Advancing to Candidacy

To Advance to Candidacy, students need to:

1. Pass a Qualifying Examination – This exam is taken after a student has satisfied all course requirements. A student may take the qualifying exam before completing all course requirements under special circumstances.
2. Form a Dissertation Committee – This committee should consist of five members, including one member of the SME Graduate Faculty who agrees to serve as Supervisor. At least three members must be on the SME GSC, and at least one of the five must come from outside the SME GSC.
3. Contact the SME Graduate Coordinator for the Program of Work Template – Complete the Program of Work, plus an approximate title and abstract for the student’s dissertation proposal. Request an unofficial transcript from the SME Graduate Coordinator, if needed. This program of work, along with a letter from the Graduate Adviser, is emailed to the SME GSC for balloting. The GSC is given seven days to respond, and a majority vote is necessary for advancement. The GSC will call a meeting to discuss the questions if there are questions about the program of work. The student is not present at this meeting.
4. Submit an online application for Doctoral Candidacy - The online Application for Doctoral Candidacy form is located at http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/pdn/candidacy.html

This webpage has important information about advancing to candidacy. The completed online form includes the names of the members of the student’s doctoral committee and a description of the dissertation proposal that is no more than 60 lines. The student's dissertation supervisor, the Graduate Adviser, the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee, the doctoral degree evaluator, and a dean at the Graduate School all must sign off on the electronic form.