Brigham Young University
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Doctor of Education Degree | Doctor of Philosophy Degree | Master's Degree

The following minimum standards for graduate programs have been established by the university, though it is not uncommon for departments to have higher standards. Additional information about specific requirements for each graduate program appears under individual department listings in this catalog. Furthermore, most departments publish detailed information about their program requirements that is available from department offices on request. Students should consult frequently with department graduate coordinators and committee chairs.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Admission Requirements

An applicant seeking admission to a program leading to the doctor of philosophy degree must meet the requirements outlined in the Admissions and departmental sections of this catalog. Prospective students should consult with individual departments for specific requirements.

Course Work Requirements

Graduate committees or program advisors, appointed following admission to a graduate program, will help students prepare their programs of study. The following credit requirements must be met:

  1. Credit Hours. The minimum required for students with no master's degree is 54 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate degree; but the 54 hours may not include undergraduate (100 to 400 level) or other courses needed to fulfill prerequisite and skill requirements, or more than 18 hours of dissertation credit. Students who have earned a master's degree must complete at least 36 semester hours of additional graduate work at BYU beyond the master's degree. So long as these restrictions are met, students may, with the approval of their graduate committee, apply up to 36 hours of a master's program toward a doctoral degree. See the Credit Policies section of this catalog for information about credits that may not apply toward a graduate degree.
  2. Minor. If a minor is required as part of a doctoral degree, a student must:
    • Obtain the approval of the department chair of the major and the minor departments.
    • Select a graduate faculty member from the minor department (approved by the department chair of the minor department) to serve as a graduate committee member.
    • Register for and complete 12 semester hours of approved graduate credit in the minor.
    • Pass an oral or a written comprehensive examination in the minor field (prepared by the minor committee member).
  3. Dissertation Credit. A student seeking a doctor of philosophy degree must register for and complete a minimum of 18 hours of dissertation credit. No more than 18 hours may count toward the 54 hours required, and all 18 hours may not be taken in one term or semester. Registration for dissertation credit and work on the dissertation must be concurrent.

Time Limit

A doctoral degree must be completed within eight years of the first semester of enrollment. See the Credit Policies section of this catalog for more detailed information about outdated credits and the time limit.

Residency

Doctor of philosophy students must register for at least two consecutive 6-hour semesters on the BYU campus.

Comprehensive Examination

Doctoral students must pass a written comprehensive examination in their field under the direction of the major department. This examination is normally given when the student has completed the required course work for the doctoral degree. Some departments also require an oral portion of the comprehensive examination. In the case of a declared minor, it is expected that the examination will include subject matter from the minor field. A student is advanced to degree candidacy only after successful completion of the comprehensive examination.

Oral Defense of Dissertations

The final oral examination (defense of the dissertation) must be scheduled with the Office of Graduate Studies at least two weeks in advance. Final examinations may not be held during the interim periods between semesters. All members of the BYU academic community are invited to attend the final oral examination, but only members of the student's graduate committee may question the candidate and vote on the candidate's performance.

An unbound copy of the candidate's dissertation must be placed in the Reserve Library (3114 HBLL, Provo, UT 84602-6817, telephone [801] 378-2947) at least two weeks in advance of the oral examination so that interested faculty and students may review it before the examination.

Examination Results

The committee may vote to “pass,” “pass with qualification,” “recess,” or “fail” the student.

If the decision is to pass with qualification, the committee may require minor revisions of the dissertation, strengthening of the candidate's preparation in subject matter areas, or both. When these qualifications are cleared and the committee chair has properly recorded the clearance with the Office of Graduate Studies, the student is judged to have passed the examination.

If two or more examiners vote to recess, the examination is recessed. This permits the candidate to reschedule (with the department and the Office of Graduate Studies) a second and final examination. The new examination cannot be held sooner than a month after the recessed examination. In addition, the second examination must be convened with the original committee.

If two or more examiners vote to fail, the examination is failed and the graduate degree program of the student is terminated.

Doctor of Education Degree

Requirements for the doctor of education degree are in many ways the same as for the doctor of philosophy degree described in the preceding section. Differences in the two programs are as follows:

Differences in Admission Requirements

In addition to the requirements included in the Admissions section of this catalog, an applicant seeking admission to a doctor of education program must either be certified as a teacher or have completed 22 semester hours of approved courses. Further, an applicant must have completed two years of successful professional experience. Prospective students should consult with individual departments for specific requirements.

Differences in Course Work Requirements

  1. Credit Hours. EdD degrees require more hours than the minimums described for PhD programs.
  2. Dissertation Credit. A student seeking a doctor of education degree must register for and complete a minimum of 12 hours of dissertation credit. No more than 12 hours may count toward the minimum hours required, and the 12 hours may not all be taken in one term or semester. Registration for dissertation credit and work on the dissertation must be concurrent.

Difference in Residency

Doctor of education students must also register for at least two consecutive 6-hour semesters on the BYU campus. However, in selected programs students may fulfill the residency requirements by registering for three consecutive full-time summer terms.

Master's Degree

Admission Requirements

An applicant seeking admission to a master's degree program must meet the requirements outlined in the Admissions section and the department section of this catalog. Prospective students should consult with individual departments for specific requirements.

Course Work Requirements

Graduate committees or program advisors, appointed following admission to a graduate program, will help students prepare their programs of study. The following credit requirements must be met:

  1. Credit Hours. A student seeking the master's degree must complete a total of at least 30 semester hours of credit (excluding prerequisite courses). See the Credit Policies section of this catalog for information about credits that may not apply toward a graduate degree.
  2. Minor. If a minor is required as part of a master's degree, a student must:
    • Obtain the approval of the department chair of the major and the minor departments.
    • Select a graduate faculty member (approved by the department chair of the minor department) to serve as a committee member.
    • Register for and complete 9 semester hours of approved graduate credit in the minor.
    • Pass an oral or a written comprehensive examination in the minor field (prepared by the minor committee member).
  3. Thesis Credit or Project Credit. Students in thesis programs must register for and complete a minimum of 6 hours of thesis credit. No more than 6 hours of thesis credit may count as part of the 30-hour minimum. Registration for thesis credit (from 1 to 6 hours per semester approved by the graduate committee chair) and work on the thesis must be concurrent. For students in a project program, at least 2 project credit hours are required.

Time Limit

All master's degrees must be completed within five years of the first semester of enrollment. See the Credit Policies section of this catalog for more detailed information about outdated credits and the time limit.

Full-Time Registration Requirement

In a few approved integrated master's programs, students may earn their baccalaureate and graduate degrees concurrently. Students in such integrated programs must pay graduate tuition for two full-time semesters.

Comprehensive Examination

Many master's programs require comprehensive examinations, which in combination with the defense of the thesis are the culminating experience of the master's degree.

Oral Defense of Theses or Selected Projects

The final oral examination (defense of thesis or selected project) must be scheduled with the Office of Graduate Studies at least two weeks in advance. Final examinations may not be held during the interim periods between semesters. All members of the BYU academic community are invited to attend the final oral examination, but only members of the student's graduate committee may question the candidate and vote on the candidate's performance.

An unbound copy of the candidate's thesis or project must be placed in the Reserve Library (3114 HBLL, Provo, UT 84602-6817, telephone [801] 378-2947) at least two weeks in advance of the oral examination so that interested faculty and students may review it before the examination.

Examination Results

The committee may vote to “pass,” “pass with qualification,” “recess,” or “fail” the student.

If the decision is to pass with qualification, the committee may require minor revisions of the thesis or selected project, strengthening of the candidate's preparation in subject matter areas, or both. When these qualifications are cleared and the committee chair has properly recorded the clearance with the Office of Graduate Studies, the student is judged to have passed the examination.

If two or more examiners vote to recess, the examination is recessed. This permits the candidate to reschedule (with the department and the Office of Graduate Studies) a second and final examination. The new examination cannot be held sooner than a month after the recessed examination. In addition, the second examination must be convened with the original committee.

If two or more examiners vote to fail, the examination is failed and the graduate degree program of the student is terminated.



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Please report any errors. Updated May 20, 1997, by web_grad_cat@byu.edu