Admission to Candidacy
Following completion of the comprehensive exams, an Admission to Candidacy form is sent to the Registrar's Office and the student becomes a candidate for the doctoral degree. At this stage, the student is eligible to register for dissertation credit hours (at least 24 dissertation credit hours are required). The University requires a minimum period of six months between admission to candidacy and granting of the degree. However, it is extremely rare for a student to complete a dissertation within such a short time frame. Most students take a year or longer to complete a dissertation.
