The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) and Doctor of Audiology (AuD) are the highest academic degrees conferred by CU Boulder. The requirements stated below are campuswide minimum requirements for all candidates for the PhD degree; additional requirements are found in department announcements. Additional requirements for the Doctor of Musical Arts are available from the College of Music. Additional requirements for the Doctor of Audiology are available from the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.

A graduate student is responsible for becoming informed about and observing all regulations and procedures required by the graduate program pursued. Ignorance of a rule does not constitute a basis for waiving that rule. Any exceptions to the policies stated in this catalog must be approved by the dean of the Graduate School. 

Admission

If a student is admitted to a master's program and wants to continue on to a doctoral program in the same department, they should consult their home department on the proper procedure.

Minimum Registration Requirement

For purposes of deciding full-time registration status, a student must meet one of the following criteria: 

PhD students
  • one who is carrying a minimum of 5 credits (pass/fail or for a grade) of graduate-level coursework, 8 credits of combined undergraduate and graduate coursework, or 12 credits of undergraduate-level coursework prior to passing the comprehensive exam
  • at least one doctoral dissertation credit prior to passing the comprehensive exam 
  • a minimum of 5 dissertation hours after passing the comprehensive exam
DMA students
  • one who is carrying a minimum of 5 credits (pass/fail or for a grade) of graduate-level coursework, 8 credits of combined undergraduate and graduate coursework, or 12 credits of undergraduate-level coursework prior to passing the comprehensive exam 
  • at least one hour of coursework numbered TMUS 8200-8399 or “precandidate for Doctor of Musical Arts” before the comprehensive examination
  • at least one hour of coursework numbered TMUS 8200-8399 or “candidate for Doctor of Musical Arts” after the comprehensive examination
AuD students
  • one who is carrying a minimum of 5 credits (pass/fail or for a grade) of graduate-level coursework, 8 credits of combined undergraduate and graduate coursework, or 12 credits of undergraduate-level coursework.

Additional full-time and part-time registration requirements may exist for international students or students receiving or deferring financial aid, though degree requirements remain the same. Affected students should consult with International Student and Scholar Services or the Office of Financial Aid for more information. 

The minimum registration requirement for doctoral students is full-time registration for six semesters of graduate degree credit beyond the attainment of an acceptable bachelor’s degree. Two semesters of minimum registration credit may be allowed for a master’s degree from another accredited institution; however, at least four semesters of minimum registration credit, two of which must be consecutive in one academic year, must be earned for work completed at CU Boulder.

Degree Requirements

The minimum requirements for the PhD or DMA degree are 30 credit hours of coursework at the 5000 level or above. Those students pursuing the PhD shall complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of dissertation work beyond the minimum coursework requirement. The minimum requirements for the AuD degree are 89 credit hours of coursework at the 5000 level or above.

Unless otherwise specified by departmental requirements, all courses taken at the 5000 level or above that were taken for the master's degree at CU Boulder may be applied toward the PhD degree. Coursework taken in pursuit of a doctoral degree cannot be applied toward a subsequent master's degree.

Preliminary Examination

Each department determines for itself (by examination or other means) that students who wish to study for the doctoral degree are qualified. The means by which each department makes this evaluation are specified in departmental requirements. Students who are thus evaluated are notified immediately of the results.

Language Requirement

There is no campuswide foreign language requirement for the doctoral degree. The decision regarding the foreign language requirement for each graduate degree is the responsibility of the graduate program.

Dissertation Credit-Hour Requirement

To complete the requirements for the PhD a student must register for a minimum of 30 dissertation credit hours. A student may not register for more than 10 dissertation credit hours in any one semester, including summer. 

Comprehensive Examination

Before admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree, students must pass a comprehensive examination in the field of concentration and related fields.

The following rules apply to the doctoral comprehensive examination.

  1.  Students must be registered (P/F or for credit) on the Boulder campus as regular degree-seeking students when they pass the comprehensive examination.
  2.  Notice of the examination must be filed by the major department with the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the examination.
  3. The examination is conducted by an examining board appointed by the chair of the major department and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. The board shall consist of the major advisor and additional members as necessary to a minimum of five. The chair must have a regular Graduate Faculty appointment. Other committee members must have regular or special Graduate Faculty appointments. Successful candidates must receive affirmative votes from a majority of the members of their examination board. A candidate who fails the examination may attempt it once more after a period of time determined by the examination board.
  4. The examination, which may be oral, written or both, tests mastery of a broad field of knowledge, not merely formal coursework. 

Admission to Candidacy

A student must formally apply for admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree using the process provided by the Graduate School upon passing the comprehensive examination. Before being admitted to candidacy a student must earn at least three semesters toward the minimum registration requirement, and pass the comprehensive examination.

Graduation

Students must meet all posted graduation deadlines in order to receive a degree in any given semester.

Continuous Registration Requirement

A PhD student is required to register continuously as a full-time student, for a minimum of five dissertation hours in the fall and spring semesters of each year, beginning with the semester following the passing of the comprehensive examination and extending through the semester in which the dissertation is successfully defended (final examination). A student not being required to maintain full-time status and not using campus facilities may claim off-campus status, which allows registration for three rather than the minimum of five dissertation credit hours. Off-campus status (3 credits of dissertation hours) is considered part-time. All university considerations for part-time status apply.

DMA students who have passed their comprehensive exams must maintain continuous registration by registering for a minimum of one credit hour of DMA dissertation credits (TMUS 8100–8399) or TMUS 8029 in the fall and spring semesters of each year, beginning with the semester following the passing of the comprehensive examination and extending through the semester in which the final examination is passed.

AuD students who have passed their comprehensive exams must maintain continuous registration by registering for four or five hours of graduate-level coursework each semester as required by the audiology program, with five hours being taken during the semester in which the final examination is passed.

Additional full-time and part-time registration requirements may exist for international students or students receiving or deferring financial aid, though degree requirements remain the same. Affected students should consult with International Student and Scholar Services or the Office of Financial Aid for more information.

A student who fails to register continuously for required hours after passing the comprehensive examination must retake and pass the examination, to regain status as a student in good standing in the Graduate School. The department may require that the student validate coursework more than five years old. At its discretion, the department may petition the Dean of the Graduate School for a time limit for completion of all degree requirements of up to one year after the retaking of the comprehensive exam. The department must petition the Dean of the Graduate School to waive the requirement to retake the comprehensive exam.

PhD students must be registered for a minimum of five dissertation hours the semester (including summer semester) in which the dissertation defense is held. DMA students must be registered for a minimum of one credit hour of DMA dissertation credits (TMUS 8100–8399) or TMUS 8029 during the semester in which the final examination is passed. AuD students must be registered full-time for a minimum of five credit hours of graduate-level coursework during the semester in which the final examination is passed.

Time Limit

Doctoral degree students are expected to complete all degree requirements within six years from the semester in which they are admitted and begin coursework in the doctoral program. The phrase "all degree requirements" includes the filing of the dissertation and all accompanying forms with the Graduate School. Students who fail to complete the degree in this six-year period may be dismissed from their program with the concurrence of the major advisor and/or appropriate departmental personnel. To continue, the student must file a petition for an extension of the time limit with the dean of the Graduate School. Such petitions must be endorsed by the student's major advisor and/or other appropriate departmental personnel and may be granted for up to one year. If the dean of the Graduate School and the department chair/program director cannot agree on whether a student should continue, the Graduate School's executive advisory council makes the final decision.

Students who need to leave CU Boulder for a period of time may apply for a graduate leave of absence for up to one year. Doctoral students who are required to maintain continuous registration may petition for an exception in order to take a leave of absence due to extenuating circumstances. Requests for leave of absence for parental leave do not require a petition. Taking a leave of absence does not extend the student's time limit, but may be used as a reason if applying for an extension.

Students whose registration at CU Boulder is interrupted by military service may apply to the dean of the Graduate School for an extension of time.

Dissertation Defense/Final Exam

After the PhD dissertation has been accepted for defense by the student’s committee, a final examination on the dissertation and related topics is conducted. The following rules apply to the PhD dissertation defense/non-PhD doctoral final examination:

1. PhD students must be registered as full time, regular degree-seeking students at CU Boulder, for a minimum of 5 dissertation hours during the semester in which they pass the final examination. DMA students must be registered, full-time for DMA dissertation credits (courses 8200–8399) or TMUS 8029 during the semester in which they pass the final examination. AuD students must be registered full time with at least 5 hours of graduate level coursework. (Graduate School Rules, 18)

2. Students must notify the Graduate School of their final oral examination at least two weeks before their scheduled examination date. The examination must be scheduled not later than the posted deadline for the semester in which the degree is to be conferred.

3. This examination is wholly or partly oral, the oral part being open to anyone.

4. The examination is conducted by a committee appointed by the chair of the major department and approved by the dean of the Graduate School, which consists of at least five persons, one of whom must be from outside the student’s major department. Three of the members must be CU Boulder Graduate Faculty. The chair and outside member of the committee must have regular Graduate Faculty appointments. The other committee members must have either regular or special Graduate Faculty appointments. The outside member must either have a regular Graduate Faculty appointment in a different department at CU Boulder or hold a special Graduate Faculty appointment with approval to serve as outside member. More than one dissenting vote disqualifies the candidate in the final examination. The chair and all committee members must participate in the examination, with the mode of participation (e.g. in person, remotely) defined by the committee and approved by the department.

5. A student who fails the examination may attempt it once more after a period of time determined by the examining committee.

Dissertation Requirements

A PhD student must write a dissertation based upon original investigation, showing mature scholarship and critical judgment, as well as familiarity with tools and methods of research. The subject must be approved by the student's major department.

  1. Every dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree must represent the equivalent of at least 30 credit hours of work.
  2. The student is responsible for notifying the Graduate School of the exact title of the dissertation on or before the posted deadlines during the semester in which the doctoral degree is to be conferred.
  3. The dissertation must comply in mechanical features with the specifications for theses and dissertations available in the Graduate School.
  4. After the dissertation defense, the student is responsible for submitting the dissertation and Thesis Approval Form (TAF) on or before the posted deadline during the semester in which the doctoral degree is to be conferred.

The final grade is withheld until the dissertation is completed. In progress (IP) grades are assigned during each semester until the defense is successfully completed and the final copy of the dissertation is accepted by the examination committee, at which time the final grade for all dissertation credit hours is submitted to the Graduate School.

Sequestration of Dissertations

Dissertations approved by the departments and the Graduate School are released to ProQuest/UMI and kept on file electronically at Norlin Library.

Occasionally, the primary academic advisor, after consultation with the student, may find it necessary to sequester the student's dissertation to protect university rights to intellectual property. The university accepts the obligation to protect potentially publishable creative works and potentially patentable subject matter from premature public disclosure so as to preserve entitlement to patent protection while the technology is being evaluated. This sequestration should take place only when it is absolutely required and only for the minimum time necessary.

With just cause, the student may request that an embargo be placed on the publication/sale of the thesis for a reasonable amount of time. This request is made upon the electronic submission of the document.

Graduate Faculty Appointments for Courses and Exams

All courses, 5000 level or above, completed to fulfill graduate degree requirements must be taught by members of the graduate faculty. In addition, any faculty member serving on a master's or doctoral examination/defense committee must hold a current graduate faculty appointment. Membership on the university faculty does not automatically constitute an appointment to the graduate faculty. Contact the departmental graduate program assistant for questions concerning these appointments.