REQUIRED PROGRESS THROUGH THE PROGRAM
RULES OF PROGRESS - MASTER’S DEGREE
Time Limit - All requirements for the M.A. degree (including transferred coursework) must
be completed within one six-year period. Work over six years old can be reinstated only by
special permission of the Graduate Dean.
Leave of Absence - Students wishing to leave the program (i.e., not register during the Fall
and/or Spring semesters) must write a letter to the Graduate Adviser requesting approval for
the leave. If the leave is approved, the student must submit a Readmission Form (available in
the Graduate Coordinator’s Office) prior to the semester in which the student is expected to
return. If a student has not enrolled for more than two years, readmission will require
approval of the GSC.
RULES OF PROGRESS - DOCTORAL DEGREE
Proposal Defense - The student is encouraged to defend the proposal in the semester
following the completion of all the other degree requirements, and should in any case defend
no later than the second semester following them. It is expected that the graduate student
will develop the proposal through a series of conferences with members of the Dissertation
Committee. When the proposal is approved by the dissertation supervisor, the student should
submit a copy to each member of the Dissertation Committee along with a memo informing
the Committee of the date fixed for the proposal hearing.
Time Limit - All coursework listed on the Application for Candidacy Program of Work must
have been taken within six years from the date of Admission to Candidacy.
Past experience in the Department indicates that students typically complete certain phases of
their program at specific points in their graduate career, and the Department has employed
these points as recommendations for the schedule of incoming students. We suggest that
students who enter the program with a B.A. degree complete all the requirements for the
Ph.D. degree within five years from their time of entrance and that those who enter the
program with a Master’s degree seek to do so within three years from their date of entrance.
It is also strongly recommended that the required coursework be finished in six or seven
semesters, although students vary in completing this requirement. Students may take the
comprehensive examination at any time after completing coursework, but past experience
indicates that it is generally passed by the end of the eighth semester in the program.
STANDARD PROGRESS THROUGH THE PROGRAM
1st Year
Courses
Attend
Professional
Meetings
2nd-3rd Year
3rd-4th Year
4th Year
Courses
Finish
Coursework
Comps
Complete
M.A. Thesis
Present at
Professional
Meetings
Proposal
Present at
Professional
Meetings
Submit an
article to a
journal
Present at
Professional
Meetings
Submit an
article to a
journal
5th-7th Year
Complete
Dissertation
Present at
Professional
Meetings
Submit an
article to a
journal
The variance in the above standard schedule of progress is designed to accommodate
individual student differences in terms of their research projects and other factors. For
example, students who spend a significant length of time in the field collecting original data
may reasonably need more time to complete their thesis or dissertation. As such, the above
guidelines should be used in conjunction with an evaluation of the nature of a student’s own
research and circumstances.
Department Funding Eligibility & Limits
The Graduate School has asked all departments to set upper limits for the rate of progress
through the program because of the “99 hour” rule, which applies to all graduate students
who entered UT during Fall 1999 or afterward. By this rule, graduate students who have
exceeded a cumulative total of 100 semester hours and also have been enrolled for at least 14
long semesters will have to pay out-of-state tuition, regardless of whether they were
previously in-state or out-of-state. (Note: The 99 hour rule has been subject to changes
since coming into effect; therefore, it is best to check the Graduate School web page to get
the latest information on this topic.) Reflective of Graduate School policies, the department
has established that students will be ineligible for TA or AI support, or for nomination for
university fellowships or other departmental and university awards, if they fall behind the
following intervals from entrance into the graduate program:
Complete M.A.
Take Comprehensive
Exam
Admitted to Ph.D.
Candidacy
Complete Ph. D.
Entered without an
M.A.
36 months / 3 years
Entered with an M.A.
N/A
48 months / 4 years
36 months / 3 years
60 months / 5 years
48 months / 4 years
84 months / 7 years
72 months / 6 years
Appointment Limit - The maximum amount of Teaching Assistantship support (AI or TA)
from the department will be ten semesters for students entering without an M.A. and eight
semesters for students entering with an M.A. The maximum amount of Teaching
Assistantship and Assistant Instructorship support combined will be twelve semesters for
students entering without an M.A. and ten semesters for students entering with an M.A.
Exceptions to this policy will occur only at the discretion of the Chairperson of the
Department and in the event of emergency departmental instructional needs.