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Psychology > Graduate Programs > Information for Current PhD Students > Ph.D. Degree Timeline

Ph.D. Degree Timeline – Procedures, Suggested Timeline, and Notes

Details of the comprehensive examination process vary across concentrations.

I. First Semester - Preliminary Conference

  1. Appointment of an advisor by program or concentration coordinator.
  2. Discussion of pre-program deficiencies with advisor and Chair of Graduate Studies.
  3. Formulation of degree plan with advisor; specifies required courses (including dissertation credit).
  4. The student submits Doctorate Student Progress Form (SPF) I to the Graduate Chair, who signs it and transmits it to Graduate Division

II. Third or Fourth Semester - Comprehensive Exams

Procedures for comprehensive exams vary by concentration. Therefore, students are urged to work closely with their advisors, and to consult with other members of the concentration, as needed, to complete the comprehensive examination process.

III. Third, Fourth or Fifth Semester - Appointment of Doctoral Committee and Approval of Dissertation Topic

  1. The doctoral (dissertation) committee consists of at least 5 members, at least two of whom are members of the core psychology faculty (non-emeritus faculty who hold tenure-track or tenured faculty positions at UH-Manoa and whose primary departmental affiliation is with the Department of Psychology), and one of whom is a member of the Graduate Faculty from a department other than Psychology.
  2. The student submits a written proposal to doctoral committee members. An oral defense of the dissertation proposal is subsequently held.
  3. The student submits Doctorate Student Progress Form II: Advancement to Candidacy (signed by the members of the dissertation committee) to the Graduate Chair, who signs it and transmits it to Graduate Division.
  4. The dissertation proposal must be approved and SPF II submitted prior to the semester in which the student plans to register for Psy 800 (dissertation).

IV. Final Semester - Completion of Final Oral Examination

  1. The final oral examination must be announced two weeks in advance in the University Bulletin and scheduled in a room that will accommodate any faculty, students, and guests who wish to attend.
  2. The student submits completed draft of dissertation.
  3. The final oral examination is administered (defense of dissertation).
  4. The student submits Doctorate Student Progress Form III: Final Examination to the Graduate Chair, who signs it and transmits it to Graduate Division.

** Graduate Division requirements include application for diploma, fees, and submission of final copies of dissertation to Graduate Division. **