Doctoral Plan of Study & Degree Requirements

Plan of Study

The doctoral program committee provides academic program approval of the student's Plan of Study (pdf) (also see a Word document template) — a list of the courses and the credit to be earned in each of them — which will, when completed:

• Prepare the student for research or scholarly investigation in the chosen field of study.
• Satisfy the credit-hour and residency requirement of the academic program.
• Satisfy any special requirements (proficiency in foreign languages, collateral field, doctoral minor, other special research skills) imposed by the department or area program.
• Satisfy the Graduate School's requirement for a minimum of 15 hours of course work at the 8000/9000 level (exclusive of research, problems and independent study experiences).

The committee also recommends to the vice provost/dean of the Graduate School, as part of the Plan of Study, any request for transfer of graduate credit.

Changes to the plan of study should be submitted on the Plan of Study Course Substitution form.

Foreign Language Proficiency

In general, a student may establish foreign language proficiency, if it is required, by demonstrating an ability to translate into English two foreign languages; or by demonstrating a high order of fluency in one language; that is the ability to read, write and converse in that language and to translate that language into English and English into that language.

Plan of Study Completion Before Comprehensive Exam

The student must substantially complete the course work outlined in the Plan of Study to the satisfaction of the doctoral program committee and the Graduate School before being declared ready for the comprehensive examination.

Credit-Hour Requirement

MU requires a minimum of 72 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate degree for the PhD and EdD degrees. The student's doctoral program committee must approve all course work used to satisfy the credit-hour requirement and may require additional course work beyond these minimums.

Transfer Credit

The doctoral committee may recommend up to 30 hours of post-baccalaureate graduate credit from an accredited university be transferred toward the total hours required for the doctoral degree. It is the responsibility of the doctoral committee to determine the appropriateness of course work for transfer credit. All requests for exceptions to this policy must be approved by the dean of the Graduate School.

Note: This policy applies to students who begin their enrollment during the Fall Term 2006 and subsequent semesters. For students who began their doctoral programs prior to the fall 2006 semester, consult the appropriate catalog or the Graduate School for policies pertaining to transfer of credit.

Extension & Correspondence Credit

The committee may recommend that courses taken through MU's Extension division be counted toward the credit-hour requirement. Extension or correspondence course work from institutions other than MU may not be used to meet the total hours required for the doctoral degree.

Time Limits on Transfer Credits

All courses to be applied to the plan of study must be completed within eight years of filing the plan.