Doctoral Candidacy
General Information
For full details, visit: Graduate School Candidacy Information
Admission to doctoral candidacy represents the evaluation by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) that a student is qualified to pursue original research in the form of the doctoral dissertation.
Candidacy Requirements
To be admitted to doctoral candidacy, students must:
Pass the EDP Qualifying Process and be recommended for candidacy by the GSC.
Complete your program area’s pre-candidacy requirements.
Choose your dissertation supervisor, committee members, and a dissertation topic
Submit the Graduate School’s Candidacy Application
Candidacy Application
Be sure to plan ahead - the approvals process for the candidacy application can take some time!
Program of Work
Your Program of Work (coursework) must be approved by the GSC before candidacy is finalized. Coursework older than 6 years at the time of application for candidacy requires a petition for approval. Save a copy of any approved petitions. Petition form: 6-Year Limit Extension.
Course Registration During Candidacy
Semester applying for candidacy: register for EDP 394R: Research. This course will convert to Dissertation after candidacy is approved (if approved before the 12th class day).
Once admitted to candidacy: you must register for Dissertation (EDP 399W, 699W or 999W) every long semester (Fall/Spring) until graduation. If you apply for candidacy after the 12th class day (or 4th in summer), you may wait until the next long semester to enroll in Dissertation hours.
Summer Dissertation: students do not need to enroll in Dissertation in the Summer unless they are actively working on their dissertation and using the time of their supervisor or committee members. Students must be registered for either Research or Dissertation hours in the semester in which the Dissertation Proposal meeting is held.
Note: you can apply for a study room in the PCL once you are registered in Dissertation.
Dissertation Committee
Dissertation Committees advise on the research and writing of the dissertation. The dissertation supervisor acts as the direct supervisor of the student’s work, with other members consulted when appropriate to their expertise.
Committee Membership
Dissertation committee membership is determined by the student and faculty supervisor. Committees must have at least four members:
3 must be EDP GSC members, including the supervisor.
1 must be a Full or Associate Professor in EDP.
1 must be from outside the EDP Department.
Strongly recommended: at least 2 members should be from your program area , and at least 1 member should have expertise in your research methodology.
Additional notes:
Non-UT or non-GSC members typically require CV submission and approval (part of the Grad School’s candidacy application).
Graduates of the EDP Department must have completed their degree at least 5 years prior to joining a committee.
EDP faculty who are not on the EDP GSC may only serve as a 5th committee member.
If the only out-of-department committee member is not affiliated with UT: email a short statement regarding the members’ appropriateness and their CV to the EDP Graduate Adviser for approval.
Students may elect to have dissertation co-supervisors (for example, if a student is collaborating on research and data collection with a non-EDP faculty member).
Committee Changes:
Committee changes must be submitted via the Request for Change in Dissertation Committee Form no later than 30 days before your Final Oral exam.
TIP: Start assembling your committee early! Faculty may be unavailabile in the summer or already committed to other committees.
Dissertation Summary Guidelines
The dissertation summary, required for your candidacy application, should be concise and clear.
No more than 4500 characters (including spaces); plain text only.
No citations necessary
Written in clear, accessible language.
Paragraph 1: Background, research problem, relevant theory, and purpose of the proposed research.
Paragraph 2: Methodology, including the number of subjects and data analysis strategy.
Optional: a final paragraph on expected results and/or significance of the research.
Candidacy Application Checklist
Candidacy Application Tips:
If you have co-supervisors: input your primary co-supervisor first, and your secondary co-supervisor second.
Search for committee members by last name (non-GSC and non-UT members are added in a separate section)
The Grad School’s system does not make paragraph breaks - for your Dissertation Summary, keep your text as plain unformatted text. If you have paragraph breaks, it is helpful to put <> at the end or beginning of each paragraph. The system accommodates only 4500 characters, including spaces.
After you submit your application, you’ll receive a tracking link via email. Follow up with any reviewers if needed. If approved early in the semester, your Research hours can be converted to Dissertation hours with the help of the Graduate Coordinator.
Next Step after Candidacy - Dissertation Proposal Meeting
Once you are finished applying for candidacy, you can schedule your dissertation proposal meeting.