Typical Academic Progress of a Doctoral Student
Year 1
- Orientation (and TA Training, if applicable)
- Beginning of year 1: Plan of Study
- Coursework
- Research
- End of Year 1: Doctoral Student Yearly Review
Year 2
- Coursework. Typically, students finish taking courses by the end of the second year.
- Research
- Preliminary/Field Exam/Qualifiers/Comp. This is an examination of your breadth of knowledge in the discipline, administered by your department.
- Doctoral Committee Nomination
- End of Year 2: Doctoral Student Yearly Review
- End of Year 2: Plan of Study
Year 3
- Research
- Candidacy Exam. This is a test of your research acumen, administered by your department.
- End of Year 3: Doctoral Student Yearly Review
- End of Year 3: Plan of Study
Final Year – Completion of degree
- Research
- Defense of dissertation. You are evaluated on your contribution of new knowledge to the field and your ability to communicate those results to a community of peers.
- Submission of dissertation
- End of Year 4 + : Doctoral Student Yearly Review
- End of Year 4 + : Plan of Study
- Graduation
