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Advisor/Coursework Phase

• Areas of Study and Advisors
  • Minor, Cognate, and Minor Concentration Program Options
• The Advisory/Coursework Phase Committee
  • Structure of Typical Committees
  • Committee Members
• The Program Plan of Study and Residency Plan
• The Plan of Study and Residency Plan
  • Complete the Plan of Study and Residency Plan Form
• Doctoral Comprehensive Examinations
  • Formats
  • Procedure
  • The Oral Examination

Doctoral Programs

This section highlights the frequently asked questions by doctoral students. Please use this handbook as a guide to work through the details related to the requirements, forms, and stages of the doctoral program. Should you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact your advisor or the Office of Graduate Student Services (OGSS) via email at ogs@kent.edu.

The procedures, rules, and regulations stated in the following sections are valid under the normal time limits for earning the Doctoral degree. Maximum recommended time to completion are as follows:

• Five years from time of admission to complete coursework and candidacy examinations.
• Five years from the time of reaching candidacy to completion of the dissertation and awarding of the Doctoral degree.

Refer to catalog regarding time extension; however, if a student has not completed comprehensive exams, then an extension will not be considered. Furthermore, an extension is unlikely to be granted if a dissertation proposal has not been successfully defended.

Please find Doctoral Student forms at EHHS Graduate Student Services Forms.

Areas of Study and Advisors

The College of Education, Health, & Human Services (College of EHHS) doctoral programs can be found on the

The letter of admission to the Doctoral program specifies a student's major and names the major advisor assigned by the program coordinator. In some instances, a second faculty member is assigned to serve as a co-advisor or to provide special assistance throughout the advisory phase. When reading this handbook, students having a committee headed by co-advisors should assume that the duties and responsibilities ascribed to the major advisor will be shared.

Minor, Cognate, and Minor Concentration Program Options

The College of EHHS does not require a student to pursue a minor area of study (or a minor area of concentration), an interdisciplinary cognate, or minor concentration. If you are interested in a minor, cognate, or concentration, please see your program coordinator.

The Advisory/Coursework Phase Committee

The major advisor or co-advisors play an important role in the planning of the doctoral program. It is the responsibility of the committee to approve the student's plan of study and residency plan. Doctoral students will be blocked from registering for the third semester after admittance, including summer, until a Plan of Study has been filed in the Office of Graduate Student Services. The plan of study must be attached to the Advisory Phase Form, found on the EHHS Graduate Student Services and Forms.

Structure of Typical Committees

The typical committee for a program containing a single major and a single minor or cognate appears below. The committee must contain at least two members if a student is not seeking a minor or cognate.

• Major advisor (or co-advisor) assigned by the program area
• Second member (or co-advisor) may be from the major program area
• Minor or Cognate (Optional)

Committee Members

The major advisor and co-advisor or second major advisor may be full or associate members of the Graduate faculty in the student's major. If the major advisor has associate rank, the co-advisor or second major advisor must hold full graduate faculty rank.

The minor or cognate advisor must be a full or associate member of the graduate faculty of the department in which rank is held. This individual will assist the student in selecting coursework  and preparing for comprehensive examinations. The minor or cognate advisor will write the questions for the written comprehensive examination in the minor or cognate area of specialization.

The Program Plan of Study and Residency Plan

Doctoral programs are highly individualized and must be carefully documented. It is suggested that the entire committee meet to review and discuss the plan of study and residency plan with the student before it is finalized. The plan agreed upon by the student and committee constitutes the official program of the doctoral student. The doctoral plan of study should not include courses other than those at the 70000 and 80000 levels. Doctoral students must be enrolled in courses only at those levels.

The Plan of Study and Residency Plan

The plan of study and residency plan should be approved by your advisors and filed in the Office of Graduate Student Services (OGS) by attaching the plan of study to the Advisory Phase Form, found on the EHHS Graduate Student Services and Forms. Students will be blocked from registering for the third semester after admittance (including summer) until a plan of study has been electronically filed in the Office of Graduate Student Services.

The College of EHHS does not specify the number of hours of coursework to be included in the doctoral major. This decision is made by the advisory phase committee after a thorough review of a student's background and goals. University policy mandates that a student must complete a minimum of 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree or 60 hours beyond the master's degree in order to qualify for a doctoral degree.

Because a variety of important seminars, internships, and individual courses are graded according to an S/U system, there is no set limit to the number of S/U graded courses that may be included in a program. Students and committees are expected to carefully consider the total plan of study and weigh the merits of each course listed in the plan of study.

Changes in an approved plan of study may be made by completing an Advisory Phase Form, found on the EHHS Graduate Student Services and Forms, utilizing the checkbox “Revised” and attaching an updated plan of study, noting the changes/updates, after being endorsed by members of the advisory committee.

Completing the Plan of Study and Residency Plan Form

1. Coursework Comprising the Advisory Phase of the Program
   1. The list of courses to be completed during the advisory phase of the student's program should be presented on the program plan of study provided by each program area.
   2. The dissertation preparation and writing for publication courses in Higher Education Administration (HIED) and Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) are open to all doctoral students. Those courses will be publicized to program areas as opportunities for their doctoral students.
   3. Students who have elected a double major or minor should present plan of study information for each of the major or minor areas of study.
2. Residency Plan
   1. Program areas will determine their own residency requirements. Residency requirements should be written in the square provided on the Advisory Phase form or attached to the plan of study.
   2. Residency (Purpose, Rationale, and Options)
      1. Doctoral work across the diverse specialties addresses several goals:
         1. Development of a comprehensive knowledge base in both the specialty and the broad field.
         2. Development of the attitudes, values, reasoning, and technical tools of scholarship and practice appropriate to the specialty.
         3. Socialization into the scholar-practitioner role of professor, counselor, administrator, or researcher.
         4. Mastery of advanced skills and knowledge that enables the student to obtain the appropriate certification or licensure required for many professional roles. The purpose of residency is to provide doctoral students with professional experiences in addition to their programs of coursework and previous employment activities.
      2. Residency, as it is defined by the College of EHHS, is a period in which students are engaged in personalized scholarship through the following broad types of intensive activity:
         1. Examination/analysis of various forms of investigation
         2. Examination/analysis of issues, problems, and trends within and across practice and research.
         3. Development of a personal and professional perspective through synthesis of the various points of view and models provided in theory and practice.
         4. Criticism of ideas, investigations, and practice.
         5. Development of colleagueship that cannot be attained through part-time or isolated study.
3. Tentative Fulfillment Dates
   1. This section of the program plan of study provides the student with an opportunity to "project" the doctoral studies program in a time frame. While not absolute, the plan is intended to provide general time guidelines for accomplishing the task.
4. Approval of Plan of Study, Advisory Committee, and Residency Plan
   1. Each member of the advisory phase committee is asked to sign to indicate approval of the plan of study and residency plan. Because it may be helpful for the student to refer to the plan from time to time, it is suggested that the student retain a copy of the plan of study and residency plan. The doctoral plan of study should not include courses other than those at the 70000 and 80000 levels.
5. If a plan of study has been filed and the student wishes to change the Advisory Committee, please submit a new Advisory Phase form and mark “Revised” on form.

Doctoral Comprehensive Examinations

All doctoral students will take comprehensive examinations and must be registered during the semester of comprehensive exams. If a student is not otherwise registered for coursework, they must register for a one credit hour research experience in the program area during the comprehensive exam semester. This will be supervised by the program coordinator. By filling out the Permission to Take Doctoral Comps During Final Semester of Coursework form,  found within the Comprehensive Exam Packet, and with approval of the comprehensive examination committee and the program coordinator, doctoral students may elect to sit for comprehensive exams as early as the final semester of their coursework or to wait until the completion of their required course work. Some program areas will require all coursework to be completed before sitting for the comprehensive exams. Doctoral students will not be registered for Dissertation I until they have successfully completed written and oral exams and satisfied any “IPs” or “INs” received in their final semester of coursework.

Formats

Program areas define the process for their examination process as one of the following nine formats. The doctoral advisor/committee makes the final determination about which format is followed:

Format 1

Eight hours in length, written in four-hour sessions on two consecutive days. The College of EHHS will provide the appropriate technology and reserves the right to require students to use laptop computers.

Format 2

Four take-home questions given. Students may spend two weeks on each question for a total of eight weeks.

Format 3

Two take-home questions or two sit-down questions and a portfolio. The portfolio is to be turned in when the questions are given. The two take home questions must be completed within four weeks (two weeks per question). The two sit-down questions will be written in one four-hour session. The College of Education, Health, and Human Services will provide the appropriate technology, and reserves the right to require students to use laptop computers.

Format 4

Exercise Physiology: Students develop a portfolio of three-unit artifacts (e.g., published peer-reviewed manuscript, externally submitted research grant, course curriculum development, two 4-hour written exams.

Format 5

Speech Pathology and Audiology: No established number of questions covering the major and two minor areas taken over 4-5 days totaling 16 hours of writing.

Format 6

Counselor Education and Supervision: Five take home questions given. Students may spend one week on each question for a total of five weeks

Format 7

Higher Education Administration: Students complete a two-day written portion of the comprehensive examination from a location of their choosing. The four questions will be drawn from the courses required in the Ph.D. program and usually span the content of multiple courses. One question will focus on research. Questions will be chosen by the members of the student’s advisory phase committee and will not be shared in advance with the student. One rewrite is allowed and only one oral defense is permitted.

Format 8

Research, Measurement, and Statistics has the student prepare a portfolio containing three essays and a Dissertation research pre-proposal. Three essays from three major programmatic areas (i.e., Statistics, Research Methods, and Measurement) are submitted. These essays are derived from previous coursework or independent research conducted in those areas since admission to the program. Additionally, students will prepare and submit a Dissertation pre-proposal of approximately ten pages containing a research topic, aims/objectives, research questions, and specifically, detailed Methodology. Dates administered through the School.

Format 9

Interprofessional Leadership doctoral students create a portfolio per the guidelines in their program handbook. Four coursework artifacts, each accompanied by a narrative and a reflection, plus an abridged dissertation proposal are required.

In addition, to assess the ability to communicate knowledge verbally, students will complete an oral examination. The intent in both written and oral exams is to evaluate the student’s comprehensive knowledge of the field of study. The committee will submit their evaluations within a timely manner, usually within four weeks of the student’s writing. Satisfactory completion of both exams is required to enter candidacy. Scheduling of exams will be determined by the program area.

Procedure

Students apply for comprehensive exam by completing the Application for Doctoral  Comprehensive Examination, found in the Comprehensive Exam Packet, found on EHHS Graduate Student Services and Forms.

Students will submit a Comprehensive Exam Packet, which includes the Comprehensive Exam Committee form as part of the application process. The committee will include a minimum of two members from the student’s program area. Optional members may be included from outside the program area and in some programs; the outside member(s) will contribute a question and be responsible for evaluating that question. If any course changes were made after filing the plan of study, the student will also need to submit the Plan of Study Changes form, included in the Comprehensive Exam Packet on EHHS Graduate Student Services and Forms.

The Office of Graduate Student Services will notify the school staff person responsible for coordinating exams when the student is cleared to take the exam. An email will be sent to the student, the staff person, and each comprehensive committee member. This email will list the committee members so that the school staff person knows whom to contact for questions, and which option the student has requested. Once a student receives an email from the Office of Graduate Student Services, the student will be responsible for contacting the staff person in the School to schedule a time to take the exam or to pick up questions if the exam is take-home.

The committee should respond within two weeks of completion of the student’s writing in a meeting with the whole committee and the student. All programs allow two attempts to pass written exam; some may allow two attempts to pass the oral exam as well. The chart below lists program area policies.

The Written Comprehensive Examination for Candidacy form will be initiated by the student and sent to their comprehensive exam committee prior to their written exam.

If the student has designated a minor or cognate (as defined by the program) and requires a comprehensive exam, then the student will be required to successfully complete the minor comprehensive exam before completing the major comprehensive exam.

The examination committee will determine when the student has permission to schedule the oral examination.

The Oral Examination

When the major written examination has been evaluated as satisfactory, students contact their advisors for guidance in preparing for the oral examination. It is the responsibility of the major advisor to make arrangements for convening the advisory committee for the oral examination which must be completed within 60 days after a student has passed the written examination.

The student who elects a double major must complete only one oral examination. The major advisors will collaborate in planning for the examination. The oral examination is chaired by the major advisor, and all members of the advisory committee are expected to attend and participate in the questioning. At the discretion of the committee, the student may be questioned on any content pertaining to the doctoral program. Following completion of the questioning, the student is dismissed, and the committee evaluates the examination performance.

For the student to successfully complete the oral examination there must be no more than one negative vote. If the advisory phase committee's vote is favorable and the student has completed all coursework, the student is advanced to Doctoral candidacy.

The student is responsible for initiating the Oral Comprehensive Examination for Candidacy and having it sent to the exam committee prior to the oral exam.

Any student who will be taking comprehensive exams during the same semester courses are taken will not be able to move forward with dissertation registration until the course, or courses, have been completed.

The Office of Graduate Student Services will notify the department that the student has passed and to register the student for Dissertation I. The student will be given a two-year time limit from the end of the semester in which they successfully defend the comprehensive exam to submit and successfully defend the dissertation proposal. Failure to adhere to this timeline may result in your dismissal from the program.