Stages of Doctoral Completion

Stage 1. Completion of the Master’s Degree or its Equivalent.

Requires completion with at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average (GPA) at Ball State University or another university that is accredited by its regional accrediting agency. Students who have already completed a master’s degree equivalent to that awarded by the major department are considered to have completed the first stage of the doctoral program unless the department stipulates otherwise.

Each academic unit that is responsible for a doctoral program will have a procedure to evaluate a student’s progress during this stage. This evaluation will take place no later than the end of the second year to determine if the student is making satisfactory progress, and will be communicated in writing to the student. The evaluation is determined by the major department and could include, but is not limited to, an examination or other appropriate review that must be successfully completed before entering Stage 2.

Stage 2. Admission to Candidacy

Requires completion of all course work and fulfillment of any special departmental requirements (e.g., additional language examinations, if any), the passing of the comprehensive examinations, and approval of the dissertation proposal (see below for specific information regarding requirements for the comprehensive examinations). Completion of this stage is referred to as Admission to Candidacy for the degree. Enrollment in dissertation credits is permitted only upon the completion of this stage. If the foregoing requirements are not met, the student may be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree on probation, or the privilege of further study leading to the doctoral degree may be denied.

Stage 3. Dissertation Completion

Requires the research, writing, and final oral defense of the dissertation. During this stage, all doctoral candidates must be registered for a minimum of 3 credits each semester, except during the summer terms, until the final approved copies of the dissertation are deposited in the Graduate School, all credits for degree conferral have been completed, and the residency requirement (if any) has been fulfilled. Normally, if not registering for a course or courses, the doctoral candidate will register for three credits of DISS 799.  However, a doctoral candidate in an externally accredited program that requires an internship experience is exempt from continuous enrollment while registered for internship credit. Students who fail to register for DISS 799 hours in a given Fall or Spring semester must register and pay the tuition costs for all missed hours once they resume enrollment at the university. A student's dissertation committee will be unavailable to work with the student during semesters in which they have not registered for DISS 799. Further, a doctoral candidate may request to be exempt from the continuous registration requirement for certain life events such as serious illness, serving as principal care-giver for a child/stepchild or other family member who is seriously ill, or other extraordinary circumstances under which this requirement would result in undue hardship for the student.  Requests for exemption to the continuous registration requirement are to be made to the Graduate School.  The Graduate Dean will consult with the doctoral candidate’s dissertation chair, department chair, and program director prior to making a decision on the request.  Generally, exemptions will be granted for a maximum of one semester.  Students will be required to register during the semester they expect to graduate.

The culmination of Stage 3 is degree conferral. No later than the first four weeks of the last semester before graduation, students must file an application for graduation with the Graduate School. Applications may be submitted online in Self-Service Banner at my.bsu.edu.