Doctoral Program Degree, Timeline & Forms
Updated: June 13, 2023
Year 1 Fall
- Register for 9 credits of coursework:
- POS 7707 Advanced Qualitative Methods of Political Research (3)
- POS 7745 Advanced Quantitative Methods of Political Research (3)
- Elective (3)
- Consult with the Program Director, who serves as your advisor, regarding the formation of your Dissertation Committee.
- Prepare to take the Written Candidacy Methods Exams. Normally scheduled the second Friday of the following spring semester.
- Attend responsible conduct of research workshops held by the College of Graduate Studies. You must complete four workshops (see requirements) in order to enter into dissertation hours. Experience finds it is better to do so earlier rather than later.
Year 1 Spring
- Register for 10 credits of coursework:
- INR 7139 Issues in Domestic Security (3)
- INR 7337 Issues in International Security (3)
- Elective (3)
- Whichever is offered:
POS 7930 Professional Development: Academic Careers in Security Studies (1) or
POS 7267 Professional Development: The Practice of Security Studies (1)
- Take the Written Candidacy Methods Exams.
- Normally scheduled the second Friday of the semester.
- Students who took POS 6746 Quantitative Methods instead of POS 7745 Advanced Quantitative Methods during their first semester of the program will take only the qualitative part of the exam at this time. They will take the quantitative part of the exam at Year 2 spring, after taking POS 7745 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Year 2 fall.
- Obtain agreement from three faculty members of the Department to serve on your Preliminary Advisory Committee, one as chair. All must be approved members of the Graduate Faculty or Graduate Faculty Scholars (see http://www.graduatecatalog.ucf.edu/). At least two members must be Graduate Faculty, one of whom must serve as the chair of the committee. The committee must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator before the meeting is scheduled. This is completed by submitting the Preliminary Advisory Committee Formation form.
- Conduct your Preliminary Advisory Committee Meeting by 1 May
- After the successful completion of the PAC meeting, submit the completed PAC Meeting Completion Form to the program assistant.
- Upon successful completion of the PAC exam, your committee chair serves as your principal adviser.
- Meet with your advisor to complete your program of study form.
- A hold will be placed on your account if you fail to submit a program of study by the end of spring semester.
- Submit your annual evaluation before 1 May. You will be sent an email from the College of Graduate Studies with links and instructions.
Year 1 Summer
- Register for 6 elective credits of coursework. Use the Restricted Registration Agreement form to register for independent study credit with your adviser to obtain credit for 4-week methods courses at ICPSR summer program in Ann Arbor. In consultation with your advisor, credit may also be earned by independent study for other summer methods programs.
- Prepare to take the Written Candidacy Core Exam. Normally held the Friday before the beginning of fall semester of Year 2.
Year 2 Fall
- Register for INR 7332 Scientific Study of Security
- Register for 6 elective credits of coursework.
- Note that any Core course with a grade of C+ or less will have to be repeated in the second year of the program.
- Take the Written Candidacy Core Exam. Normally held the Friday before the beginning of the fall semester.
Year 2 Spring
- Register for 6 elective credits of coursework, and 3 credits of Doctoral Research POS 7919 using a restricted registration form (if you are required to maintain full-time enrollment), plus whichever is offered:
- POS 7930 Professional Development: Academic Careers in Security Studies (1) or
- POS 7267 Professional Development: The Practice of Security Studies (1)
- Schedule your Written Candidacy Field Area Exam meeting with your three internal dissertation committee members. This meeting must be held by the first week of May.
- After your date is scheduled, inform the program coordinator by email of the date and membership of your dissertation committee.
- Take the Written Candidacy Area Exam. Work with committee members to decide on a date to take the exam which will be no later than the last Friday in May. Once a date is agreed to, the student will notify the program assistant of the date of the exam. The student must be registered in at least one credit hour in the term that the candidacy exam was passed. For more information on these policies, please visit the Graduate Catalog.
- Submit your annual evaluation before 1 May. You will be sent an email from the College of Graduate Studies with links and instructions.
Year 2 Summer
- If required to maintain full-time enrollment for funding, scholarship etc. students will enroll in 6 credits of Doctoral Research POS 7919 using a restricted registration form.
- In consultation with chairs and committee members, students should prepare a draft dissertation proposal.
- By the deadline of 1 June the student selects and external member and send the updated CV of the individual to the Program Assistant. Once the external member is nominated and approved by the College of Graduate Studies, the student initiates the Doctoral Committee form.
- Once the Written Candidacy exams are passed and all course and language requirements are met, the student can progress to candidacy status. If external reader is not yet secured but student is otherwise eligible for candidacy status starting fall Year 3, he or she must inform the Program Director by the deadline of 1 July.
- WARNING: Failure to make candidacy by fall Year 3 means you will have to register for dissertation credit hours beyond the spring of Year 3. This could have financial implications depending on your funding status.
Year 3 Fall
- If the student has progressed to doctoral candidate status he or she can enroll in 9 credits of dissertation hours. Students must defend their dissertation proposals no later than the first semester they enroll in dissertation hours.
- Candidates register for up to 9 hours of POS 7980 Dissertation Research. To be considered full-time for fellowship, employment and tuition waiver purposes, candidates must be enrolled into at least 3 hours of POS 7980.
- Students who are not yet candidates but have otherwise completed their coursework and wish to be considered full-time for fellowship, employment, and tuition waiver purposes must register for 9 hours of POS 7919 Doctoral Research.
- If you have not already done so, arrange with your committee members for your Dissertation Proposal Defense. You do not need to include your external reader in your proposal defense. The Dissertation Proposal Announcement must be approved by your committee chair and submitted to the program assistant no later than two weeks before your proposal defense (Announcement Example). Dissertation Proposal Approval Form.
Year 3 Spring & Summer
- Candidates can register for up to 9 hours of POS 7980 Dissertation Research. To be considered full-time for fellowship, employment and tuition waiver purposes, candidates must be enrolled into at least 3 hours of POS 7980. Students must complete a total of 15 credit hours of POS 7980 in order to meet degree requirements.
- Defend your dissertation. Doctoral Final Examination Announcement(Example). Dissertation Approval Form(Sample).
- Submit your annual evaluation before 1 May. You will be sent an email from the College of Graduate Studies with links and instructions.
Year 4+
- If all 56 required credits are complete, students must register for at least 1 credit hour of POS 7980 Dissertation Research every semester, fall, spring, and summer, until they successfully defend their dissertation. The number of credit hours is determined by your dissertation advisor, who may request more than one hour depending on the amount of thesis supervision planned for the semester.
- Submit your annual evaluation before 1 May. You will be sent an email from the College of Graduate Studies with links and instructions.