PDF version of this chapterGeneral Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Qualified students will be received as applicants for candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in departments which are adequately equipped with staff, library and laboratory facilities to furnish the necessary training and opportunities for original research.
Screening Procedures
A screening examination or other procedure designated by the department or program is to be administered before the student has taken more than 24 units (including research courses). Passing this procedure is prerequisite to continuation in the doctoral program. Students who fail the screening procedure will be advised that they are not recommended to continue in the Ph.D. program and that any additional work may not be counted toward the degree. Failure to undertake the screening procedure before completion of 24 units of course work may jeopardize additional units. A faculty member will be appointed to serve as the student's advisor until an approved guidance committee is established.Course Requirements
The subject or field of concentration is called a major. The major is usually a departmental major, although several interdepartmental majors have been authorized.Undergraduate prerequisite and graduate course work will be required in accordance with the regulations of the major department or program and the recommendation of the student's guidance committee. Consult the appropriate departmental section of this catalogue for specific course requirements.
Guidance Committee
The student's program of studies is under the direction of a guidance committee. Admission to graduate standing is prerequisite to establishing a guidance committee. The guidance committee should be established within the department at least two semesters prior to taking the qualifying examination. The Request to Take the Qualifying Examination, obtained in the Student Services Office of the Graduate School, is the means by which the guidance committee is formally established. This form should be filed with the Graduate School the semester before and not later than 30 days before the beginning date of the examination.The guidance committee is composed of at least five members; a minimum of three, including at least one tenured member, must be from the student's home department and one must be a faculty member from outside the student's home department. In the case of schools which are organized into several departments (e.g., business, education, music), but for which a single Ph.D. program is authorized, the outside member must be from outside the school. The Dean of the Graduate School is ex officio a member of all guidance committees.
Normally, all members of the guidance-dissertation committee must be regular officers of instruction of the rank of assistant professor or above in departments offering the Ph.D. degree at USC. In exceptional cases, faculty in departments or schools not offering the Ph.D. degree; research, adjunct, and emeritus faculty; and faculty from other universities may be acceptable as members of guidance committees. Such exceptions must be approved on an individual basis by the Dean of the Graduate School or his or her nominee prior to the establishment of the committee. Approval will be based on the special expertise and academic relevance afforded the individual student's research. A current curriculum vitae of the proposed member must be submitted to the Graduate School with a letter from the student's committee chair citing the particular academic merits of the requested appointment. Such a member must meet the standards of academic training and research experience expected of faculty members serving on such committees. A specially approved member may serve as co-chair of the committee but usually may not serve as the outside member representing the Dean of the Graduate School. Exceptions may be made if the specially approved member has an appointment at USC and has served on at least two doctoral committees.
The committee member from outside the department is defined as a person from a discipline different from that of the student's department and whose own department affiliation is different from that of the student. A faculty member who holds a joint appointment in the student's department may only serve as an outside member when the primary appointment is in an outside department or school. The outside member serves as the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School. As such, the outside member determines if the qualifying examination and dissertation processes are conducted at a level that warrants awarding the Ph.D. degree. The outside member also ensures that the student is justly and fairly treated by a committee and department. Finally, it is hoped that the outside member will contribute to the student's preparation as a scholar.
The guidance committee has the responsibility for supervising the student's program of studies and preparation for the qualifying examination, and the administration and evaluation of the written and oral parts of the qualifying examination. The committee continues to serve until the qualifying examination has been passed, the dissertation topic approved, and the student is admitted to candidacy.
Changes in Guidance Committees
The Graduate School provides a Change of Committee form which must be completed whenever a change is made in the guidance committee. All such changes must be made in advance of the qualifying examinations. Informal substitutions for either the written or oral parts of the qualifying examination are not permitted. Changes in the guidance committee are not permitted between the written and oral portions of the examination. The examinations must be scheduled at times when it is possible for all members of the committee, including the outside member, to participate. Changes made without the prior approval of the Graduate School are not recognized and may result in the invalidation of the examination.A student may not change committee members after failing the qualifying examination the first time. The student must be reexamined by the same faculty on the same subject matter. If a faculty member is unable to serve on the committee (for example, due to serious illness, retirement, or transfer to another institution), the Graduate School must be notified in writing in advance of the rescheduled exam in order to approve the change. The faculty replacement must be approved by the Graduate School, and the student must file a Change of Committee form well in advance of the exam.
Qualifying Examination
The examination qualifying a student for candidacy for the Ph.D. degree is comprehensive in nature, partly written and partly oral, designed, at least in part, to test the student's fitness to undertake independent research. Prior to taking the qualifying examination, the student must have met all of the departmental requirements for doing so and have the recommendation of the guidance committee. The qualifying examination is normally taken not later than during the fifth semester of graduate standing. The student should note the maximum time limit for completing the degree.To be eligible to take the qualifying examination, the student must have completed at least 24 units applicable toward the degree in residence at USC and must have achieved a GPA of at least 3.0 on all USC course work available for graduate credit. A student must enroll in GRSC 800 during the semester in which the qualifying examination is to be taken if not otherwise enrolled.
When the student and the guidance committee have determined that the qualifying examination can be taken, the student should obtain, in the Student Services Office of the Graduate School or in the student's home department, the Request to Take the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination form. The student secures the signatures of the department chair, the guidance committee and the Graduate School, which verifies that the student has met residency and GPA requirements. The student should return the completed form to the Graduate School the semester before and not later than 30 days before the beginning date of the examination. The examination must be taken during the semester for which permission is granted. The qualifying examinations may be scheduled by the department at any time during the semester, provided all members of the guidance committee are available to administer it. All portions of the examination must be completed within 60 days. Postponement of the examination after permission has been granted must have approval of the Dean of the Graduate School.
The written examination will be prepared, administered on campus and read by the guidance committee; in a few departments there will be a department-wide committee examining all doctoral students. When the student's written examination is satisfactory, an oral examination is given covering, in depth, topics discussed in the written examinations or touching upon additional material. The fact that a student has done well on the written examination is not to be construed to mean that the oral examination is to be a pro forma exercise. The oral examination is a serious and integral part of the qualifying procedure. If on the written examination the judgment of the committee is such that an oral examination cannot counterbalance a poor performance, the committee is not obliged to give an oral examination and the report to the Graduate School will be one of failure. In the case where the written examination is marginal, the committee may use the oral examination as an opportunity to confirm or alter its judgment of the student's performance.
A student must pass both the written and oral portions of the qualifying examination in order to pass the examination. The examination may not be reported as being passed if there is more than one dissenting vote. Ph.D. examinations cannot be passed conditionally. A pass on the examination cannot be made contingent upon other factors such as the completion of additional course work, the preparation of extra research projects, etc.
During the oral examination, all members of the guidance committee must be present and must render a judgment on the student's qualifying examination. Only the guidance committee may participate in the oral portion of the examination.
A student who fails a qualifying examination may be permitted, at the discretion of the faculty, to take it a second time. The student may not be required to repeat parts of the qualifying examination which were passed on the first administration. The retaking of a failed qualifying examination must be scheduled at a time mutually satisfactory and not less than six months from the date of the first examination. The second examination must be completed before the end of the second consecutive semester (excluding summer session) following the first examination. Requests for an exception must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. A student may not take the qualifying examination more than twice and must be appropriately enrolled at USC during the semester in which such an examination is taken or retaken. A student who fails the qualifying examination a second time may not continue in the degree program after the end of the semester in which the second examination was taken. No exceptions are allowed.
Admission to Candidacy
Graduate students enrolled in the Graduate School are officially admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree when they have completed the residency requirement and passed the written and oral portions of the Ph.D. qualifying examination upon the favorable recommendation of the guidance committee to the Dean of the Graduate School. All Ph.D. candidates are required to engage in original research.Application for the Ph.D.
After being admitted to candidacy, students must contact their academic department to initiate an online degree check which is transmitted to the Degree Progress Department. Degree Progress counselors prepare a degree summary report for each student listing any remaining requirements. The requirements will not be checked or the degree conferred if the student has not applied.Dissertation Committee
After the qualifying examination has been passed and a dissertation topic approved, the guidance committee shall be known as the dissertation committee, and may be reduced to three members, upon the committee's unanimous recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate School. At least one member from the student's home department must be tenured and one of the three members must be a faculty member from outside the major department. Refer to the Guidance Committee section for additional membership requirements. Special permission for a member of the research faculty to serve as chair of a Ph.D. student's dissertation committee may be granted by the Dean of the Graduate School or his or her nominee on an individual case basis upon the written request of the department chair establishing that (1) the person has a research appointment in the student's home department; (2) no tenure-track faculty in the department has the necessary knowledge or expertise required; and (3) the researcher has demonstrated special expertise in the particular area of the proposed dissertation. The Dean of the Graduate School is ex officio a member of all dissertation committees. The dissertation and its defense, or final oral, must have the unanimous approval of the dissertation committee.Doctoral Dissertation
A dissertation is an original contribution to current knowledge in the field and a demonstration that the Ph.D. candidate has achieved sufficient mastery in the field to pursue independent research and scholarship. A dissertation represents the individual candidate's research and writing. In fields where collaborative research has become the norm, the candidate is the sole author of the dissertation and specifies his or her contribution to the research and also delineates colleagues' contributions.Dissertations are expected to be written in English. Exceptions require the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School or his or her nominee prior to beginning the work and will be granted only when there is strong scholarly justification.
The student is expected to be enrolled in 794 Doctoral Dissertation each semester excepting summer sessions after admission to candidacy until all degree requirements are completed. Registration for the dissertation in the two semesters, excluding summer sessions, following admission to candidacy, is the minimum requirement entitling the candidate to dissertation supervision by the dissertation committee. Enrollment in 794 prior to admission to candidacy is not permitted and such registration is invalid. If the dissertation is not completed and accepted within two semesters the candidate must continue to register for 794 each semester thereafter until the dissertation has been approved and the Approval for Final Typing card has been signed by the dissertation committee. Students may enroll in 794 during one summer session but may not register for more than two units of 794 during a given semester. No more than eight units of credit in 794 may be received regardless of the number of semesters the candidate may be required to be enrolled. Department approval is required for registration in 794.
A candidate who finds it necessary to be excused from registration in 794 for a semester must request a leave of absence by petition to the Graduate School prior to the beginning of the semester. Endorsements from the committee chair, department chair and the line (program) dean are required. During a leave of absence the candidate will not be entitled to assistance from the dissertation committee or to the use of university facilities. The granting of a leave of absence will take into account the candidate's responsibility for meeting the time schedules for the completion of degree requirements.
Defense of the Dissertation
After passing all required course examinations and the qualifying examination, and after meeting all other requirements, the candidate must defend the dissertation. This defense will be conducted in such a manner as to determine to the unanimous satisfaction of the dissertation committee that the candidate has attained the stage of scholarly advancement and power of investigation demanded by the university for final recommendation to the doctorate.While the oral examination is open to the general university community, only the members of the dissertation committee shall have the authority to recommend acceptance of the dissertation. During the oral defense, all members of the dissertation committee must be present and must render a judgment on the student's defense. The recommendation must be unanimous.
If the defense is satisfactory, the committee then signs the Approval for Final Typing Card; if additional work is required, the card is signed at a later date. Departments differ concerning the time of the defense of the dissertation, some holding it prior to the approval for final typing, some holding it subsequent to final typing. No matter the preference, the student's dissertation committee is responsible for the content and bibliographical consistency of the dissertation. At the time of submission, all required documentation and paperwork is to accompany the dissertation, along with a verified Submittal Check List (signed by the staff advisor in the student's department and by the student). Each student whose dissertation is accepted must pay a $113 publication fee, for microfilming and binding the dissertation and for publishing an abstract of the dissertation in Dissertation Abstracts International, at the Cashier's Office, King Hall, prior to submitting the dissertation to the Graduate School. An Abstract Submittal Form, signed by the committee chair (verifying that the student's dissertation abstract has met the guidelines and has received approval for content) must accompany the student's abstract and dissertation.
The university thesis editor reviews the final typed copy of the dissertation for conformance to university regulations, which takes precedence over all other style formats and issues. The editor does not function as a proofreader or copy editor. The final version of the dissertation must comply with university guidelines, which prepare the manuscript both for microfilming and publication at ProQuest Information and Learning, as well as binding and archiving in the university library. All manuscripts that have not been proofread and do not conform to university regulations will automatically be returned to the student or the student's department for compliance. If the university does not accept the final typed dissertation within six months after the Approval of Final Typing Card has been signed by the guidance committee, the student will pay a late fee. For requirements concerning preparation of dissertations the student must obtain the booklet Regulations for Format and Presentation of Theses and Dissertations, available from the Graduate School, Grace Ford Salvatori Hall 315, or download it from the Graduate School homepage. All other required forms and instructions can be obtained from the Graduate School prior to the student's defense.