Doctor of Philosophy

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The Ph.D. degree is the highest academic degree awarded by the University. The primary purpose of the Ph.D. degree is to develop educational scholars who seek to conduct original research and interpret and communicate the results of such research as authors, university professors, and governmental or research agency officials.

Admission Requirements The student desiring to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy degree must submit an application for admission to the Curry School of Education. The applicant to this degree program must:

hold a baccalaureate degree, and in most programs, a master’s degree, from an accredited college or university;
have an outstanding record as a student;
submit an application for admission and official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work;
submit two references strongly endorsing him or her for doctoral work;
submit official score reports for the Graduate Record Examinations;
submit a statement of professional goals; and
meet any additional department or area of specialization requirements.

Residence Requirement Ph.D. candidates must complete at least three academic years (fall-spring semester) of full-time (9 credits) graduate work. One year of this requirement may be waived for candidates who have already earned a master’s degree. Upon approval of a petition to the associate dean for graduate programs of the Curry School of Education, up to one year of the required three years may be undertaken at another graduate school or completed at this University on a part-time basis. In addition, up to one year (or the equivalent) may be spent in dissertation research elsewhere while enrolled as a full-time student (and not simultaneously employed on a full-time basis).

Enrollment Requirements Students must be continuously enrolled at the University during the fall and spring semesters while working toward the Ph.D. degree. If students are not taking courses, they may maintain enrollment by paying a University non-resident fee through the Office of Admission of the Curry School. Failure to maintain continuous enrollment will require students to reapply.

Time Limitation All requirements must be completed within four years after passing comprehensive examinations and within seven years of admission to the Ph.D. program. In special cases, upon approval of the doctoral committee, department chair, and associate dean, out-of-date work may be revalidated by examination.

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology Requirements and policies for the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology are specified in the Department of Human Services section of this Record, and in the Curry Programs in Clinical and School Psychology handbook.

Program Requirements

To earn a Ph.D. degree the following minimum requirements must be met:

The student must successfully complete a program of study determined by the doctoral committee. The student must earn 72 credits, including at least 54 credits for courses other than non-topical research or dissertation credit, and at least 12 dissertation credits. A maximum of 24 credits from the master’s program may be counted toward either the 72 or 54 credits. A minimum of 36 credits (not including internships, independent study, practica and dissertation credit) must be earned on grounds.
The student must successfully complete any preliminary examinations required by the program area or the doctoral committee.
The student must successfully complete written comprehensive examinations and an oral examination if required, as determined by the student’s doctoral committee. Comprehensives must be completed before the dissertation committee is appointed and before the dissertation proposal is defended.
The student must demonstrate research proficiency by passing the Curry School Research Examination, which covers quantitative research methods, qualitative inquiry, statistics, tests and measurement, and research design; or by an alternative method developed by the Ph.D. program area in which the student is completing the degree. Alternative methods must comply with the specific program area requirements and be approved by the Academic Affairs Committee.
The student must successfully complete all dissertation requirements, including defending a dissertation proposal as determined by the student’s doctoral committee; gaining approval from the University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the protection of human subjects; planning and carrying out a research study (dissertation) appropriate to the field of specialization; and passing an oral final examination on the conduct and conclusions of the dissertation. All other requirements must be completed before this defense.
Students must complete all additional requirements as specified by their department and program area in the Curry School of Education, doctoral committee, and advisor.
The student must pass the final examination (oral, written, or both).

Record of Progress

The student must complete and keep current an official Record of Progress Form, which should be started upon initial registration and must be kept on file in the Office of Admission and Student Affairs of the Curry School of Education. This form, with instructions, is available from that office. You can access the Record of Progress form at: http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/admissions/pdf/phdrop.pdf.

Doctoral Committee

The Ph.D. program of study is directed by the student’s doctoral program committee. After approximately 12 credits of study, a doctoral committee should be established. This committee is responsible for the design of the program of study and supervises the student through all activities until the comprehensive examination is completed. The committee must consist of a minimum of four faculty members of the University, appointed to the rank of assistant professor or higher, with at least two members from inside the major department (one of whom must agree to be the advisor/chair), and at least one outside of the student’s major program area. Ph.D. candidates are not required to designate minors or supporting areas. However, if such a designation is made, there must be at least one representative for each supporting area. An additional committee member from outside the University may be added if approved by the chair of the student’s major department, four University faculty who have agreed to serve on the committee, and the associate dean.

When all program requirements are met, including the successful completion of the doctoral comprehensive examination, the student must select a doctoral dissertation committee. This committee is responsible for the approval of a dissertation proposal; the supervision of the dissertation; the final approval of the dissertation, based on its written form; and the student’s oral defense of the dissertation (the Ph.D. final examination). The dissertation committee must include at least four University faculty members who agree to serve, and who are approved by the dean’s office, including at least two from inside the major department and one from outside the student’s major program area.

Any committee appointment or change must be approved by the associate dean on the recommendation of the student’s advisor and department chair. Students who are ready to have a committee appointed must seek faculty who agree to serve on the committee and have them sign an advisory committee card, which is available in the Office of Admission and Student Affairs.

All actions of doctoral committees must be approved by all members of the committee. There may be more than four members on any committee, but there must be at least four University of Virginia members (including the chair and outside member) present for any presentation or oral defense, and all members must agree to the outcome.

Major Program Areas

The student must select one major program area of the Curry School of Education and complete the course requirements specified by the doctoral committee for that major area. Master’s degree work completed by the student may be applied to the program when approved by the doctoral committee. Requirements for the major program area must be approved by all doctoral program committee members. Exceptions due to emergency must be approved by all committee members and the associate dean.

Preliminary Examinations

Preliminary examinations may be required by individual program areas, or at the discretion of the doctoral committee. All committee members must verify that such examinations have been successfully completed by signing the record of progress.

Comprehensive Examinations

When nearing completion of the program of study, and with the approval of the major advisor, the student requests a written examination, or, in some areas, a comprehensive project in all areas appropriate to the student’s planned program. The time, place, content, specific format, and evaluation of the examination shall be determined by the doctoral committee. All committee members must judge the student’s performance to be satisfactory and must verify successful completion of the exams by signing the student’s Record of Progress form. If the student performs unsatisfactorily on the written exam, the committee may be petitioned for one re-examination. Subsequent failure on the written exam precludes further doctoral study in the Curry School of Education.

Research Skills

Ph.D. students must demonstrate research proficiency. This is done in one of two ways: (1) by passing the Curry School Research Examination, which consists of both qualitative and quantitative examinations, including quantitative research methods, statistics, tests and measurement and research design; or (2) by completing a series of research courses as determined by the program area.

Dissertation Proposal

The student must prepare and orally defend a written dissertation proposal. The oral presentation of the dissertation must be heard by at least four members of the doctoral dissertation committee (including the chair and the outside member), at which time a decision is made regarding continuation of the dissertation plan. Approval requires agreement of all doctoral dissertation committee members, at least one of whom must be from the student’s program area and serves as the chair or co-chair. After approval of the dissertation proposal, all dissertation committee members must remain on the committee through the final examination. The proposal may not be defended until successful completion of the comprehensive and research skills examinations.

The student is responsible for scheduling all committee meetings and distributing copies of the proposal and any revisions. The committee chair, however, will conduct all sessions. Advancement to candidacy is to be verified on the Record of Progress Form by the committee chair after all revisions of the dissertation proposal have been approved. A copy of the signed proposal must be filed with the student’s official Doctoral Degree Record of Progress.

Dissertation Requirements

The student must successfully complete a dissertation and defend it in a final examination. All students must register for a minimum of 12 credits of dissertation research and be registered for credit during each semester when working with faculty or using University resources. All students are to consult with their dissertation committee members during all. Guidelines for Doctoral Dissertation (http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/admissions/pdf/dissguidelines.pdf) describe procedures and expectations that will make the process easier, more predictable, and more successful. Results of the dissertation defense must be verified on the Record of Progress Form by all members of the committee. A minimum of 12 credits of dissertation must be earned, including registration during each semester when working with faculty or using University resources.

Oral Defense of Dissertation and Final Examination

All other requirements must be satisfied before the dissertation defense. The dissertation defense is an open, public examination of the doctoral research project. The defense date, time, and place must be announced at least 14 days in advance. A dissertation abstract and announcement must be filed with the doctoral secretary in the Office of Admissions, 104 Ruffner Hall, from which it will be posted for all members of the Curry School. April 1 is the deadline for a successful defense by students planning to graduate in May. July 1 for summer graduation, and November 1 for fall graduation.

At least four University faculty members from the doctoral dissertation committee, including the advisor and the outside member, must be present for the oral defense. All members must attest to the successful completion of the defense and final examination.

Through its chair, the examining committee may invite other members of the department faculty to take part in the examination; indeed, it is recommended that the doctoral examination be given before the entire professional staff of the department concerned. The result of the examination, with the names of the examiners and their departmental affiliation, must be reported by the chair of the dissertation committee to the associate dean. The chair does this by submitting the final copy of the Record of Progress Form signed by all members of the dissertation committee.

Approval and Inspection of Dissertation

A copy of the dissertation must be approved in the Office of Academic and Student Affairs of the Curry School by the following deadlines: December 1 for January graduation, May 1 for May graduation, and August 1 for August graduation.

Application and Registration for Degree

Application for the Ph.D. degree must be submitted by the following deadlines: February 1 for May graduation, June 1 for August graduation, and October 1 for January graduation. Forms and instructions are available from the Office of Admission and Student Affairs of the Curry School of Education or online at: http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/admissions/pdf/eddphd_degree_app.pdf. Students must be registered during the semester in which the degree is to be awarded.

Candidates who do not receive degrees in the session for which their applications have been approved must renew their applications in proper form at the beginning of the session in which candidacy for the degree is desired.

Non-resident degree applicants must be registered for the semester in which the degree is to be awarded. More details related to this requirement and to application deadlines are stated in the General Academic Requirements in the School of Education General Information section of this Record.

The student’s completed record of progress along with an official transcript of all applicable course work from the University of Virginia or elsewhere must accompany this application for final review by the dean’s office.

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology

Requirements and policies for the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology are specified in the Department of Human Services and in the Curry Programs in Clinical and School Psychology handbook.