Graduate Doctoral Qualifying Examinations Policy

  • Keywords: Qualifying Exams, Doctoral
  • Policy Number: KC-ACA-3781
  • Originally Issued: Prior to 2010
  • Revised: Spring 2019
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: AY 19-20
  • Approved by: Graduate Council, SGS Dean, Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Academic unit, Registration and Records

Policy Statement

The qualifying examination, if required, will be given before the doctoral program of study is filed with the Registrar. At the discretion of the program or unit, a master’s degree from UMKC in the area of intended specialization may be considered as a substitute for the qualifying examination. The results of the qualifying examination will be reported to the School of Graduate Studies and the Registrar. With approval of the advisor, students may take the qualifying examination a second time.

Reason for Policy

This policy was developed to support student academic success and to provide consistent, quality delivery of academic programs and services.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty; Academic advisors; Registrar’s office personnel. All doctoral students.

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Contacts

UMKC School of Graduate Studies: https://sgs.umkc.edu/

UMKC Registrar’s Office: Website: http://www.umkc.edu/registrar/default.asp

Physical Location: 115 Administrative Center, 5115 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64110

Mailing Address: 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499;

Phone: 816-235-1125; Fax: 816-235-5513; Email: registrar@umkc.edu

UMKC Office of the Provost: http://www.umkc.edu/provost/

Exclusions

History & Updates

Appendices

Graduate Doctoral Advisor/Supervisory Committee Policy

  • Keywords: Graduate, Doctoral, Advisor, Committee, Dissertation Committee
  • Policy Number: KC-ACA-3780
  • Originally Issued: Prior to 2010
  • Revised: Spring 2019
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: AY 19-20
  • Approved by: Graduate Council, SGS Dean, Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: School of Graduate Studies, Academic Units

Policy Statement

Upon admission to a doctoral program, all students will be assigned a doctoral advisor who functions as a mentor and guides the student in the completion of degree requirements and scholarly work. A temporary advisor (e.g., program director) can be assigned initially in programs that assign doctoral (research) advisors after the completion of rotations or other developmental experiences. Normally, the doctoral advisor will serve as the dissertation committee chair, once the student reaches doctoral candidacy. The dissertation committee must be chaired by a member of the UMKC doctoral faculty. In some cases, following the procedures of the specific program, the doctoral advisor need not be the dissertation committee chair but must be, at a minimum, either a graduate faculty or adjunct graduate faculty member.

Ph.D., Ed.D., and D.M.A. student dissertation committees must have at least four members. The majority of the members must be doctoral faculty or regular graduate faculty members.

See the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. academic regulations for additional specifications for Interdisciplinary Ph.D. supervisory committees.

Reason for Policy

This policy was developed to support student academic success and to provide consistent, quality delivery of academic programs and services.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty; Academic advisors; Doctoral Program personnel; All doctoral students.

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Contacts

School of Graduate Studies: https://sgs.umkc.edu/

Exclusions

History & Updates

Appendices

Graduate Doctoral Residency Requirements Policy

  • Keywords: Doctoral, Residency
  • Policy Number: KC-ACA-3784
  • Originally Issued: Prior to 2010
  • Revised: Spring 2019
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: AY 19-20
  • Approved by: Graduate Council, SGS Dean, Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Academic Units, Registration and Records

Policy Statement

Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Students

Interdisciplinary Ph.D. students must satisfy the doctoral residency requirement by satisfactory completion of at least 18 credits in no more than 24 consecutive months following the approved Plan of Study. When satisfying the residency requirement, all Interdisciplinary Ph.D. students are subject to the following restrictions:

  • The doctoral residency requirement must be satisfied no later than the end of the semester in which the student completes his or her comprehensive examinations.
    • Students must achieve a cumulative graduate grade-point average of at least 3.0 in all courses counted toward satisfying the residency requirement.
    • Dissertation research credits (5696 to 5699) may not be counted toward satisfying the doctoral residency requirement

Ph.D. and Ed.D. Students

The residency requirement for the PhD and Ed.D. student may be satisfied using the same guidelines stipulated for Interdisciplinary Ph.D. students, or in any one of the following alternate ways:

  • Two consecutive semesters of 12 credits each term of resident coursework at UMKC.
    • Three terms of eight credits each term of resident coursework at UMKC, to be completed within 18 months.
    • Two consecutive semesters of nine credits each term of resident coursework at UMKC while employed at least half time for the University in teaching or research.

D.M.A. Students

The residency requirement for the D.M.A. may be satisfied in any one of the following ways:

  • Two consecutive semesters with a minimum of nine credits each.
    • One semester with a minimum of nine credits and two summer sessions with a minimum of five credits each, provided that the full-time semester is adjacent to one of the summer sessions. It is expected that the summer sessions be consecutive.
    • Completion of 24 credits within 18 consecutive months.

Reason for Policy

This policy was developed to support student academic success and to provide consistent, quality delivery of academic programs and services.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty; Academic advisors; Registrar’s office personnel. All doctoral students.

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Contacts

UMKC School of Graduate Studies: https://sgs.umkc.edu/

UMKC Registrar’s Office: Website: http://www.umkc.edu/registrar/default.asp

Physical Location: 115 Administrative Center, 5115 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64110

Mailing Address: 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499;

Phone: 816-235-1125; Fax: 816-235-5513; Email: registrar@umkc.eduUMKC Office of the Provost: http://www.umkc.edu/provost/

Exclusions

History & Updates

Appendices

Graduate Doctoral Transfer Credit Policy

  • Keywords: Doctoral, Transfer, Credit
  • Policy Number: KC-ACA-3783
  • Originally Issued: Prior to 2010
  • Revised: March 17, 2017
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: 2017-18
  • Approved by: Graduate Council
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Registration and Records

Policy Statement

Graduate credit, offered by a regionally accredited school, earned before entering a UMKC doctoral program may be applied to the doctoral degree if it is of acceptable quality and appropriate to the student’s program of study as determined by the student’s academic unit and supervisory committee. The total amount of graduate credit earned from all other academic institutions before admission to a UMKC doctoral program and applied to the doctoral degree cannot exceed half the number of credit hours, exclusive of dissertation research credits, required for the degree. For graduate coursework completed at UMKC prior to admission to a doctoral program, any number of credit hours required for the doctoral degree, exclusive of dissertation research, can be satisfied using previous UMKC graduate credit if approved by the student’s academic unit and supervisory committee. All graduate coursework, completed prior to admission and not used to earn the master’s degree or educational-specialist degree, must be no more than seven years old at the time the doctoral program of study is approved.


After admission to the doctoral program, if a student wishes to take graduate coursework at another institution and apply it to their doctoral program, the student must receive written approval from the doctoral program’s graduate officer and from the student’s supervisory committee chair, as appropriate, before the coursework is taken. Such coursework is not considered as transfer credit. Upon completion of the coursework, the student must have the official transcript forwarded to the UMKC registrar.

Reason for Policy

This policy was developed to support student academic success and to provide consistent, quality delivery of academic programs and services.


Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty; Academic advisors; Registrar’s office personnel. All doctoral students

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Contacts

UMKC School of Graduate Studies: https://sgs.umkc.edu/

UMKC Registrar’s Office: Website: http://www.umkc.edu/registrar/default.asp

Physical Location: 115 Administrative Center, 5115 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64110

Mailing Address: 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499;

Phone: 816-235-1125; Fax: 816-235-5513; Email: registrar@umkc.edu

History & Updates

Appendices

Graduate Doctoral Comprehensive Examination Policy

  • Keywords: Comps, Comprehensive Exam, Doctoral
  • Policy Number: KC-ACA-3785
  • Originally Issued:
  • Revised: Spring 2019
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: AY 19-20
  • Approved by: Graduate Council, SGS Dean, Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Academic Units, School of Graduate Studies

Policy Statement

To advance to degree candidacy, doctoral students are required to pass a comprehensive examination. D.M.A. students may satisfy the comprehensive examination requirement during their final semester. For all other doctoral students, the comprehensive examination must be successfully completed at least seven months before the date of graduation:

  • For graduation in May: Nov. 1.
  • For graduation in July: Dec. 1.
  • For graduation in December: May 1.

The following requirements must have been met before students can take the comprehensive examination(s):

  1. Assignment of a supervisory committee, if required.
  2. Successful completion of the qualifying examination, if required.
  3. Filing and approval of the program of study and completion of the majority of coursework required for the degree.
  4. If required by the academic unit, satisfactory demonstration of foreign language proficiency through accepted coursework or other evidence specified by the student’s supervisory committee.
  5. Completion of residency.

The comprehensive examination may be written, oral, or both. In consultation with the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, programs determine if the exam is scheduled on demand or is set on a calendar basis. In most cases the examination committee is also the dissertation/supervisory committee; in other cases the dissertation committee is formed after successful completion of the comprehensive examination. If an oral examination is required as part of the comprehensive examination, all members of the examining committee are required to attend the entire exam. Synchronous modes of communication or committee substitutes are allowed if approved by the unit graduate officer, in consultation with the chair of the student’s examining committee, when physical presence conflicts with a major commitment.

The examination will be arranged and supervised by the advisor or other department official. It will generally terminate within one month after it starts, but longer or shorter periods may be required in specific disciplines. Upon satisfactory completion of the examination, the student’s advisor sends a report of the results of the examination, with the signatures of all members of the examining committee, to the School of Graduate Studies and the Registrar.

Programs are required to use objective scoring criteria (e.g., rubric) and establish criteria for passing/failing the exam provided to the students in advance. Program criteria should be on file with the School of Graduate Studies. If failure is reported, the examining committee will either recommend termination of status as a doctoral student or suggest additional work or other remedial measures. Furthermore, a student who has failed may not take a second examination for at least 12 weeks. Failure of a second comprehensive examination shall automatically preclude candidacy at this institution.

Reason for Policy

Who Should Read this Policy?

Faculty, graduate students, Academic unit staff and administration

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Contacts

UMKC School of Graduate Studies: https://sgs.umkc.edu/

UMKC Registrar’s Office: Website: http://www.umkc.edu/registrar/default.asp

Physical Location: 115 Administrative Center, 5115 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64110

Mailing Address: 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499;

Phone: 816-235-1125; Fax: 816-235-5513; Email: registrar@umkc.eduUMKC Office of the Provost: http://www.umkc.edu/provost/

Exclusions

History & Updates

Appendices

Graduate Doctoral Programs of Study Policy

  • Keywords: Doctoral, Program of Study, Plan of Study
  • Policy Number: KC-ACA-3782
  • Originally Issued: March 2012
  • Revised: Spring 2019
  • Effective Catalog Cycle: AY 19-20
  • Approved by: Graduate Council, SGS Dean, Provost
  • Executive Sponsor: Provost
  • Responsible Office: Academic Units, School of Graduate Studies, Registrar

Policy Statement

Students should plan their programs of study in consultation with their advisors and supervisory committees (if applicable). Upon approval from the advisor and/or supervisory committee and unit graduate officer, programs of study should be approved by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and filed with the Registrar prior to the completion of 50% of applicable degree coursework. (Interdisciplinary Ph.D. students must file their proposed plans of study and form their supervisory committees within 24months of being admitted).

No more than 40 percent of the program may be 300- and 400-level courses.

Subsequent changes in the program of study must be approved by the student’s advisor and/or supervisory committee, the unit graduate officer, and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and be submitted to the Registrar. If cumulative changes in courses or degree requirements exceed four, a new program of study should be filed.

Forms for specifying individual programs of study are available from the principal graduate advisor or graduate officer of each academic unit.

Reason for Policy

This policy was developed to support student academic success and to provide consistent, quality delivery of academic programs and services.

Who Should Read this Policy?

All faculty; Academic advisors; School of Graduate Studies personnel, All program unit personnel. All graduate students.

Instructions, Procedures and Related Information

Contacts

UMKC School of Graduate Studies: https://sgs.umkc.edu/

UMKC Registrar’s Office: Website: http://www.umkc.edu/registrar/default.asp

Physical Location: 115 Administrative Center, 5115 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64110

Mailing Address: 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499;

Phone: 816-235-1125; Fax: 816-235-5513; Email: registrar@umkc.edu

UMKC Office of the Provost: http://www.umkc.edu/provost/

Exclusions

History & Updates

Appendices