Degree and Certificate Requirements

1. Establishment of the Dissertation Examining Committee. The Dissertation Examining Committee is appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, in accordance with the policies listed below.
   1. Eligibility. A student is eligible to defend a dissertation if the student (a) has advanced to doctoral candidacy, (b) has met any program requirements for a dissertation defense, is in good standing as a graduate student at the University, (d) is registered for at least one credit, (e) has a valid Graduate School-approved Dissertation Examining Committee, and (f) if this is the second defense, the defense has been approved by the Graduate School.
   2. The Dissertation. The ability to do independent research must be demonstrated by an original dissertation on a topic approved by the graduate program in which the student is earning the degree.
   3. Dissertation Examining Committee membership. The Committee must consist of a minimum of five members; additional committee members may be required or invited to serve at the discretion of the program. All members of the Dissertation Examining Committee must be a members of the Graduate Faculty of University of Maryland under one of the following membership categories: Regular Member; Associate Member; Adjunct Member; Special Member. At least three of the committee members must be Regular Members of the University of Maryland Graduate Faculty. See (8) and (9) below.
   4. Nomination of the Dissertation Examining Committee. Membership on a Dissertation Examining Committee requires nomination by the student's advisor and the director of graduate studies in the student's graduate program, and approval by the Dean of the Graduate School. The nomination of a Dissertation Examining Committee should be provided to the Graduate School at least six weeks before the date of the expected dissertation defense. The dissertation defense cannot be held until the Graduate School approves the composition of the Dissertation Examining Committee. Furthermore, if the Graduate Faculty status of any member of an approved Dissertation Examining Committee changes, the approval of the Dissertation Examining Committee may be void, and a new Dissertation Examining Committee nomination form may be required to be approved by the Graduate School. See (3) above.
   5. Research assurances. If the dissertation research involves the use of vertebrate animals, animal use protocols must be approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee. If the dissertation research involves human subjects, the research must be approved by the graduate program human subjects review board and/or the Institutional Review Board. If the dissertation research involves hazardous materials, either biological or chemical, or recombinant RNA/DNA, the research must be approved by the appropriate University committee. These research assurances must be approved prior to the initiation of any dissertation-related research, and the approvals must be provided to the Graduate School at the time the student submits the Nomination of Examining Committee form.
   6. Chair. Each Dissertation Examining Committee will have a chair, who must be a Regular Member of the Graduate Faculty or, by special permission, has been otherwise appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. Dissertation Examining Committees may be co-chaired upon written recommendation of the program's director of graduate studies and with the approval of the Dean of the Graduate Schoo
   7. Policy on Open Dissertation Defense.
      1. The dissertation defense shall consist of two parts. Part 1 shall be a public presentation by the candidate on the main aspects of the research reported in the dissertation. During Part 1, questions from the audience to the candidate will be permitted. For questions from persons who are not members of the Dissertation Examination Committee, the Chair of the Dissertation Examination Committee shall have discretion to decide whether such questions are germane to the topic of the dissertation and how much time shall be allotted for the answers.
      2. The Part 2 shall be a formal examination of the candidate by the Dissertation Examination Committee. This part shall be open only to the Dissertation Examination Committee, other members of the Graduate Faculty, and graduate students from the candidate's department/graduate program. During Part 2, only members of the Dissertation Examination Committee shall be permitted to ask questions.
      3. Departments/programs may vote to establish a policy to have Part 2 be open only to members of the Dissertation Examination Committee and other members of the Graduate Faculty.
      4. Attendance at the final discussion and vote shall be limited to the members of the Dissertation Examination Committee.
      5. Announcements of the date, time, and location of the defense, as well as the candidate's name and the dissertation title, shall be disseminated to all faculty and graduate students within the department or graduate program in which the candidate's degree is to be awarded. Mass-distribution methods, such as email, a faculty/student newsletter, or individual announcements are acceptable. Merely posting a paper notice on a corridor bulletin board will not constitute a sufficient announcement.
      6. Departments and graduate programs may petition the Dean of the Graduate School for exceptions to these policies.
   8. Procedures for the Oral Defense:
      1. Oral defense requirement. Each doctoral candidate is required to defend orally his or her doctoral dissertation as a requirement in partial fulfillment of the doctoral degree.
      2. Committee preparation. The members of the Dissertation Examining Committee should receive the dissertation at least ten working days before the scheduled defense. Should the Dissertation Examining Committee deem it reasonable and appropriate, it may require submission of the dissertation more than ten working days in advance of the defense.
      3. Attendance at the defense. Oral defenses must be attended by all members of the student's officially established Dissertation Examining Committee as approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. All defenses must be open to University of Maryland Graduate Faculty. Programs may wish routinely to open dissertation defenses to a broader audience. In such cases, program policies must be established, recorded, and made available to all doctoral students. Should a last-minute change in the constitution of the Dissertation Examining Committee be required, the change must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School in consultation with the director of graduate studies of the student's graduate program and the chair of the student's Dissertation Examining Committee.
      4. Location of the defense. Oral defenses must be held in University facilities that are readily accessible to all members of the Dissertation Examining Committee and others attending the defense. The chair of the Dissertation Examining Committee selects the time and place for the examination.
      5. Notice. Notice of the doctoral defense must be publicized in the student's program or graduate program at least five working days prior to the defense.
      6. The Dean's Representative. The responsibilities of the Dean's Representative include the following: to ensure that the procedures of the oral defense are in compliance with those of the Graduate School (as described herein) and to report to the Dean of the Graduate School any unusual problems experienced in the conduct of the defense. The Dean's Representative must be identified at the beginning of the defense.
      7. Invalidation of the defense. The Dean of the Graduate School may void any defense not carried out in accordance with the procedures and policies of the Graduate School. In addition, upon recommendation of the Dean's Representative, the Dean may rule an oral defense to be null and void.
      8. Student presentation. The student is permitted to present briefly a summary of the dissertation, emphasizing the important results and giving an explanation of the reasoning that led to the conclusions reached.
      9. Opportunity for questioning by members of the Dissertation Examining Committee. The chair invites questions in turn from each member of the Dissertation Examining Committee. The questioning may continue as long as the Dissertation Examining Committee feels that it is necessary and reasonable for the proper examination of the student.
      10. Conclusion of the defense. After questioning has been completed, the student and any others who are not members of the Dissertation Examining Committee are asked to leave the room and the Dissertation Examining Committee discusses whether or not the dissertation (including its defense) has been satisfactory. The Committee has the following options:
          1. To accept the dissertation without any recommended changes and sign the Report of Examining Committee.
          2. To accept the dissertation with recommendations for changes and, except for the chair, sign the Report of the Examining Committee. The chair will check the dissertation and, upon his or her approval, sign the Report of Examining Committee.
          3. To recommend revisions to the dissertation and not sign the Report of Examining Committee until the student has made the changes and submitted the revised dissertation for the Dissertation Examining Committee's approval. The Dissertation Examining Committee members sign the Report of Examining Committee if they approve the revised dissertation.
          4. To recommend revisions and convene a second meeting of the Dissertation Examining Committee to review the dissertation and complete the student's defense.
          5. To rule the dissertation (including its defense) unsatisfactory. In that circumstance, the student fails.

          Following the defense, the chair, in the presence of the Dean's Representative, must inform the student of the outcome of the defense. The chair and the Dean's Representative both sign a statement indicating which of the above alternatives has been adopted. A copy of this statement is to be included in the student's file at the graduate program office, and a copy is given to the student.

      11. Passage or failure. The student passes if one member refuses to sign the Report, but the other members of the Dissertation Examining Committee agree to sign, before or after the approval of recommended changes. Two or more negative votes constitute a failure of the candidate to meet the dissertation requirement. In cases of failure, the Dissertation Examining Committee must specify in detail and in writing the nature of the deficiencies in the dissertation and/or the oral performance that led to failure. This statement is to be submitted to the program's director of graduate studies, the Dean of the Graduate School, and the student. A second defense may be permitted if the student will be in good standing at the time of the proposed second defense. A second defense requires the approval of the program's director of graduate studies and the Dean of the Graduate School. If the student fails this second defense, or if a second defense is not permitted, the student's admission to the graduate program is terminated.
   9. Submission of the Dissertation. Two copies of the dissertation, in a format approved by the Graduate School, are to be submitted to the Graduate School after final approval of the dissertation by the Dissertation Examining Committee. See the Thesis and Dissertation Manual for the details of this process. The Thesis and Dissertation Manual may be obtained from Campus Reprographics, The Media Express, Room 0100, Reckord Armory, for a minimal charge.

   Inclusion of Previously Published Materials in a Thesis or Dissertation

   1. A graduate student may, upon the recommendation of the dissertation director, and with the endorsement of the home graduate program graduate director or chair, include his or her own published works as part of the final dissertation. Appropriate citations within the dissertation including where the work was previously published are required. All such materials must be produced in standard dissertation format.
   2. It is recognized that a graduate student may co-author work with faculty and colleagues that should be included in a dissertation. In such an event, a letter should be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research certifying that the student's examining committee has determined that the student made a substantial contribution to that work. This letter should also note that inclusion of the work has the approval of the dissertation adviser and the program chair or graduate director. The format of such inclusions must conform to the standard dissertation format. A forward to the dissertation, as approved by the Dissertation Committee, must state that the student made the substantial contributions to the relevant aspects of the jointly authored work included in the dissertation.

   Additional Requirements

   In addition to those requirements specified above, each graduate program may impose additional requirements. For these special requirements, consult the descriptions that appear under the graduate program listings in this Catalog or the special publications that can be obtained from the graduate programs or colleges.

   Graduate School Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

   The Doctor of Philosophy Degree is granted only upon sufficient evidence of high attainment in scholarship and the ability to engage in independent research. It is not awarded for the completion of course and seminar requirements no matter how successfully completed.

   Foreign Language Requirement

   Some graduate programs hav the master's or doctoral degree.

   If for any reason students do not graduate at the end of the semester in which they have applied for the diploma the application will automatically roll over to the following semester.

   Academic regalia are required of all candidates at commencement exercises. Those who so desire may purchase or rent caps and gowns at the University of Maryland student supply store. Orders must be filed typically eight weeks before the date of commencement at the University Book Center in the Stamp Student Union.