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Master’s and doctoral degrees are awarded in March, June, August, and November. Once a student decides upon the semester in which they wishes to be awarded the degree, they will have several deadlines to meet in order to be awarded the degree. These deadlines are established by the College of Arts & Sciences and change slightly from year to year. Students should contact the Assistant Chair for Graduate Studies or the College of Arts & Sciences for the schedule established for a given academic year. The dates will be for the following:

1. Registration: Students must be registered for at least one graduate credit any semester in which they receive service from the university. Having the meeting to defend the thesis or dissertation counts as a service; turning in the final copies of the thesis or dissertation counts as a service; under most circumstances, you must also register for the semester in which you officially graduate. Exceptions to the latter situation are listed in the University Graduate Student Handbook.
2. Last day to apply for graduation and pay fee for conferral of degree: Students can either go to the second floor of Chubb Hall to complete a short form and pay a graduation fee or apply for graduation online.
3. Last day to arrange to take oral examination on dissertation: Students must report the time and place of the dissertation defense to the office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
4. Last day to take oral examination on dissertation or thesis.
5. Last day to turn in final copies of dissertation or thesis to the College of Arts and Sciences. Students should see TAD information on the Graduate College webpage for information on how to prepare the final copies and the deadlines for such in any given semester.
6. Date degree candidates must have all required work completed. This date corresponds to the last day of the semester.

A Few Pointers

The thesis or dissertation copies that students give to committee members must be delivered to them at least two weeks in advance of the meeting. As mentioned above, students should start setting up the time and date for the meeting well in advance of the meeting; it takes time to find a time at which that many people can be available. Finally, students should be forewarned that it may be difficult to schedule a meeting in the summer. Most faculty are not on contract in the summer and so are not obliged to be available for thesis and dissertation meetings. Some faculty members will make themselves available even though they are not on contract. If a student thinks they will need a summer meeting, they is advised to find out as far in advance as they can whether committee members will be available.

Students in the doctoral program in clinical psychology typically receive the M.S. degree as a step toward the Ph.D. Most commonly that degree is awarded at the end of fall semester of their third year. The university has set a limit of six years for completing the master’s degree. The six years begin in the semester in which the student enters the program, and the student must graduate by the final semester of the sixth year.

The university has set a limit of seven years for completing a Ph.D. degree. The seven years begin in the semester in which the student enters the program, and the student must graduate by the final semester of the seventh year. The time periods for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees run concurrently.

Students entering the program with a master’s degree have the same time for completing the Ph.D. as those entering with a bachelor’s degree. The university automatically assigns students entering with master’s degrees 34 credit hours when they enter the program.

The doctoral degree cannot be conferred until the student completes all of the requirements of our program, including the required APA-accredited internship. This applies to all graduation times (May, August, and November). For students whose internships end after July 1, but who wish to graduate in August, all requirements of the program, including the required APA-accredited internship, must be on schedule to be completed prior to the dates for completion of requirements as posted by the Registrar. If a student has all requirements except for internship completed, and the internship will be completed prior to the final Registrar date for completion of requirements for an August graduation, the student can apply for summer graduation, and the Graduate Chair can provide a clearance for graduation, pending official notification that the internship has been completed. Students need to communicate clearly with their internship site to make sure official notification is sent to the Graduate Chair immediately upon official completion of the internship, so that the graduation clearance can proceed and the student can graduate in August.

In the circumstance that a student is not able to complete the doctoral program within the seven-year limit, they may request a one-time one semester extension from the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences (see the Academic Policies section of the Graduate Catalog). Students should note that they are not guaranteed of obtaining an extension if they request one.

Students who require an extension beyond the one-semester extensions must obtain approval for readmission from the Clinical Section (see the Academic Policies section of the Graduate Catalog). To receive an extension or readmission, students must appeal to the section in writing with a rationale for requesting an extension or readmission. Approval by the section requires a positive vote by two-thirds of the clinical faculty. Criteria for readmission are listed in the Graduate Catalog. As part of the readmission and extension, the section may require the student to complete additional coursework, retake comprehensive examinations, update the dissertation, or fulfill degree requirements that have been added.

Rarely, student demand for courses exceeds available space. In an attempt to deal with such situations, the Clinical Section has developed policies for oversubscribed courses.

When clinical courses are oversubscribed, the section (through the Director of Clinical Training) will determine who will enroll in the courses on the basis of criteria that make sense for that particular course. The general basis will be that students who need the course the most will receive enrollment preference. Typically students who are more senior in their programs (i.e., closer to internship) will have priority. Priority given on the basis of seniority may be limited to students who are completing the program in a timely manner and who remain on schedule.

When seniority conflicts with needs for specific training in an elective area of study, however, students who are in the major area of study for which the course is required (i.e., child or health or neuropsychology) may be given priority over students not pursuing the 58 Revised: summer 2024 additional elective training. For repeatable courses (e.g., practicum), priority will be given to more senior students unless they have outstanding PRs for previous offerings of that course.

When feasible, faculty will try to meet demand by adding another section during that semester, but the reality usually will be that such additions to the schedule will occur during a subsequent semester. On occasion, there may there may be nothing that the section can do until the next time the course is regularly scheduled.

Functions

The Judicial Committee acts as an appeals or mediation board upon request by a student or faculty member after normal channels of appeal or negotiation within the Department of Psychology have been used. The functions of the Judicial Committee are (a) to hear requests for reconsideration of decisions made by committees, sections, faculty members, and departmental administrators and to hear grievances on other matters of dispute or concern within the department; (b) to mediate, as may be needed; and (c) to make recommendations for action or for policy change or policy development to pertinent persons, committees, sections, or groups.

Membership

The Judicial Committee has five members, two elected by the Clinical Section, two elected by the Experimental Section, and the Chair of the Judicial Committee, who is appointed by the department chair. The elected members serve two-year, staggered terms. The department chair and the two assistant chairs are ineligible to serve on the Judicial Committee.

Procedures

To initiate an appeal, a person shall present a request for appeal in writing to the Chair of the Judicial Committee, stating in detail the nature of the request or grievance together with his or her reasons for initiating the appeal. The Chair of the Judicial Committee will make arrangements to convene the Judicial Committee to conduct the hearing. The appellant may have a supporting person (faculty mentor/adviser, other student, colleague, university ombudsman, etc.) present at the hearing.

Matters relating to evidence, documentation, witnesses, consultants, records, and reports will be the responsibility of the Judicial Committee. The Chair of the Judicial Committee shall vote only in cases of tied votes among elected members. A summary report of the findings and recommendations of the Judicial Committee will be given