The guidelines regarding the graduate representative and/or moderator are found in the College of Arts and Sciences Rules regarding the Graduate Faculty Representative and Dissertation Defense Moderator.

Requests for an outside committee member from another institution should be made in writing by the potential advisor to the graduate coordinator and accompanied by a current version of the CV for the potential outside member. The request is voted on by the graduate faculty.