Completing Your Degree
Tracking your Progress
Students must meet with the graduate advisor and/or dissertation advisor each semester before the enrollment period begins. After advising, the advising hold will be lifted in the online registration system.Ìý
Each student should make their own copy of theÌýÌýupdate it every semester, and share it with the advisor for the advising session. Requirements for the PhD degree include 30 credits of coursework and a minimum of 30 dissertation credit hours.Ìý
Time to Degree
The Department intends for PhD students to complete degree requirements within five years and does not guarantee funding beyond five years.
Requests for extensions of up to one year are regulated by the Graduate School and must be endorsed by the thesis advisor. Linguistics department policy requires a full-faculty vote to approve any petition for extension.Ìý
Please see the Graduate Student Request for Extension of Time Limit. Note that the Graduate School requires PhD students to complete all degree requirements within six years.ÌýFailure to complete the degree in this six-year period may result in dismissal from the doctoral program.Ìý
Timeline of ideal progressÌý
| Academic year 1 | Pass all required coursework, officially select thesis advisor and advisory committee, submit Prelim Exam proposal (deadline in early Spring semester) |
| Academic year 2 (spring) | Pass Prelim Exam and pass remaining coursework |
| Academic year 3 (spring) | Submit Synthesis Paper |
| Academic year 4 | Engage in research towards the Dissertation Prospectus; successfully defend the Dissertation Prospectus |
| Academic year 5 | Successfully defend the Dissertation |
Full-Time Status & Continuous Registration
PhD students are required to maintain full-time student status.Ìý
- Before successful defense of the Prospectus, they must be registered for at least five credits of coursework or one doctoral dissertation hour each semester.Ìý
- After defense of the Prospectus, they must be registered for five dissertation hours each semester, including the summer semester if the dissertation defense is held in the summer.
Additional Graduate School requirements and informationÌý
- All graduate students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0.
- A minimum grade of B- is required for any course to count towards the PhD degree.Ìý
- Students are responsible for knowing Graduate School requirements and deadlines.Ìý
The Graduate School Rules lists all rules and policies governing graduate education at CU.Ìý
PhD students are expected to complete all degree requirements within six years from the semester in which they matriculate in the doctoral program.