DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAM GUIDE

DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAM GUIDE

Purpose of the Degree

The Doctoral degree in Political Science is intended to prepare students for academic careers in research and teaching, and professional careers in public service or the private sector. It may thus serve the needs of both students and practitioners of government, politics, and business.

The program is designed to introduce the student to both substantive and methodological aspects of the study of politics. The faculty of the Department of Political Science has adopted the following procedures for the Doctoral degree program. It is the responsibility of the graduate student to follow the procedures outlined herein and those listed in the UNT Graduate Catalog. Your program will be assisted by conscientious attention to these regulations and your cooperation will be appreciated.

General Degree Requirements

1. The total Doctoral program must cover at least ninety hours beyond the Bachelor's degree or sixty hours beyond the Master's degree, including thesis and dissertation credit. However, the degree is not automatically granted upon the completion of specified course work. Rather, its successful completion depends upon the student's ability to demonstrate a capacity to understand and use the necessary subject matter and tools of his/her chosen areas of study through satisfactory performance on two Field Examinations, an oral Qualifying Examination, and the completion and oral defense of a dissertation making a scholarly contribution to the area of study.

2. Every student must take two methods courses. PSCI 5340 (Seminar in Political Science Scope and Methods) and PSCI 6320 (Quantitative Political Research Methods) are to be taken in the first semester during which they are available. Both courses must be passed with a grade of "B" or better.

3. A minimum of two consecutive semesters of full-time residence course work (18 semester hours) is required.

4. Registration for dissertation credit is required in at least two consecutive terms in the final year of graduate work.

5. A student must elect three areas of study for the Ph.D. These three areas include a major area within Political Science, and two supporting areas, one of which must be within Political Science. The two required courses (PSCI 5340 and PSCI 6320) will not count toward the fulfillment of these fields. Students will take Field Examinations in two areas of Political Science. The areas available for selection in Political Science are: (a) American government and public law, (b) comparative government and politics, (c) international relations, (d) political theory, (e) methodology.

Any area chosen as an outside minor must be approved by the student's Advisory Committee as relevant to the proposed course of study. The outside minor area may be drawn from a single discipline, or it may be made up of courses drawn from several disciplines if the committee believes such a composite minor to be suitable to the student's program of study. The minor should include a minimum of twelve hours of course work.

6. All work toward the Ph.D. must be completed within ten years of the time Doctoral credit is first given (this includes any credits on the degree plan transferred from other institutions).

GENERAL INFORMATION

Students in the program will be evaluated during their first year to ensure they are suitable candidates for continued study. Any student receiving a grade of C in any course during the first 9 hours of study or earning a GPA below 3.0 will be placed on probation, and will be notified of the fact. Students on probation will not be allowed to form Advisory Committees. Students remaining on probation following their second semester may be dropped from the program by the Graduate Studies Committee upon the recommendation of the Graduate Advisor.

Advisory Committee

Except for those on probation, students will assemble faculty Advisory Committees in their second semester, or after 9 hours of study. Advisory Committees must have representatives from each of the three areas of study chosen for the Ph.D., plus a fourth Departmental Representative. The representative from the student's major area of study shall be designated as the Major Professor.

Signatures of Advisory Committee members should be collected on the Faculty Advisory Committee Form and turned in to the Graduate Advisor. All committee members are subject to approval by the Graduate Advisor. The Graduate Advisor will appoint the Departmental Representative. A change in committee composition may be initiated by the student at any time except during the Field Examination process following the same procedures and subject to the same limitations as in initial committee appointments. The Field Examination process begins when the student notifies the Graduate Advisor of his/her intention to take the Field Examination and concludes with the successful completion of the Oral Qualifying Examination. A University representative may be seated at any time during the student’s program at the discretion of the Advisory Committee and the student. Once the Advisory Committee is formed, the student must arrange a meeting with all the committee members to compile a degree plan.

Upon successful completion of the oral qualifying examination, the Advisory Committee may be reconstituted to include representatives from only two areas in political science or two areas in political science and one minor area.

The duties of the Advisory Committee will include, but not be limited to the following: providing advice and assistance related to the student’s degree plan, conducting the student’s oral Qualifying Examination, conducting the student’s oral dissertation proposal defense, supervising the student’s dissertation, and conducting the student’s oral dissertation defense. In addition, the Advisory Committee will meet at least once a year to monitor the student’s progress in the degree program. This meeting will be scheduled by the major advisor in consultation with the student. It will occur by April 1^st each year. The major advisor will submit a report of the meeting to the Graduate Advisor and to the student.

Degree Plans

The Advisory Committee, in conjunction with the student, should complete a degree plan form, and give it to the Graduate Advisor. This form will be the basis of the official degree plan kept in the files of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. This plan is the official template by which the Toulouse School determines whether students have fulfilled their degree requirements at the time of graduation. Any changes to the degree plan must be approved by the student's Advisory Committee and submitted to the Graduate Advisor for forwarding to the Toulouse School.

In compiling the student's degree plan, certain special requirements will be taken into consideration by the Advisory Committee.

1. Degree plans must include a minimum of 90 credit hours of work beyond the Bachelor's degree or 60 credit hours of work beyond the Master's degree, including 12 hours of dissertation credit (PSCI 6950).

2. Each Ph.D. student's degree plan must include a three-hour Seminar in Political Science Scope and Methods (PSCI 5340), a three-hour course in Quantitative Political Research Methods (PSCI 6320), and a three-hour Proseminar in each area of Political Science elected for inclusion in the program of study.

3. A maximum of 24 hours of work beyond the Master's level may be transferred from recognized institutions in accordance with the rules of the University of North Texas Graduate Catalog, but only on the recommendation of the student's Advisory Committee to the Graduate Dean. Automatic acceptance of transfer credit should not be presumed. Waiver of any required course must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.

4. All of the Ph.D. credit must be in courses numbered 5000 or above if taken at UNT, or the equivalent thereof if taken elsewhere.

5. No more than 18 hours of the course work on a student's degree plan may be taken in Special Problems or Individual Research courses.

6. A minimum research tool requirement must be met in one of two ways listed below. The choice of option for completing the research tool requirement is made in consultation with the student's Advisory Committee and is indicated on the student's degree plan. The student's committee may, in consultation with the student, require more tools or languages if, in its judgment, that is required by the course of study contemplated by the student. The options for satisfying the research tool requirement are as follows:

a. By demonstration of reading knowledge of one foreign language.

b. By demonstration of competency in a useful research tool other than a foreign language. This is typically fulfilled by the completion of the Research Practicum plus one course from the approved tools list.

Advising for Registration

The student is responsible for following his/her degree plan and for meeting all the requirements of the UNT Graduate Catalog relevant to the Ph.D. program. To assist the student in meeting these obligations, the Department requires that each graduate student consult with the Graduate Advisor during the first and second semesters they register for classes.

Satisfactory Progress

Students are expected to maintain satisfactory progress toward the completion of their degrees. Failure to maintain satisfactory progress may result in a student being dropped from the program on the recommendation of the Graduate Advisor and approval of the Graduate Studies Committee. Factors used to determine satisfactory progress include:

1. Students must obtain a grade of at least "B" in PSCI 5340 and PSCI 6320.

2. Students with two grades of "C" or below will automatically be dropped from the program. Retaking a course to replace a grade of less than "B" does not expunge the low grade for purposes of this rule, but it does expunge the grade for purposes of calculating the GPA.

3. Students are required to maintain a "B" average in graduate course work. Students with grade point averages (GPA) below 3.0 will be placed on probation and may be dropped from the program for inadequate progress by the Graduate Studies Committee upon the recommendation of the Graduate Advisor if they do not return to good standing the following semester. Remember that the graduate school requires a minimum 3.0 GPA overall to award a degree.

4. Consistent with the requirement of finishing the program in 10 years, it is expected that students will take their field examinations and complete the Research Practicum requirement by the end of their sixth long semester of study.

5. It is further expected that courses started will normally be courses completed. It is suggested that when extenuating circumstances make it necessary to withdraw from a course, the student confer with his/her Major Professor. Excessive or habitual withdrawal may be deemed "unsatisfactory progress" by a student's Advisory Committee. Students may be dropped from the program at the discretion of the Graduate Advisor and the Graduate Studies Committee for not following the rules of this program guide

Research Practicum Requirement

Students must achieve a grade of B or better in a six-hour Research Practicum course (PSCI 6940) to be supervised by a faculty member from their Advisory Committee. This Directed Study may take place in one or two semesters, but it must be completed by the end of the same semester in which the Field Examinations are completed (normally the end of the student’s sixth long semester of study in the program) and three hours must be taken during the spring semester. Three hours of the Practicum will ordinarily be used to undertake a project related to the student's dissertation. Its purpose is to demonstrate the student's ability to create and carry out an original research project under faculty guidance. The student is responsible for contacting a faculty member who must agree to serve as the Advisor in this course. This must be done before the end of the semester immediately prior to the semester in which they will be taking the course. This Advisor does not need to be the student’s Advisory Committee Chairperson. During the course of the semester, the student will pursue a research project of his/her choice under the guidance of the Advisor. Three hours taken during the spring semester will be taken jointly with other students under the supervision of one faculty member for the purpose of developing a dissertation proposal. The student’s performance in the course will be judged by the entire Advisory Committee. Students who fail the course must retake it in the next semester.

Field Examinations

Field Examinations are taken after completion of the student's course work in the tested fields, ordinarily during the student’s sixth long semester of study. Students taking field examinations must be continuously enrolled in the Doctoral program.

Field Examinations are intended to test the student's preparation and comprehension in his/her areas of study. The student will be held responsible not only for material covered in course work, but also for general mastery of the sub-area being tested.

Each area in Political Science will make available to all graduate students a list of Field Examination questions that have either been used on past examinations or are similar to questions that may be asked in future examinations. Graduate students should be aware that these questions are meant to be used only as a study aid and in no way should students expect to find that any one of these questions will be used on the examinations. Each area within Political Science will determine the content and structure of its examination questions.

Students will be tested on their major field and one supporting field. Students must take both field examinations in one semester. In the event of circumstances related to the availability of courses offered by the department, this requirement may be waived. To waive this requirement, the student’s Advisory Committee must unanimously support the waiver by filing a “Waiver of Concurrent Field Examinations” form with the Graduate Advisor. This form can be obtained from the Graduate Advisor. This form must be filed with the Graduate Advisor when the student notifies the Graduate Advisor of his or her intent to take the field examinations. The Graduate Advisor, in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee, will make the ultimate determination as to whether this waiver is granted.

All Field Examinations must be completed within one semester following completion of all course work in the tested fields. Failure to take the exam within one semester of the completion of course work will be equivalent to failing the Field Examinations once.

Scheduling of Field Examinations. Field Examinations should be taken during the student’s sixth long semester of study in the graduate program. The student is responsible for scheduling the Field Examinations in consultation with the Advisory Committee and the Graduate Advisor.

Field Examinations scheduled for the Fall semester will commence on the Monday following Labor Day and may continue on successive Thursdays and Mondays until all exams have been given. Field Examinations scheduled for the Spring semester will commence on the Monday following the Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday holiday and may continue on successive Thursdays and Mondays until all exams have been given. The Graduate Advisor will schedule the exact times and dates of the Field Examinations.

Each Doctoral student must indicate to the Graduate Advisor his/her intent to take the Field Examinations at the end of the semester preceding the semester in which the Field Examinations are to be taken. Failure to take a scheduled examination for other than valid reasons (such as death in one's family or medical emergency) shall be considered as a failure on the Examination. All Examinations shall be given at the University of North Texas. Students must be enrolled in the semester in which they take exams.

Grading Field Examinations: Field Examinations will be graded in a period not to exceed two weeks for each area, with the two-week period beginning on the day after the exam is given for each area of study. The Graduate Advisor will distribute copies of the exams to all qualified readers in each area of study. Grading of each exam will be done by at least two Graduate Faculty members from the appropriate area.

The grade each examiner shall give will be either (1) Pass with distinction, (2) Pass, or (3) Fail. Each grader shall record his/her vote on a single ballot to be returned to the area representative on the committee, along with written comments to be made available to the student upon request.

A meeting of the faculty of an area shall be held to discuss a final grade for the examination if at least one person in the area votes for failure. The final decision on the grade for the examination shall be made by majority rule among members of the area participating in grading the examination. If there is a tied decision among the initial graders, an additional UNT Graduate Faculty member from the area should be brought in to break the tie. If all the available Graduate Faculty from an area have been used and a tied decision exists, the faculty member from the area who is on the Committee shall cast the decisive vote.

Re-Examination After Failure on Field Examinations: A student whose performance on the Field Examinations is judged unsatisfactory may, under certain circumstances, retake the examination no later than the long semester following the administration of the first exam. Retaken examinations shall be given at the next scheduled examination of Field Examinations. No student shall be permitted to take examinations (all or part) more than twice.

The Graduate Advisor shall notify the student’s Advisory Committee whenever a student fails any Field Examination.

Oral Qualifying Examination: After the student has passed both Field Examinations, the student’s major professor will schedule a three-hour Oral Qualifying Examination. The Qualifying Examination will take place within two weeks after the student has been notified or as soon thereafter as is practicable.

The Qualifying Examination may cover any subject in the student's program of study.

Voting for pass or failure on the Qualifying Examination shall not be over fields; rather, the vote shall reflect the total performance of the student. The negative vote of at least two members of the Advisory Committee shall be necessary in order to fail the student. If the student fails the Qualifying Examination, retaking the exam shall be at the discretion of the Advisory Committee. Rescheduling the Oral Examination shall be done by the Graduate Advisor and the student's Major Professor in consultation with the student. In no case shall a second Qualifying Examination be scheduled before the beginning of a new semester of school. No student shall be permitted to take the Qualifying Examination more than twice.

Dissertation Prospectus

After the student has passed the Qualifying Examination, the Advisory Committee shall set a deadline for the student's presentation of a Dissertation Prospectus if it has not already been presented. Unless a satisfactory Prospectus is submitted and approved by the Committee, the Graduate Advisor shall not notify the Graduate School of Advancement to Candidacy, and the student shall not be permitted to register for Dissertation credit (6950).

The Prospectus must include (1) a statement of the principal question to be investigated or hypotheses to be tested, (2) a review of the relevant literature and a statement of the expected contribution of the proposed dissertation, and (3) a statement of the methodology to be used. The Prospectus must show enough research and planning that the student is able to defend the probability of its successful completion.

Style Manual for Dissertations: The Department of Political Science has adopted the APSA Style Manual as the guide for citations, references, and other questions of format in dissertations. Students are responsible for obtaining a copy and observing its standards. Students should follow the guide for PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF DISSERTATIONS, THESES, AND PROBLEMS IN LIEU OF THESIS (published by UNT Graduate School) in preparing final copies of the dissertation for submission to the Graduate School.

Registration for Dissertation: A student must maintain continuous enrollment in a minimum of three credit hours of thesis or dissertation during each long semester until the thesis or dissertation has been accepted by the Dean of the Graduate School. Thesis or dissertation registration in at least one summer session is required if the student is using university facilities and/or faculty time during that summer session. Doctoral students must maintain continuous enrollment until their degree is conferred.

Failure to maintain continuous enrollment will either invalidate any previous thesis or dissertation credits or will result in the student being dropped from the degree program unless granted an official leave of absence by the Graduate Dean for medical or other exceptional reasons.

Final Oral Defense

The dissertation must make a contribution to the field of study, must display mature and critical scholarship, and must demonstrate competency in research and in the presentation of findings in an acceptable scholarly manner.

When the completed dissertation is accepted by the Major Professor, it is read by the other members of the Committee. On the recommendation of the Committee a Final Oral Defense of the Dissertation is scheduled. The usual examiners will be the members of the student's Advisory Committee, but the Defense is open to the University faculty.

On the satisfactory completion of the Final Oral Defense of the Dissertation, the candidate is recommended to the Graduate Dean to receive the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science at the next commencement.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Financial assistance for graduate students is available in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and teaching fellowships. Inquiries about such aid and applications should be addressed to the Graduate Advisor of the Department of Political Science. The deadline for applications for financial assistance is January 15th each year. Students who have not formed an Advisory Committee by the beginning of their second year may not be eligible for assistance. Students who are not making satisfactory progress through the program, as outlined in the “Doctoral Degree Program Guide,” may not be eligible for assistance.

EFFECTIVE DATE

The provisions of this document apply to all students registering for the first time after April 17, 2009. Students who enrolled prior to this date may elect to follow the "Doctoral Degree Program Guide" in effect at the time of their enrollment in the Ph.D. program in Political Science or may elect to follow these regulations.

Questions or Problems

Any questions that might arise which are not covered by this information sheet and the Graduate Catalog should be discussed with the Graduate Advisor.