URP Ph.D. Applying for Candidacy

The student is advanced to candidacy when all requirements except the dissertation proposal and dissertation have been satisfied. (Any incompletes critical to satisfying program requirements must be made up before applying for candidacy.)

The normal time to achieve candidacy is two years from date of first enrollment in the doctoral program. Students who take longer than four years need to document a clear rationale for their slow progress.

Once the student has successfully completed all coursework, the theory exam and the comprehensive exam, the student is to schedule a meeting with the Doctoral Coordinator. The student should bring a copy of the URP Ph.D. "Compliance Form" that indicates the satisfactory completion of all degree requirements except the dissertation proposal and dissertation. The Compliance Form is an integral part of the student's record, and records the completion of requirements and various approvals. The student is responsible for maintaining this form and for making sure a current duplicate form is on file with the URP doctoral program administrator.

The Compliance Form has five pages:

1. Theory Requirement: Courses and Exam
2. Research Design & Methods Requirement: Courses
3. Primary and Secondary Fields: Courses and Comprehensive Exam
4. Evidence of the equivalent of eight months of full-time work experience (teaching, research, or practicum) in a planning-related situation must be submitted and approved by the student's advisor or the Coordinator of Doctoral Studies. Work experience before entering or while enrolled qualifies equally.
5. Dissertation Proposal Approval (Note: this requirement is completed AFTER advancing to candidacy).

In order to advance to candidacy, the student must also meet Rackham candidacy requirements. These include:

1. Students must be enrolled (for a minimum of one credit) during the term in which they take their preliminary examinations. For URP Ph.D. students this means the term in which the comprehensive exam is taken.
2. A minimum GPA of 5.0 (B)
3. Completed a minimum of 36 Rackham Fee Totals (RTFs). This requirement is reduced to 18 RFTs if the student has a "relevant master's". [see Rackham Fee Totals (RFTs)]
4. Coursework-in-Residence: Complete 18 hours of graduate coursework in residence on the Ann Arbor campus.
5. Complete at least 4 hours of cognate graduate coursework (coursework outside the Urban and Regional Planning Program) with a grade of "C-" or better.

Once the student has satisfied all these requirements, the Doctoral Coordinator will formally nominate the student for candidacy (by signing and submitting the "Recommendation for Candidacy" Form). When a student becomes a candidate, he or she is considered ready to do the dissertation and is eligible for UP 995 candidacy registration.