A. Thesis Option:
B. Non-Thesis Option for M.A. Students:
C. Non-Thesis Option for Ph.D. Students:
The program combines into three years and one summer session the normal three-year J.D. program offered by the School of Law and the three-semester M.A. in Philosophy program offered by the Department of Philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students in the program complete eighty-one credits in law and twenty-one credits in philosophy. The J.D. and M.A. diplomas will be awarded concurrently after completion of the joint-degree program requirements.
Admissions Requirements
The joint J.D.-M.A. program is open to those who have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and whose undergraduate academic record indicates that the applicant has the capacity to complete the law and philosophy program. Applicants for the J.D.-M.A. in Philosophy program must meet the admission requirements of the School of Law, the Department of Philosophy, and the Graduate School. Applicants must apply and be admitted to each school separately prior to entrance into the first year of the program. The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is the only required entrance examination for applicants. All admissions requirements and prerequisites for courses in the Philosophy graduate program also apply (see section 1.1). A student who decides to enter the program while enrolled in the first year of the J.D. or M.A. in Philosophy curriculum must consult and obtain approval from the School of Law, the Department of Philosophy, and the Graduate School. No student may enter the combined program after completing more than thirty credits in the law school or twelve credits in the Department of Philosophy.
Typical Enrollment Pattern| Law
| Philosophy
| Total | |
| First Year | 32
| 0
| 32 |
| Second Year | 22
| 6
| 28 |
| Third Year | 22
| 9
| 31 |
| Summer Session | 5
| 6
| 11 |
| Total Credit earned | 81
| 21
| 102 |
| Law Credit Allowed for M.A. | 9
| 9 | |
| Philosophy Credit Allowed for J.D. | 9
| 9 | |
18 | |||
| Total Credit Required | 90
| 30
| 120 |
Degree Requirements
Credit for
J.D. | Credit for M/A. | |
| Law courses required for a J.D. candidates | 44
| 0 |
| Law courses for joint degree candidates | 9
| 9 |
| Philosophy courses for joint degree candidates | 9
| 9 |
| Additional law courses | 28
| 0 |
| Additional philosophy courses | 0
| 12 |
| Maximum credit hours required | 90
| 30 |
A. Law Courses Required of all J.D. Candidates:
| First-year courses | |
| Civil Procedure I | 3 cr. |
| Civil Procedure II | 3 cr. |
| Contracts I | 3 cr. |
| Contracts II | 3 cr. |
| Criminal Law | 2 cr. |
| Criminal Procedure | 3 cr. |
| Lawyering I | 3 cr. |
| Lawyering II | 3 cr. |
| Property I | 3 cr. |
| Property II | 2 cr. |
| Torts | 4 cr. |
| Upperclass courses | |
| Commercial Law I | 3 cr. |
| Constitutional Law | 4 cr. |
| Evidence | 3 cr. |
| Professional Responsibility | 2 cr. |
| (Must be taken in second year) | |
| 44 cr. |
B. Sample Listing of Pertinent Law Courses for Joint Degree Candidates:
| Advanced Constitutional Law | 2 cr. |
| Jurisprudence | 3 cr. |
| Race Discrimination Law | 3 cr. |
| First Amendment Freedoms | 2 cr. |
| Independent Research (where pertinent) | 1 or 2 cr. |
| (summer 2.5 cr.) | |
| Research Workshop (where pertinent) for a total of 9 credit hours* | 3 cr. |
| (Approval of the Associate Dean for the School of Law Required) |
*To receive M.A. credit in Philosophy also.
Note: The courses listed in II. (above) are examples only. The actual courses utilized would depend on the courses offered in Law in the relevant semesters.
C. Sample Listing of Pertinent Philosophy Courses for Joint Degree Candidates:
| Justice and Economic Systems | 3 cr |
| Political Philosophy | 3 cr. |
| Contemporary Ethics | 3 cr. |
| History of Ethics | 3 cr. |
| Philosophy of Law | 3 cr. |
| Seminar in Social and Political Philosophy | 3 cr. |
| Seminar in Ethics | 3 cr. |
| Master's Thesis | 6 cr. |
For a total credit of 9 credit hours.**
Notes:
To receive J.D. credit also. It is possible that Philosophy 810 (Philosophical Inquiry: __________ 3 cr.) or Philosophy 900 (Research in Philosophy: _________ 3 cr.) could, if the content was suitable, be taken for joint J.D. and Philosophy M.A. credit.
D. In addition students should note the following rules applicable to the Philosophy M.A. in particular.
- A student must complete two courses at the 500-level or above in each of the following three areas: (a) metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of logic; (b) ethics and theory of value; (c) history of philosophy. A student will be given graduate credit provided the student is enrolled as a graduate student. (The courses taken under C. will, very likely, satisfy the requirement of work in [b] ethics and theory of value.)
- A student must either take an undergraduate course in logic (one of 310, 610--or the equivalent) or pass an appropriate placement examination in symbolic logic if the student did not satisfy the symbolic logic admissions requirement. Note: Courses taken during the student's undergraduate career may be counted toward requirement (1) or requirement (2).
- A student must also have had Philosophy 800 (Graduate Tutorial) in the first or second semester of active graduate enrollment in Philosophy.
- The Philosophy Department also offers a non thesis option for the M.A. degree. The M.A. in Philosophy in the joint program (with the J.D. degree) can be taken under either the thesis or the non thesis option (see sections 2.2 and 2.12). Under either option the student will take a final general examination as is required of all candidates for the M.A. degree.
- The Philosophy M.A. requires that, of the 30 hours of work counted for the M.A. degree, a cumulative grade point of B or better must be achieved and at least 15 of those hours must be in courses numbered 700 or above, which could include 6 hours of Phil 899 (Master's Thesis). See E. also.
E. In order to accommodate the differences in grades recorded in Law and in the Graduate Program, the following standard will be used:
F. Candidates for the joint J.D. and M.A. in Philosophy degrees should take note of the Graduate School requirement at at leas a B cumulative grade point average (3.0) is required on coursework counted toward any of the master's degrees at the University of Kansas, and only courses graded A, B, or C may be so counted. Students should understand that the grades received in any law courses that are credited toward fulfillment of the M.A. in Philosophy degree requirements are incorporated into the M.A. grade point average, which ultimately must be B (3.0) for the award of the M.A., in Philosophy degree. Students should consult the Graduate School Catalog of the University of Kansas, for further information.
G. The pertinent courses in Law offered for the 9 hours credit towards the M.A. in Philosophy must, as is true of all other Philosophy graduate-degree enrollments, be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies in Philosophy. Likewise, the pertinent courses in Philosophy offered for the 9 hours credit towards the J.D. must be approved by the Associate Dean or by the Academic Committee of the School of Law.
H. All Joint Degree Candidates must satisfy the School of Law upperclass writing requirement. Please consult the current School of Law Catalog.
Additional Information
For additional information, review the materials in regard to the regular program contained in the Bulletin of the Graduate School or contact the Associate Dean, School of Law, New Green Hall, or the Director of Graduate Programs, Department of Philosophy, 1445 Jayhawk Blvd., 3090 Wescoe Hall, the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7590.
Applicable to Students entering/re-entering program as of Fall, 1998, and available for all current Ph.D. candidates.
METAPHYSICS AND EPISTEMOLOGY - 2 courses
620 Philosophy of Natural Science
622 Philosophy of Social Science
628 Philosophy of Logic
630 Philosophy of Mathematics
638 Philosophy of Language
648 Theory of Knowledge
650 Metaphysics
654 Philosophy of Mind
850 Topics in Recent Philosophy: 500-600 level course specified
as appropriate
(when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in metaphysics and
epistemology).
860 Topics in Philosophy of Science: 620 or 622 or 648 or 650
862 Topics in Logic: 610 or 628 or 630
868 Topics in Philosophy of Language: 628 or 638 or 654
870 Topics in Metaphysics: 620 or 630 or 648 or 650 or 654
872 Topics in Theory of Knowledge: 620 or 648 or 650 or 654
877 Topics in Philosophy of Mind: 638 or 650 or 654
888 Topics in Philosophy of Social Sciences: 620 or 622 or 648 or
666 or 696
VALUE THEORY - 2 courses
504 Philosophy of Sex and Love
555 Justice and Economic Systems
662 Aesthetics
668 Political Philosophy
670 Contemporary Ethical Theory
671 Feminist Theories in Ethics
672 History of Ethics
674 Philosophy of Law
676 Death and Dying
677 Medical Ethics
850 Topics in Recent Philosophy: 500-600 level course specified
as appropriate
(when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in value theory)
880 Topics in Ethics: 670 or 672
884 Topics in Social and Political Philosophy: 555 or 666 or 668
or 674
886 Topics in Applied Ethics: 670 or 672 or 500-600 level course
specified as appropriate
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY - 1 course
508 Early Greek Philosophy
605 The Philosophy of Plato
607 The Philosophy of Aristotle
608 Hellenistic
805 Plato: 508 or 608 or 648 or 650
807 Aristotle: 508 or 608 or 648 or 650
820 Topics in History of Philosophy: 500-600 level course specified
as appropriate
(when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in ancient philosophy)
MODERN PHILOSOPHY - 1 course
820 Topics in History of Philosophy: 500-600 level course specified
as appropriate
(when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in modern philosophy)
824 Hume: 648 or 650 or 654
828 Kant: 648 or 650 or 654
NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY - 1 course
560 Nineteenth Century
562 Kierkegaard
570 Nietzsche
580 Marxism
582 Existentialism
590 Phenomenology
592 Contemporary Continental
820 Topics in History of Philosophy: 500-600 level course specified
as appropriate
(when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in nineteenth and
twentieth century philosophy)
831 Hegel: 560 or 640 or 500-600 level course specified as appropriate
835 Frege: 628 or 630 or 638
843 Heidegger: 560 or or 562 or 570 or 582 or 592
848 Wittgenstein: 628 or 630 or 638 or 654
852 Quine: 620 or 628 or 638
855 Davidson: 638 or 654 or 666
890 Topics in Continental Philosophy: 500-600 level courses specified
as appropriate
Must pass the Comprehensive Oral Examination for Ph.D. candidacy. This examination cannot be taken until all of the above requirements have been completed or will be completed in the semester in which the examination is scheduled.
Residency Requirement: Over the course of a student's graduate program, two semesters (which may include one summer session) must be spent in full-time residence study at the University of Kansas. Full-time status means (a) 9 credit hours or (c) 6 credit hours +.50 Teaching Assistantship.
After satisfaction of the above requirements, the student is eligible to enroll in PHIL 999 (DISSERTATION) with his or her Dissertation Director. This enrollment can occur during the semester in which all of the above requirements will be completed. The remaining requirements for the Doctorate are as follows:
In addition to satisfying the regular requirements for a Ph.D. in philosophy and writing an acceptable dissertation in an area, the student must give evidence of research ability in a science or in mathematics. While such evidence might often take the form of a research paper presented to the appropriate local experts and acceptable to them, this requirement might also be met by relevant industrial research experience, a master's degree in one of these fields, or, in exceptional cases, even a senior thesis or honors paper. The student must also pass a written examination in the philosophy of science.
The Comprehensive Examination for Ph.D. candidacy is an oral examination at which the student defends six philosophical theses which he or she has prepared. Students are expected to take the oral comprehensive examination after having successfully completed the Phil 800 Tutorial, the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, Phil 610 (if needed), the FLORS requirement, Phil. 901, virtually all of the 48 hour coursework program, and all other departmental or Graduate School requirements prerequisite to the oral comprehensive examination (see Graduate School Catalog).
The student should meet with the Director of Graduate studies for the purpose of identifying an appropriate Comprehensive Examination Committee (including a committee chair) consisting of four faculty members of the Department and a fifth faculty member from another department who represent, in their specialties, diverse areas of philosophical inquiry and who represent the Department of Philosophy as a whole in certifying a student as qualified for Ph.D. candidacy. The Director has the responsibility to see to it that the committee satisfies the requirement of diversity, and the Director appoints the committee and its chair Prior to the appointment of the committee, the Director and/or the student should ask the potential committee members if they are willing to serve on the committee.
Any member of the Department may be present at the oral and ask questions. All members of the Department may take part in the deliberation concerning the quality of the examination, but only the five examiners vote on a grade. The exam usually does not last longer than two hours.
The comprehensive shall be graded honors, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory by the examining committee.
Comprehensive orals may be scheduled during a summer session, as well as during the fall and spring semesters, providing an appropriate examining committee can be assembled.
Attention is called to the following rule of the Graduate School, which applies to this examination:
1. The Nature of a Thesis or a Dissertation in Philosophy:
A thesis or dissertation in philosophy must be either on a topic which is specifically philosophical in nature or at least on one which can be handled by recognized philosophical methods. If a candidate proposes to deal with a topic on the borderline between philosophy and other disciplines such as theology, psychology, physics, mathematics, or aesthetic criticism, the prospectus must demonstrate that he or she is cognizant of the distinctively philosophical problems in the area of interest.
A thesis or dissertation in philosophy can be of two sorts, historical or systematic, and it may very well combine both of these approaches. A thesis or dissertation of the historical type is concerned with the interpretation of documents or texts for the sake of establishing a conclusion or hypothesis. It may be concerned either to present a solution to a controversy centering about the meaning of the texts or to deal with such matters as influences upon the writer of the texts or his or her influences upon others. It is helpful for the candidate to be familiar with the language or languages in which the texts are written so that he or she can read them in the original language. Where appropriate the prospectus should indicate what languages will be necessary and what skills the candidate possesses. (See FLORS requirement, 2.4, #6.)
A thesis or dissertation of the systematic type is concerned with the analysis and solution of a philosophical problem; both historical and philosophical methods may be employed. If the candidate considers any classical or contemporary text in which the problem has already been treated, he or she should interpret it accurately and with some depth, and grapple with it on the philosophical level of constructive criticism, not being contented with merely providing a summary of it. In writing a systematic thesis or dissertation, the candidate should formulate the problem carefully and precisely. The candidate must show familiarity with the chief ways in which the problem has been previously handled and he or she may well find it desirable to include a chapter providing a review of the work already done on it. It is desirable that the candidate formulate the conclusion or hypothesis at the very beginning of the thesis or dissertation so that the readers will be clear about the upshot of his or her arguments.
2. Thesis or Dissertation Adviser:
The student interested in writing a thesis or dissertation should decide on a tentative topic and field and then consult with the appropriate faculty member of his or her choice to ascertain whether that faculty member will serve as Adviser. Preliminary discussion about an appropriate adviser may take place with the Director of Graduate Studies or the Departmental Chair, if the student so desires.
3. Thesis or Dissertation Committee:
The student and his or her adviser will then jointly select two other persons, possessing appropriate competence in the area of the thesis or dissertation, to serve as members of the thesis or dissertation committee. The character of the thesis or dissertation may be such that it will be necessary to go outside the department, or in exceptional cases even outside the university, for an appropriately competent third member of the committee. Once the student has secured the consent of these persons to serve as his or her committee, the Director of Graduate Studies will officially appoint the Committee.
In general the student will work most closely with his or her adviser. The adviser will decide when written material is ready to be circulated among the other members of the Committee. But since this is a time consuming process the adviser may decide not to have the student circulate written material until he or she has completed a satisfactory first draft. The other members of the Committee must be given the opportunity to read and evaluate the thesis or dissertation, suggesting changes or raising objections, before the final version is completed and the work ready to be typed in final form. A student should feel free to consult the adviser and the members of the Committee, whether singly or as a group, whenever he or she feels the need, and should report his or her progress to the adviser periodically. Until the first draft is completed, the student will probably work primarily with his or her adviser. Thereafter the student will work more with all three members of his or her Committee.
4. The Prospectus:
Any candidate who enrolls in either PHIL 899 Master's Thesis or PHIL 999 Dissertation will have selected a member of the department as thesis or dissertation adviser, and should submit a prospectus to the department. With the help of the committee the candidate must prepare and submit a prospectus for approval by the Department. In the prospectus the candidate should state the topic of his dissertation, showing what problems he or she plans to investigate, and suggesting, if possible, the conclusion which he or she expects or hopes to establish. The candidate should outline the methods he or she intends to employ, and should submit a preliminary list of works to be consulted. The candidate should also provide a brief account of previous experience in the field he or she intends to write about. The Department realizes that research undertaken after the prospectus has been approved may lead to a modification of the candidate's original proposals. Any such modification must be reported to the committee; and if, in the judgment of his or her committee, these modifications sufficiently change the nature of the thesis or dissertation, a new prospectus must be drawn up and submitted to the Department for approval.
Having prepared a prospectus in consultation with his or her adviser, the student will solicit comments on the prospectus from the other two members of the committee. When the committee unanimously agrees that the prospectus is ready to be sent to the Department, the adviser will circulate the prospectus to all members of the Department. Each member of the Department will read the prospectus and return his or her comments, if any, to the adviser. Taking account of the comments made by other members of the Department, the committee will then decide whether to approve the prospectus or call for revision. A unanimous vote of the committee is necessary for approval. Committee approval constitutes Departmental approval. Once the prospectus has been approved by the committee acting on behalf of the Department, the student will be formally notified by the adviser. Notification will also be given to the Director of Graduate Studies, and all materials relevant to approval of the prospectus will be placed in the student's file. Whether or not his or her prospectus is approved, the student is encouraged to discuss his or her prospectus with any members of the Department who have indicated objections to it.
Approval of the Prospectus by the committee, acting on behalf of the Department, binds the Department to accept a thesis or dissertation written on the basis of it in the sense that the Department cannot at a later time refuse the thesis or dissertation simply because of the topic dealt with.
5. Length of Thesis and Dissertation
The thesis must include a complete bibliography of the works that have been consulted. It is taken for granted that all quotations, summaries, and paraphrases of passages will be footnoted and that the candidate will acknowledge the sources of any important ideas which are not original with him or her. Neglect of these matters, whether intentional or unintentional, is a sufficient ground for failing a thesis as involving irresponsible scholarship.
Quotations should not be used for purely decorative purposes or for showing of erudition. A philosophical conclusion cannot be established merely by quoting of authorities who have arrived at the same conclusion. Interesting but inessential quotations should be relegated to the foot notes if the candidate does not have the heart to leave them out altogether.
A long essay containing a great amount of superfluous material is as much to be condemned as a brief one that displays poverty of intellect. A master's thesis of approximately fifty pages of high quality philosophical work is recommended by the Department. A doctoral dissertation usually runs about 150 pages (40,000 words), and should generally not exceed 250 pages (65,000 words). Shorter dissertations of exceptional quality are acceptable.
6. The Defense of the Master's Thesis
The Examining Committee should consist of three readers, i.e., the committee, as defined in 2.10 C. The readers should read the thesis before it is put in final form and make any appropriate suggestions for improvement. At least two of the readers must accept the thesis in its final form before the student will be allowed to defend it.
The Committee should decide not merely whether the student is entitled to an examination but also whether the student should be given an oral or a written examination or both.
The examination should be scheduled by the Director of Graduate Studies with the Graduate School at least two weeks before the defense is to take place. The examination will consist of two parts: the first part will cover relevant material applicable to the complete M.A. program; the second part will cover the defense of the thesis. In the context of the thesis defense, any philosophical issue that is relevant to the thesis may be explored. The student's adviser chairs the session, which usually does not last longer than two hours.
Any member of the Department may attend the oral examination and ask questions, or read the written examination. Any member of the Department may take part in the deliberation concerning the quality of the defense, but only the Committee may vote. Students and non-departmental persons can also be present (as space permits) but are not eligible to ask questions or evaluate the examination. Deliberation and evaluation with respect to the examination are conducted only in the presence of the examination committee (and other philosophy faculty, if present). A simple majority vote of the Committee is sufficient. It should be clear to the candidate that the examination, whether oral or written, is not a formality, and that he or she will not get his or her degree unless he or she passes.
The grade for an acceptable thesis shall be either "A" or "B" for the six hours of course 899. The grade is decided by the readers and reported by the adviser.
The Do-all form for a satisfactory defense shall be marked either honors or satisfactory. That shall be decided by a majority of the three examiners.
If the examination (the defense) is graded unsatisfactory, the student may be asked to modify his or her thesis or simply to redefend it at a later date.
7. The Defense of the Doctoral Dissertation
The Examining Committee consists of five members. It should contain the three readers (the adviser and the other two members of the Dissertation Committee), plus an additional member of the Department and one member from another Department who serves as a representative of the Graduate School. The dissertation adviser serves as chair. The two additional members must be given an opportunity to read the final version of the dissertation. They will not be expected to read or comment on any earlier versions. These two members should be chosen by the student in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. One of these two additional members must be an appropriate faculty member from a department other than the Philosophy Department.
It is the obligation of the student to contact all five members and find a suitable time for the examination.
The procedures concerning the dissertation defense are essentially the same as for the master's thesis, excepting that the dissertation defense is almost always, and is by tradition, an oral examination. But in those exceptional cases where the examination committee determines that the oral defense is impracticable and unnecessary, the examining committee may petition the Graduate School that the defense be waived and a decision will be rendered by the appropriate bodies.
The grade on the examination (the defense) is determined by the Examining Committee.
8. Completion and Deposit of Thesis or Dissertation:
The student should check with the Graduate School Office about its regulations concerning electronic submission of thesis or dissertation (http://www.graduate.ku.edu/). Completed theses and dissertations must be deposited with the Graduate School by a certain date prior to graduation. The student should check with the Graduate School about this date. The oral defense must be requested by the Department at least two weeks before it is to beheld. The student should take all these factors into account if he or she wishes to receive the degree at a certain time. If the student fails to make these deadlines, he or she may take the exam and receive the degree next time they are awarded. Since the candidate may be asked to make revisions after that date, he or she should not have it bound without the express consent of the adviser. The draft submitted to the Department for examination must be in final form, it must be typed with at least four good copies, and it must include all footnotes and bibliographical material. Upon reading the draft, members of the Department may make suggestions for revision. If the candidate does not accept these suggestions, he or she must be prepared to defend his or her refusal at the oral examination. After successful completion of the oral defense, the student must provide the department with a hard-bound copy of the dissertation prior to his or her receiving the terminal degree.
9. Credit and Grading:
Six hours of credit in Philosophy 899 is the maximum which may be counted toward the M.A. degree. A student may enroll in this course for three hours in each of the two consecutive semesters or for six hours in one semester.
A student must be continuously enrolled in Philosophy 999 in accordance with the minimum requirements of the Graduate School, as contained in the Graduate School Catalog. A student may not enroll for more than 12 hours of credit in Philosophy 999 in any one semester. There is no limit on the number of credits he or she may accumulate in Philosophy 999, except those imposed by time limitations.
Throughout the time during which a student is writing his or her dissertation, the letter "P" will normally be used to indicate satisfactory progress in Phil. 999, although an instructor may assign a letter grade of A,B,C,D, or F when sufficient evidence of the student's performance is available. After the dissertation has been accepted and successfully defended, a letter grade of "A" or "B" should be assigned for the last semester of work. This grade shall be determined by the three members of the student's dissertation committee and is to be based on the quality of the dissertation, but not upon that of the defense. P grades for enrollments in research or dissertation leading to one of the doctorates may remain unchanged; but a letter grade (A,B,C,D, or F) must be assigned in the last semester of enrollment to characterize the quality of the final product. The grade for the final examination over the dissertation shall be either "unsatisfactory," "satisfactory" or "honors". The grade of "honors" shall be given only rarely and is to indicate that both the dissertation and the defense were of exceptionally high quality. (A student cannot receive the grade of "honors" on his or her examination without already having received an "A" on the dissertation, therefore, but receipt of an "A" for the dissertation will not always, or even often, be accompanied by the grade of "honors" for the examination.) The grade for the examination is to be determined by all five members of the student's examining committee.
The official graduate school policy on the P grade is as follows:
"The letter P is used in this system only to indicate participation in thesis, dissertation, and research enrollments (related to thesis or dissertation), and in the first semester enrollment of a two-semester sequence course. In any semester an instructor may, at his or her option, assign a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F when evidence about the student's performance is available. Upon completion of thesis/dissertation hours leading to a master's or doctoral degree, the P remains on the final transcript except for the last semester of enrollment. A letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F) will be assigned in the last semester of enrollment to characterize the quality of the final product. The I grade is not appropriate for enrollment in thesis, dissertation, or research, and will not be accepted."
Information on time limits applicable to the various degrees can be found in the general regulations of the Graduate School.
Strictly speaking, there is no transfer of credits for students seeking the Ph.D. degree, since the Graduate School does not require any specified number of hours of course work. (The Graduate School requires that a student spend the equivalent of three full years in resident study at this or some other approved university.) The requirement of 48 hours of graduate level course work is a departmental requirement. In cases where the student has done graduate work at another institution, however, it is possible to have this requirement reduced by petition. The requirement may be reduced depending on the amount and quality of course work done elsewhere. He or she may initiate such a petition (after consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies) during his/her first year in the graduate program and the student must satisfy the Department of the quality of his or her achievement in the courses mentioned in the petition. A graduate student petition can be approved only at a scheduled meeting of the Department or Graduate Faculty.
Upon approval of the Department and the Graduate School, up to six hours of graduate coursework taken elsewhere may be transferred as credit toward the M.A. degree.
The rule for transferring credit towards the M.A. degree is given in the Graduate School Catalog. No course counted, on this basis, toward the M.A. degree can be counted toward the Ph.D. degree unless it has been specifically petitioned for in accordance with the specifications in the previous paragraphs of this section.
After passing the oral comprehensive exam, until all requirements for the Ph.D. are completed or until 18 post-comprehensive hours are completed (whichever comes first), the candidate must enroll for a minimum of 6 credit hours per semester and 3 credit hours per summer session. Such enrollment may include enrollment during semester or summer session in which the comprehensive oral exam has been passed as long as the exam is taken during the first half (8 weeks) of the semester or first half (4 weeks) of the summer session. If the degree is not completed after 18 hours, the candidate must enroll each semester and summer (the number of hours to be determined by the candidate's advisor dependent on the candidate's demands on faculty time and University resources) until all requirements for the Ph.D. are completed.
Exams, language courses, etc. which have been completed five years prior to the Comprehensive Examination will not be acceptable.
The student must spend three full academic years, or the bona fide equivalent, at this or some other approved University, including the time spent attaining the M.A. Resident study at less than full-time will require a correspondingly longer period.
Note: Even though foreign students need only be enrolled in 9 credit hours for full-time status for Immigration and Naturalization Service, they must meet (1) or (2) to satisfy the Ph.D. residence requirement.
Portions of the material written by the doctoral candidate may appear in article form before completion of the dissertation. Prior publication does not ensure the acceptance of the dissertation by the dissertation committee. Final acceptance of the dissertation is subject to the approval of the dissertation committee. Previously published material by other authors included in the dissertation must be properly documented.
Master's degree students will normally be allowed seven (7) years for completion of all requirements for the degree. In cases in which compelling reasons or circumstances recommend a one year extension of the normal seven-year limit, the Graduate School on recommendation of the department/committee shall have authority to grant the one year extension. In cases where more than eight years are requested, the appropriate appeals body of the Graduate School will consider petitions for further extensions and, where evidence of continuous progress, currency of knowledge and other reasons are compelling grant further extensions. Doctoral degree students after being admitted to a doctoral program at the University of Kansas will normally complete all requirements for the degree in eight (8) years. In cases in which compelling reasons or circumstances recommend a one year extension of the normal eight year limit, the Graduate School shall have authority to grant the one year extension on the written advice of the dissertation committee. In cases where more than nine (9) years are indicated, the appropriate appeals body of the Graduate School will consider petitions for extensions and, where evidence of continuous progress, currency of knowledge and other reasons are compelling, grant further extensions.
The above "time" rules reflect the new Graduate School rules. Departments and programs may elect to have more stringent rulings regarding time restrictions. Students should be directed to inquire about the policy in effect in the department in which they plan to study.
The Graduate School residency requirement has been changed to: "Two semesters, which may include one summer session, must be spent in resident study at the University of Kansas." NOTE: These are minimum Graduate School residence requirements.
Prior to the examination, the graduate division shall provide the Graduate School's list of responsibilities to the Graduate School representative on examination committees. A written report on any unsatisfactory or irregular aspects of the examination will be given to the committee chairperson, department chairperson, and Graduate School.
As the result of a request from University Microfilms International that dissertations be submitted unbound and the libraries continuing problem with inferior binding on some theses/dissertations, a new policy has been implemented. To fulfill partial degree requirements of the Graduate School, two copies of the student's unbound thesis/dissertation will be submitted to the student's graduate division. A separate fee of $50.00, payable to the University of Kansas, will be collected to pay for the commercial binding of the theses/dissertations. The libraries assume responsibility for binding.
Masters and doctoral students should secure (from the Graduate School) a packet of materials which gives important information for the completion of their degrees.
