Graduate Program

Deadlines for Ph.D. Students

Important Deadlines for the Doctoral Degree in Sociology

This information lists the deadlines and forms that are required; specific information regarding the formation of advisory committees, the format of the master's thesis, etc. is provided in the department's Graduate Studies Reference Guide for Students and the University of Kentucky Bulletin: The Graduate School. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the guidelines and regulations of the Sociology department and the Graduate School.

NOTES: Be sure to complete the Advisory Committee Request Form and submit this form well before the following deadlines. The Department strongly recommends that students form their advisory committees by the end of their first year or even earlier. (See the Sociology Department's handbook, Graduate Studies Reference Guide for Students.)

All underlined forms referenced here are available in the office of the Department's Administrative Assistant. These forms should be returned to the Administrative Assistant. (The Administrative Assistant records the information contained in the forms for departmental records, then forwards the forms to the DGS for signature.)

Qualifying Examination

Refer to the department's Graduate Studies Reference Guide for Students for residence requirements prior to and following the qualifying exam.

first 6 weeks of the semester:

Qualifying examination (written + oral portions) must be taken within this period if the student wishes to register for residence credit (SOC 769) during that semester. (The student must drop the SOC 769 credit hours if the exam is not taken within this six-week period, or if the examination is not passed successfully.)

minimum of 1 month prior to examination:

After obtaining the permission of her or his Advisory Committee, the student submits the Recommendation for Qualifying Examination form to the DGS.

NOTE: The form states the date, time, and location for the oral portion of the qualifying examination.

minimum of 2 weeks prior to examination:

The Graduate School must schedule the date, time, and place of the oral portion of the qualifying exam at least 14 days before it is to occur. The Director of Graduate Studies is responsible for notifying the Graduate School. (The qualifying exam cannot be held until approval from the Graduate School has been received by the Director of Graduate Studies.)

within 2 weeks following the written portion of the examination:

Oral portion of the exam to be given.

NOTE: Oral portion of the exam must be administered irrespective of whether the student passes or fails the written portion of the exam.

by the date of the oral portion of the examination:

Examination card to be picked up by/transmitted to the student's Committee Chair (exam cards are sent from the Graduate School and kept in the office of the department's Administrative Assistant).

following the examination:

Examination card to be transmitted by the student's Committee Chair to the DGS or Administrative Assistant. The DGS must report the results of the exam (as shown on the exam card) to the Graduate School within 10 days of the exam.

If the student fails the qualifying examination on the first attempt,

A minimum of 4 months must elapse before re-taking the exam.
Qualifying examination must be re-taken within one year.

(For a discussion of residence requirements following the successful completion of the qualifying examination, see the Sociology Department's handbook, Graduate Studies Reference Guide for Students, and the Bulletin of the Graduate School.)

Dissertation Proposal

minimum of 1 week prior to proposal hearing:

Student submits a copy of the proposal to the DGS.
Student submits a notice of the hearing (time, date, location) and abstract of the proposal to the department's Administrative Assistant. (Please send this information via an e-mail attachment to the Administrative Assistant.)
Complete copy of the proposal to be made available for interested faculty in the office of the Administrative Assistant.

following the proposal hearing:

The advisory committee signifies approval of the proposal by signing the cover sheet of the proposal, which lists the student's name and the title of the proposed dissertation. If the proposal is approved, the student or the Committee Chair transmits this signed cover sheet to the Administrative Assistant, who places it in the student's file.

Semester the Student Expects to Graduate

Application for Degree Cards are available from the Graduate School. The deadline falls within the first 3 weeks or so of the semester that you plan to graduate; the specific deadline is listed in the Schedule of Classes for that semester. Students should pick up two of these cards from the Graduate School, fill them out, and return them to the department's Administrative Assistant for DGS signature well before the deadline. The Administrative Assistant will forward the cards to the Graduate School, unless the deadline is quite near (in which case you should pick up the signed cards from the Administrative Assistant and transmit them directly to the Graduate School). If you do not graduate during the planned semester, degree cards will remain valid for the two semesters (the 8-week summer session counts as one of these two semesters).

Doctoral students do need to be registered the semester that they graduate. In addition, the final oral examination (thesis defense) must be held while the University is in session (i.e., while classes are being held). If the oral examination does not take place a minimum of 8 days prior to the last day of classes, the degree will be awarded for the following semester.

Final Oral Examination (Dissertation Defense)

minimum of 8 days prior to the last day of classes in the semester in which the student expects to graduate: Last day the final oral examination can be held. Final examinations must take place while the University is officially in session.

minimum of 8 weeks prior to examination:

Student forwards the Notification of Intent to Schedule a Final Doctoral Examination form to the Administrative Assistant.

minimum of 4 weeks prior to examination:

Student gives complete copies of the dissertation to members of her or his Advisory Committee.
The Distribution of the Dissertation to Advisory Committee Members form is transmitted by the student to the Administrative Assistant, certifying that a majority of the student's Advisory Committee have received a copy of the dissertation.

minimum of 2 weeks prior to examination:

Student submits a typed, clean, "next-to-final" copy of the dissertation to the DGS and to the Graduate School (copies are returned to the student). Dissertations must be in conformity with the instructions prepared by the Graduate School (students should obtain a copy of the leaflet Instructions for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations from the Graduate School office).

The copy submitted to the Graduate School must be accompanied by:

The Dissertation Approval Sheet, which must be signed by the Chair of the student's Advisory Committee and at least two other members of the committee
The Request for Final Doctoral Recommendation form, which states the time and place of the exam, and which must be signed by the DGS.
Optional: At this time, the student may request a copyright form for the dissertation from the Graduate School.

Student delivers a copy of the dissertation (which has been checked by the Graduate School) to the outside reader designated by the Graduate School.

by the date of the examination:

Examination card to be picked up by/transmitted to the student's Committee Chair (exam cards are sent from the Graduate School and kept in the office of the department's Administrative Assistant).