A student must spend at least two consecutive semesters (Fall and Spring, Summer Terms I and II and Fall, or Spring and Summer Terms I and II) in residence as a full-time student taking a minimum of 9 semester credit hours each residence semester.
A grade point average of “B” (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) must be maintained in each of the following:
In computing grade point averages, grades from other institutions are not used.
No specific number of semester credit hours of coursework has been established for doctoral programs at UTSA, although advanced coursework is an essential part of a doctoral candidate’s preparation. Individual doctoral programs may set minimum semester-credit-hour requirements for the attainment of the degree.
In addition to courses and research in a field of specialization within the major, supporting coursework will be taken to broaden or supplement the student’s preparation.
Support work may consist of coursework in one area or several; it may be in conference, laboratory, or problems courses; it may be a supervised activity off campus relevant to the major interest. Some portion, not necessarily all, of the support work is normally outside the major area unless that area is of a multidisciplinary nature. At least three courses, or their equivalents, from outside the area of specialization are generally required.
Students are required to possess a competent command of English. Proficiency in a foreign language is a matter of degree option. Students should refer to individual degree descriptions for English and foreign language proficiency requirements.
Table of Contents | Catalog Home | Previous PageStudents are expected to complete all coursework at UTSA. Exceptions require approval of the appropriate graduate program committee, the Graduate School, and the administrative office responsible for graduate education.
Credit earned in undergraduate-level courses may not normally be applied to a doctoral degree program. Such courses may be taken to meet background or support requirements, if necessary.
Correspondence and Extension Courses
Courses completed by correspondence or extension may not be applied to a doctoral degree program.
Students seeking a doctoral degree at UTSA must be admitted to candidacy. In order to be admitted to candidacy, the student must comply with the following requirements:
Students who are admitted to doctoral programs directly from the bachelor’s-degree level (without the requirement of a master’s degree) and who want to take the Master’s degree as part of the program for the doctorate must meet the following requirements:
Courses counted as indicated above toward the Master’s degree may also be included in the overall requirements for the doctorate.
Before admission to candidacy, the student’s proposed program of study is under the direction of the Graduate Program Committee in the major program area through an appropriate program advisor, if designated, and the Graduate Advisor of Record. Upon admission to candidacy and the formation of the student’s dissertation committee, the program of study comes under the purview of the Dissertation Committee, which reviews the proposed program of study and recommends to the Graduate Program Committee any additional course requirements. The final program of study, as approved by the Graduate Program Committee, is then recommended to the Graduate School for approval. Approval of the final program of study by the Graduate School is a degree requirement. All completed coursework included in the final program of study must have been taken within the preceding eight years. No course for which a grade of less than “C” was earned can be applied to the Doctoral degree.
All students seeking a doctoral degree must pass a qualifying examination. The Qualifying Examination for the Doctoral degree is taken upon completion of coursework in the final approved program of study. This examination consists of questions to test the candidate’s knowledge and command of the major field. An examination covering support work is not a University-wide requirement, but it may be required at the discretion of the Graduate Program Committee or the Dissertation Committee.
Registration during Examination Semester(s)
Students must be registered during any semester or term in which they are taking required examinations.
Upon admission to candidacy and in consultation with the Graduate Advisor of Record, the student selects their supervising professor with that professor’s consent. The supervising professor, who chairs the Dissertation Committee, must be a member of the UTSA graduate faculty. Additional members of the Dissertation Committee are recommended by the supervising professor, in consultation with the student, to the Graduate Program Committee. Upon recommendation of the Graduate Program Committee, the Graduate School appoints the Dissertation Committee. The committee must consist of at least four members, including the supervising professor, who consults with other members of the committee as work proceeds.
In addition to recommending the student’s final program of study to the Graduate Program Committee and supervising the research and writing of the dissertation, the Dissertation Committee certifies to the Graduate School that all degree requirements have been fulfilled.
Table of Contents | Catalog Home | Previous PageAll completed work that is included in a doctoral student’s degree program at the time of admission to candidacy must have been taken within the previous six years (exclusive of a maximum of three years of military service). The Graduate Program Committee will review the programs of students who have not completed the degree at the end of three years from admission to candidacy; the committee will review the status of the student’s program yearly thereafter. At those times, the committee may recommend additional coursework, further examinations, or termination of candidacy. In addition, the program is subject to review by the Graduate Dean.
A dissertation is required of every candidate and must be an original contribution to scholarship, based on independent investigation in the major area. It must be approved by the Dissertation Committee. Registration for the dissertation must be for a period of more than one semester. During each semester or term that a student receives advice and/or assistance from a faculty member or supervision by the Dissertation Committee or uses University resources, they are required to enroll in the appropriate dissertation course.
A satisfactory final oral examination is required for the approval of a dissertation. After the Dissertation Committee makes a decision, which must be unanimous, to accept a dissertation for examination, the supervising professor notifies the Graduate School at least two weeks in advance of the date of the final oral examination.
The examination covers the dissertation and the general field of the dissertation, and other parts of the student’s program as determined by the committee. All members of the Dissertation Committee must be satisfied that the student has
Once this is complete, the Dissertation Committee members sign the approval sheets for the Doctoral dissertation and make an official recommendation to the Graduate School that the Doctoral degree be awarded. Approval must be unanimous.
When the student has successfully defended the dissertation, he or she must arrange for its publication, usually by microfilm reproduction of the complete dissertation. Three unbound copies, including the original of the dissertation, must be forwarded to the Graduate School. The copies are transmitted to the library and sent to UMI for reproduction and binding. The student is required to pay $55 publishing and $10 (per copy) binding fees. Other forms of publication of the dissertation may be accepted to fulfill the publication requirement. A proposal for an alternative to microfilm reproduction must be approved by the Graduate School.
Publication by microfilm does not preclude subsequent publication of the dissertation, in whole or in part, as a monograph or in a journal. Registration of copyright at the author’s expense may be arranged, if desired and appropriate, by completing a form available from the Graduate School. In order to protect patent or other rights, the student or supervising professor may request that the Graduate School delay publication for one year. This request must be supported by a written recommendation by the student’s supervising professor.
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