Degree Requirements
- Residency
- Time Limit
- Advisory Committee
- Plan of Study
- Program of Study
- Preliminary Examinations
- Admission to Candidacy
- Graduation Application
- Dissertation
Residency and Course Load
The minimum residence requirement is three full years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree. At least two consecutive semesters of full-time work (i.e., enrollment for a minimum of 30 hours of consecutive course work included on the program of study) must be spent in resident study on this campus. Undergraduate courses taken either to fulfill research skills requirements or to remove deficiencies may not be calculated in the 30 consecutive hours of resident credit. (See the graduate coordinator’s handbook for further details on this requirement)
A full-time course load is nine hours per semester during the academic year and six hours during the summer semester. But, students on an assistantship must register for a minimum of 12 hours. (Students awarded university-wide assistantships must register for a minimum of 12 hours.). A graduate student using university facilities and/or staff time must register for a minimum of three hours of credit each semester. The maximum semester course load for any student is 18 hours per semester.
To exceed the maximum course load, a student must obtain approval from his/her major professor and the dean of the Graduate School. This can be done through O.A.S.I.S, and the student must see the major department for this clearance procedure. Generally, a request to exceed the maximum course load will not be approved unless the student satisfies the following guidelines:
- is a prospective candidate (or candidate) for a graduate degree,
- has a cumulative graduate average of 3.5 or higher,
- has no incompletes on his/her graduate record, and
- is not a first-semester student.
Time Limit
All requirements for the degree, except the dissertation and final oral examination, must be completed within a period of six years. This time requirement dates from the first registration for graduate courses on a student’s program of study.
A candidate for a doctoral degree who fails to complete all degree requirements within five years after passing the comprehensive examination, and being admitted to candidacy, will be required to take the comprehensive examinations again and be admitted to candidacy a second time.
Doctoral Advisory Committee
The Doctoral Advisory Committee is charged with planning and approving the student’s program from entrance into the program through the written preliminary and oral examinations.
The doctoral committee must consist of a minimum of three members of the graduate faculty, including the student’s major professor, who will serve as chair of the committee. Provisional graduate faculty may serve in the same capacity as regular graduate faculty but cannot serve as chair of the committee. Additional voting members may be appointed to the committee, including no more than one non-UGA faculty, who must hold the terminal degree in their field of study. If there are more than three members, there must be greater than 50% graduate faculty representation. Changes in committee composition can be made, but such changes require resubmission of the student’s plan of study with signatures of the revised advisory committee.
Plan of Study
The PhD program in business administration and the PhD program in economics each have their own plan of study information.
Plan of Study in Business Administration
All Terry PhD students, with the exception of those in economics, are required to complete the Business Administration Plan of Study (PDF | 248 KB) form. The Plan of Study form is a detailed account, by fields, of the coursework the student has or will complete as required for the PhD in Business Administration. To satisfy the requirements for a PhD in Business Administration students must complete a major field of study and a minor field of study, as well as develop research competencies through completing an area in research methodology and a research apprenticeship. Although the student and his/her major professor should develop this plan of study, the graduate coordinator often provides an example of an area’s Plan of Study on the graduate coordinator web page or via hard copy.
The major field must be a coherent set of courses (a minimum of five (5) courses is required) and must be selected from the following major fields offered by the college. The areas offered are accounting, business finance, organizational behavior, management information systems, marketing, real estate, risk management and insurance, and strategic management.
The minor field consists of courses taken outside the student’s major field that provide coherent support to the major field. A minimum of three (3) courses is required in the minor field. Such courses may be taken inside and/or outside the Terry College. These courses must pertain to a specific discipline and not to the research methodology. Note that previous graduate work may be used to satisfy these course requirements, but does not alter the total number of hours required for the PhD degree.
The research methodology consists of courses that are designed to provide the student with a coherent set of technical research competencies in the student’s major field. Previous graduate work may be used to satisfy these course requirements, but does not alter the total number of hours required for the PhD degree.
The research apprenticeship, composed of 8990 or 9000 coursework, is taken under the guidance of a major field professor. Apprenticeship work involves research-oriented activities that help the student develop research skills needed to undertake a dissertation.
A minimum 3.0 grade point average must be maintained in the major field, minor field, research methodology, and research apprenticeship combined. Courses with a grade lower than C may not be listed on the Plan of Study.
Plan of Study in Economics
Students enrolled in the PhD program in economics are required to complete coursework as indicated on the Economics Plan of Study (PDF | 12 KB) form. The core curriculum consists of three sequences of coursework in microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, and analytical methods and econometrics. These sequences are usually completed during the first two years of study.
Students must choose three fields of specialization to strengthen the analytical and quantitative skills developed in the core curriculum. A 3.0 grade point average must be maintained in each field. Candidates must pass comprehensive examinations based on the core courses in microeconomic theory and macroeconomic theory and two of the chosen fields of specialization and must write and defend an acceptable dissertation.
Students must also attend the workshops and seminars sponsored by the department of economics. Questions pertaining to the economics PhD program should be directed to the graduate coordinator of the economics department.
Program of Study
Preliminary Program of Study
A preliminary program of study, developed by the student and major professor and approved by a majority of members of the advisory committee, must be submitted to the graduate coordinator. The program of study should constitute a logical whole and consist primarily of 8000- and 9000-level courses in addition to research. The preliminary program of study is for departmental use only and should NOT be sent to the Graduate School. The student may wish to complete this form along with the Plan of Study for the college.
Final Doctoral Program of Study
The final program of study must be submitted for the approval of the dean of the Graduate School by the time the notification of the oral comprehensive examination is given. Once the Plan of Study (Terry) has been approved, the coursework required to be completed at the University of Georgia is listed on the Final Doctoral Program of Study. Those courses taken as a PhD student for completion of the degree will be listed under "Doctoral Courses." Doctoral courses must encompass at least two (2) consecutive semesters of full-time work and total at least 30 hours, exclusive of 10 hours of dissertation work required. The doctoral program of study for a student who bypasses the master’s degree must contain a minimum of 20 semester hours of University of Georgia courses open only to graduate students. Doctoral research (9000), independent study courses, and dissertation writing (9300) may not be counted in these 20 hours. Those courses completed at the University of Georgia, as part of a Master’s degree will be listed under “Relevant Master’s Degree Courses.”
The Final Doctoral Program of Study is submitted to the student’s major department with the Doctoral Advisory Committee’s signatures. This form will be signed by the departmental graduate coordinator and is sent to the Graduate School for the Graduate School dean’s approval. A copy will be sent to the student once the Graduate School has approved it.
Preliminary Examinations
Written Preliminary Examination
Students may sign up for the written preliminary exam only after completion of all required coursework and after a Plan of Study, Program of Study, and Advisory Committee forms are on file with the student’s major department. A student may cancel his/her registration for prelims up to two (2) weeks prior to the exam. All exams are administered through the student’s department.
Written Preliminary Examination in Business Administration
Students may sign up for the written preliminary exam only after completion of all required coursework and after turning in approved Plan of Study, Program of Study, and Advisory Committee forms to the student’s major department. Students should contact their major departments for dates of the exams. In order to sit for the prelim, the student must meet the following criteria:
- Must have a 3.0 grade point average on coursework taken in the major field, minor field, research methodology, and research apprenticeship combined.
- Must have no less than a C in any course on the Plan of Study, including each mathematics course and each course taken in the foundation in business background.
- Must have no "Incompletes" (I) on his/her transcript.
- Must be registered for a minimum of three hours (9000) in the semester the exam is to be given.
Written preliminary exams test the student’s competence in the major field of study and are administered by a preliminary examining committee assembled from the graduate faculty in the appropriate area. The written prelim for the major field lasts eight to sixteen hours. The exam may be taken a maximum of two times in each field. If a student fails the written exam after two attempts, he/she will be dismissed from the PhD program in business administration. If a student has an unexcused absence from the prelim, he/she will automatically receive a "fail" grade.
Written Preliminary Examination in Economics
Written preliminary examinations are given in the core areas of microeconomics and macroeconomics and in the student’s chosen two fields of specialization. PhD students in economics may sit for the written prelims as they successfully complete each area. Field exams may be taken only after passing the core exams in microeconomics and macroeconomics. Each prelim lasts four hours and is given during fall and spring semesters. If a student fails any prelim, that exam must be retaken at the next sitting. Students have two chances to pass each exam. Students who fail twice on a core theory exam will be dismissed from the PhD program. Students failing a field exam twice will have one chance in an alternative field. Preliminary exams are written and graded by ad hoc committees set up for that purpose; usually the faculty members who teach the relevant courses sit on the prelim committees.
Oral Preliminary Examination
The student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee will administer the oral prelims to assess the integration of technical competence within the student’s entire field of study. The oral prelims are open to all members of the faculty and shall be announced by the Graduate School. The student must complete The Announcement of Doctoral Oral Preliminary Examination form and return it to the major department a minimum of two weeks prior to the date of the exam. The student is also responsible for reserving a room and contacting each member of his/her Doctoral Advisory Committee to find a convenient time for the examination. The major department will fax the notification to the Graduate School.
The Graduate School will post the Announcement of the Oral Prelim and will send a Notification of Results of Oral Preliminary Examination form to the Major Professor. This form can only be obtained from the Graduate School. Upon completion of the exam, the Major Professor will report the results to the student’s major department no later than two weeks after the exam is given on the form provided by the Graduate School.
The Oral Prelims may be taken a maximum of two times. If a student fails the oral prelim after two attempts, he/she will be dismissed from the PhD program.
Admission to Candidacy
The student should complete the Application for Admission to Candidacy prior to the oral exam. Upon receiving a pass on the oral exam, the student should deliver the Application for Admission to Candidacy form to the Graduate Coordinator to submit with the Notification of Results of Oral Preliminary Examination form. Both forms are sent to the Graduate School by the student’s major department within two weeks after the date of the oral prelims. A student must be admitted to candidacy at least two semesters prior to the date of expected graduation.
This application certifies that the student has demonstrated the ability to do acceptable graduate work in the chosen field and has met the qualifications listed on the form. To be eligible for admission to candidacy and graduation, a student must maintain an average of 3.0 (B) on all graduate courses taken and on all courses listed on the Program of Study. No course below a 2.0 (C) will be accepted as part of the Program of Study for a graduate degree.
After admission to candidacy, a student must register for at least two additional semesters and a total minimum of 10 hours of dissertation (9300) credit.
Graduation Application
It is suggested that doctoral students apply for graduation at the same time as submitting the Admission to Candidacy application. An application for graduation must be filed with the Graduate School no later than Friday of the first full week of classes two semesters prior to the anticipated graduation date to permit the Graduate Office to review the student’s file prior to registration for the final semester. If a student cannot complete degree requirements in the semester for which a graduation application was submitted, the student should notify the Graduation Office of the new date of intended graduation by submitting written notification directly to that office or by changing the graduation term through OASIS.
Dissertation
Students pursuing the PhD in Business Administration must present a dissertation on some subject connected with their major field of study. The dissertation must present originality in research, independent thinking, scholarly ability, and technical mastery of a field of study. Its conclusion must be logical, its literary form acceptable, and its contribution to knowledge should merit publication.
Dissertation Committee
The major professor and advisory committee shall guide the student in planning the dissertation. It is most important that the persons who serve on the advisory committee, at the time the dissertation research is undertaken, be faculty members knowledgeable in the areas of the student’s research. They should be selected irrespective of their departmental affiliation. Sometimes it will be appropriate for the membership of the advisory committee to remain unchanged during the student’s entire doctoral program, while at other times changes in the original advisory committee will be necessary when a dissertation is undertaken. Any change in the advisory committee requires that the student file a revised advisory committee form.
Dissertation Proposal
The student is required to prepare a dissertation proposal, which is a detailed description of the specific dissertation project to be undertaken, including a thorough review of the appropriate literature, the specific research questions to be addressed, and the data to be collected and analysis to be performed if appropriate. When the major professor certifies that the dissertation proposal is satisfactory, it must be formally considered by the advisory committee in a meeting with the student. The student is responsible for reserving a room and setting up a convenient time for the proposal defense. The Announcement of Dissertation Proposal Seminar form must be submitted to the student’s major department at least two weeks prior to the date of the proposal defense. Approval of the dissertation proposal signifies that the members of the committee believe that it proposes a feasible dissertation project, which, if completed as proposed, would satisfy the requirements of a PhD dissertation.
Approval of the dissertation proposal satisfies the dissertation prospectus requirement of the Graduate School. The Prospectus Approval form requires the agreement of at least four of the five members of the advisory committee as evidenced by their signing of the appropriate form. However, the approval form must include signatures of all committee members. The signed approval form, along with a four or five page description of the proposal is filed with the student’s major department and is retained in the student’s file.
Dissertation Approval and Defense
When the student’s advisory committee is satisfied with the completed dissertation submitted to them, the final oral examination should be scheduled. The Graduate School must receive the Announcement of the time and place of the PhD Final Oral Examination and Dissertation Defense form at least two weeks in advance. The department will fax the announcement form to the Graduate School. The student must be enrolled the semester that the dissertation is defended. Results of the final oral defense and approval of the dissertation is indicated on the Approval Form for Doctoral Dissertation and Final Oral Examination. This form should be read carefully for detailed instructions. This form also requires the signatures of all five committee members. Once a dissertation has been approved by the Advisory Committee, and the final oral examination has been passed, the dissertation, along with the Approval Form for Doctoral Dissertation and Final Oral Examination form, must be submitted to the Graduate School for final approval no later than the last day of classes of the following semester. Dissertations which are not submitted by this deadline will not be accepted by the Graduate School, and the student must re-defend the dissertation.
Submitting the Dissertation
One complete formatted copy of the dissertation must be electronically submitted to the Graduate School for a format check no later than four weeks prior to graduation.
The Graduate School must receive the Final Defense Approval form and an electronic submission of the corrected dissertation no later than two weeks prior to graduation. The Official copy of the dissertation will be electronically submitted by the Graduate School to the main library for archiving.
All requirements for the degree must be completed and reported to the Graduate School no later than one week prior to graduation. A student must enroll for a minimum of three hours of credit the semester in which graduation requirements are completed.
