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Home > Ph.D. > Ph.D. Requirements
Doctoral Program Requirements
To be awarded the doctoral degree from the School of Information, the following requirements must be met:
- Successfully complete all course requirements as stipulated by the School
- Successfully complete a pre-candidacy research project
- Pass the field preliminary examination
- Complete the School's teaching requirement
- Successfully defend a dissertation proposal before the Dissertation Committee
- Meet the residency and fee requirements of the Horace H. Rackham Graduate School
- Obtain dissertation approval from the Dissertation Committee and the Graduate School, and successfully defend the dissertation before the Dissertation Committee
Faculty Involvement in the Program
The Committee on the Doctoral Program consists of members of the governing faculty with overlapping three-year terms and is appointed by the dean. Its primary function is to monitor the quality of the program by periodically reviewing and evaluating its goals and guidelines. In addition, the committee assists the dean in the evaluation of student progress and serves as an advisory group to the dean on matters related to the doctoral program.
The president of the Doctoral Student Organization also serves on the committee as does the coordinator of the doctoral program, Suzanne Schuon.
Schuon oversees the day-to-day matters related to the doctoral program, including the assurance that procedures are followed consistently and equitably; that student progress reports are maintained; securing financial support; and disseminating information on the program to students, faculty, staff, and outside interested parties.
Your Committees and Advising
During your doctoral study you will work closely with one or more faculty members of this School and in your related fields of study. Your major advisor is key to your success in graduate school. The members of your pre-candidacy and dissertation committees also serve as important mentors in your study.
Upon admission to the program, you will be assigned an interim advisor. This faculty member will assist you in developing your first year of study. During the first year, you will select your regular advisor in consultation with the director of the doctoral program. This may be the same person as your interim advisor but as you get to know the faculty better and as your research interests crystallize, you may want another faculty member to serve in this role. Any member of the SI governing faculty may serve as the student's advisor by agreement between the faculty member and student. Please notify the associate dean for research and doctoral programs in writing if you change major advisors.
Financial Support for Doctoral Students
All students admitted to the doctoral program will be offered some form of financial aid. Continued support is contingent on successful academic performance and progress toward your degree. Currently, tuition grants are not considered taxable income, but any level of stipend support you may receive is taxable. You should always check with a tax advisor or the Internal Revenue Service for the current regulations regarding taxability of financial support for education. For other financial aid, such as loans and grants, you should contact the University of Michigan Office of Financial Aid (734 763-6600). In addition, the Rackham Fellowships Office (734 764-8119) has information on fellowships and scholarships from outside agencies.
Residency and Length of Program
The School of Information requires all doctoral students to complete 36 hours of study in residence in Ann Arbor. Courses elected for "visitor" status and SI 990 (Pre-Candidacy) or SI 995 (Candidacy) cannot be used to fulfill the residency requirement. All doctoral students are expected to be enrolled on a full-time basis. While the amount of time needed to complete all the requirements of the doctoral degree varies with each student, the program requires a minimum of three years of full-time study. Four to five years is more typical. The maximum length of time allowed to complete the degree is seven years past first
enrollment in the program.
Last updated: Jun 05, 2007
Home > Ph.D. > Ph.D. Requirements
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"Researchers at SI are truly encouraged to draw from a multidisciplinary tool kit in attempting to understand the many roles and uses of information in people's lives -- and then to use this understanding to have a real impact."
Jeremy Birnholtz (Ph.D. '05)
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