A Plan of Study for the doctoral degree must be filed with the Graduate School no later than the close of the registration window for the third semester of study for approval by the Dean of the Graduate School. This is generally before the completion of eighteen (18) credit hours. The Plan of Study requires the signature of the Graduate Program Director and all other members of the academic or dissertation advisory committee. The Dean of the Graduate School reserves the right to refer any or all plans of study to the Graduate Council for review and recommendation.

Filing the plan of study by the end of the first year signifies permission to continue in the Graduate School. Students who fail to file the Plan of Study upon completion of eighteen (18) hours will have a registration hold placed on their account. This hold will remain until an approved Plan of Study is filed with the Graduate School.

Copies of the approved Plan of Study must be filed in the student’s permanent academic record in the Graduate School, in the department’s files, with the chair and each member of the advisory/dissertation committee, and with the student. Any subsequent changes in the Plan of Study must be submitted to the Graduate School for approval.

The Plan of Study must indicate the following:

• Major and minor fields of study.
• All prerequisite or leveling course work.
• Specific courses the student is expected to complete as a minimum requirement with at least eighteen (18) hours of didactic course work and a minimum of twelve (12) hours of dissertation. (If the topic for a Seminar or Topics Course is not yet determined, the GPD may indicate just the Course Number or other such placeholder.)
• All specific course requirements, language, and research requirements of the major department.
• No more than one quarter of the course work credited to the degree, exclusive of the dissertation, at the 500 level.
• No more than 15 semester hours of independent study. (See additional requirements above to pursue Independent Study.)

The following constraints apply:

• No credit evaluated lower than a B (3.0) may be applied toward satisfying a degree requirement.
• Additional hours must be taken for any hours earned with a grade of B- (2.7) or less.
• Credit earned for STA 667 Statistical Consulting is not applicable to a graduate plan of study.