Satisfactory Progress

These are Dr. Allen’s general requirements for satisfactory progress. The department, university, and/or other major professors may have stricter or more lenient guidelines.

If you are not making satisfactory progress, you will receive an e-mail from me addressing your “non-satisfactory progress,” copied to the Doctoral Program Coordinator. It will say something to this effect:

“. . life sometimes simply gets in the way of us completing our goals. Let’s schedule a time as soon as possible to get you back on track. If I don’t hear from you by [date], I will consider you are no longer interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in the program, and I will need to remove myself as a major professor.”

As a major professor, I will not remove you from the program. I will simply remove myself as your major professor.

This is not meant to be unkind, but doctoral students are expected to manage their own educational progress and proactively communicate with their major professor. The student’s major professor, committee, and graduate faculty members are available to assist students in finding avenues of needed support. However, the student must be proactive in seeking this counsel and support.

Extenuating circumstances may exist that hinder a student’s ability to complete their doctoral program. The student must inform the major professor as soon as possible of any circumstances that hinder progress. The student MUST obtain written approval from the major professor, and appropriate paperwork must be filed in the student’s record to take a leave of absence. This provides written evidence that may be used to request exceptions for unsatisfactory progress, but does not guarantee that the graduate school will grant an extension to the dissertation timeline.

Why so strict?

I have a limited number of slots for doctoral students. A new cohort of students seeks a major professor each year. When students are not making progress in the program, it reduces opportunities for other students in the doctoral program.

Coursework Progress

  • Students must have an approved degree plan on file with the graduate school no later than two long semesters after admission to the doctoral program.
  • Students must provide a written update of their doctoral program progress to their major professor at the end of each long semester. A lack of communication is a major reason for receiving a warning for non-progress.
  • Students must remove any incomplete grades within one year of receiving the incomplete, and no later than 30 days after completing the final semester of coursework.
  • Students cannot accumulate more than six semester hours of incompletes during the degree program.
  • A student cannot accumulate more than one grade of C or below or two W or WF grades.
  • If a full-time student, doctoral candidacy (ABD) must be approved no later than the end of the third year (sixth semester) of admission to the doctoral program. If a part-time student, doctoral candidacy (ABD) must be approved no later than the end of the fourth year (eighth semester) of admission to the doctoral program.

Doctoral Candidacy (ABD/Dissertation) Progress

  • The doctoral candidate must provide a written update on their progress in the doctoral program to their major professor at the end of each long semester. A lack of communication is a major reason for receiving a warning for non-progress.
  • Doctoral candidates will be continuously enrolled in dissertations (6950) in each long semester until they complete their doctoral studies. This is a graduate school requirement. Failure to enroll during the long semesters can result in program removal.
  • The dissertation proposal must be approved no later than the end of the fifth year (10th semester) of admission to the doctoral program. If a longer period of time is necessary, the student must receive PRIOR written approval for an extension from their major professor. This should include a plan for proposal defense within 6 months.
  • The dissertation defense must be approved by no later than the end of the sixth year (12th semester) of admission to the doctoral program. If a longer period is necessary, the student must obtain written approval for an extension from their major professor.
  • Students who do not defend by the end of the sixth year must file a detailed one-year doctoral program plan. This plan must be approved by the major professor and completed as approved.

Additional Expectations

I adhere to the Academy of Human Resource Development’s standards on Ethics and Integrity and Graduate Program Excellence. The student is expected to uphold high standards of professional conduct, fulfill all responsibilities of a doctoral student, and demonstrate collegial behavior toward faculty, support staff, and peers.

Students are expected to meet all University expectations as presented in the Dean of the Graduate School guidelines and the department handbook.

Furthermore, doctoral students are expected to attend all activities deemed appropriate for doctoral education by the faculty, and attendance will be considered in evaluating satisfactory progress.