Stages of Study
For the doctoral student, his/her academic career might be thought of as consisting of stages of study. The stages are described below and more information is linked at the left for each stage.
In the class enrollment stage, the students take advanced classes in policy and management. Each of the five core courses are taken with a group of colleagues who progress together through a sequence of advanced core courses. Some students may also take electives at this time. See this page for course requirements.
The qualifying exam stage is a time for students to integrate across classes and demonstrate their competence before progressing to the dissertation stage. The qualifying exam includes a written and oral component with a chance for students and faculty to share in conversation as the student moves further towards becoming an academic peer.
The final stage is the dissertation stage. At this point the candidate for the doctoral degree conducts original research. For our program, the research should contribute both to practice and to theory in the discipline.