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Course of Study: Doctor of Philosophy

There are four levels in the DPhil degree process once an applicant receives Admission in Process status: (a) Admission to graduate studies, (b) matriculation for a degree course, (c) candidacy for a degree, and (d) degree validation. The Academic Affairs Council of the Faculty Senate supervises the process from Admission to Candidacy; the Graduate Research Council of the Faculty Senate supervises the process from Candidacy to Graduation.

Faculty-assessed deficiencies related to the required thirty (30) cohesive hour requirement must be removed prior to Core 3 participation. Students must matriculate for the DPhil to participate in Cores 3, 4, 5 and 6. Candidates for the DPhil must achieve degree validation to participate in Core 7. Core sessions are offered during three academic terms. Normally, students will divide their participation into one core session per term until all sessions are completed in sequence. Students must complete all course work connected with the previous core before attending a successive core. Core 7 participation is part of the Commencement Colloquy.

The DPhil program is divided into two parts: the course of study and the dissertation process. The course of study has three stages: first third (Cores 1, 2); middle third (Cores 3, 4); and upper third (Cores 5, 6). The dissertation process (Core 7) has four stages: proposal development under the Graduate Research Council, the proposal defense, the writing and defense of the dissertation under the Graduate Research Council, and the degree validation stage that verifies the error-free copy of the dissertation and authorizes the candidate’s degree. The dissertation stage is divided into 20 steps (listed on page 21, Table 6) with advisors, readers, and faculty supervision at each step.

The curriculum requires advance preparation for each stage in the course of study so the student can be an informed participant in class. Each stage has advance assignments required for participation in residency core sessions and post-class assignments to be completed after core sessions.

An extensive course syllabus with bibliography is provided for each course. Tutorial guidance generally includes an overview of the subject and an introduction to the sources of knowledge in the field and is presented by lecture with informed participation by the students. Tutorial guidance is followed by specific developmental and research assignments under the guidance of the faculty. Faculty directed research in prescribed sources and available resources constitutes an essential part of the course of study. The educational goal is to excite and direct the self-activity of learners who are engaged in personal research and study.

Reading and Research Seminars are offered annually at the University of Oxford, UK. Upon recommendation from OGS, a student is issued a Reader Card for research in the Bodleian Library and dependent libraries. The educational experience in the UK includes academic seminars presented by University of Oxford professors. The seminars provide information on contemporary issues facing society. The OGS course, Morality and the Law is taught in the UK. The OGS Director of Lifelong Learning coordinates the academic seminars.

The Reading and Research seminars offered at the University of Oxford are part of the required seminars for the DPhil. A student, whose health or handicap prevents travel to England, may complete alternate sessions on campus in Tennessee. The DPhil program requires a trip to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The Library of Congress experience and the Bodleian trip serve as opportunities to develop research skills for lifelong scholarship.
 

First Third Course of Study (Cores 1 and 2)
 

The first third begins with the Program Orientation Workshop (Core 1) and introduces the program, explains the curriculum, orients the applicant to the academic performance expectation, assesses strengths and weaknesses, and generally assists the applicant in determining suitability of the program for meeting his or her educational needs.  An applicant becomes an admitted student after the Program Orientation Workshop (POW) when all admissions assessments are made and the student signs a financial contract.

Middle Third Course of Study (Cores 3 and 4)

The middle third of the program requires assessment for matriculation.  Matriculation denotes eligibility to continue toward a degree.  Core 3 is considered a matriculation workshop.  Once attained, a student remains at the matriculation level until completion of the course of study requirements, content and comprehensive reviews, and qualifying interviews. 

The following requirements are fulfilled before a student is matriculated:

1. Adequate completion of the Program Orientation Workshop and the academic assignments related to Cores 1 and 2 of the program.

2. Completion of a master’s degree with (30) cohesive graduate hours in support of the OGS Program of Study. 

3. Demonstration of certain basic professional academic skills unless exempted by the American Disabilities Act and so documented.  Basic skills include the word processing, editing, and printing functions of a standard computer program.

4. A personal email address or access to a Fax machine.

5. Completion of the Matriculation Assessment Packet (MAP). 

 
Upper Third Course of Study (Cores 5 and 6)
 

 Candidacy

Candidacy requires that a matriculated student earn at least 20 semester credits during the middle third of the program and 22 semester credits in the upper third of the program.  Students moving toward candidacy will earn 22 graduate semester hours during the upper third of the program to reach Candidacy.  Included in the upper third of the course of study will be (a) research readiness assessment, (b) subject matter mastery for research direction, (c) pre-proposal assessment and subject approval, and (d) candidacy interview.

Candidacy means the student is authorized to develop a research proposal.  To advance to candidacy the student must:

1. Manifest ability to use the English language with clarity both in speech and writing.

2. Manifest specialized competence in general research methodology.

3. Manifest proficiency in specialized statistics for completion of dissertation with proficiency in specialized statistics when necessary and appropriate for completion of special studies and/or dissertations.

4. Have completed all core requirements.

5. Have completed qualifying interviews.

6. Demonstrate competency to gather evidence and synthesize results leading to new knowledge about significant problems and issues in a field of knowledge.

7. Demonstrate subject matter mastery of the literature in the dissertation area.

8. Demonstrate competency in critical inquiry of unsolved or unresolved problems.

9. Complete Candidacy Assessment Packets (CAP)

During candidacy the student is supervised by the Graduate Research Council for a research project and dissertation.  First the Graduate Research Council guides a candidate in developing a research proposal.  When the proposal is satisfactorily defended, the student is authorized to proceed with gathering and analyzing data and writing a dissertation.  Following are the sequenced tasks that guide a research project and development of a dissertation.  (see Table 6)
 

 Core 7 (Graduate Colloquy) Courses

 Dissertation Development Sequence