Office of Student Affairs
Guidelines and Instructions for ES and CSHPE doctoral STUDENTS
who need to Petition for an Extension of Time
The School of Education faculty believe that it is important for doctoral students to be active members of the University's scholarly community and draw upon its numerous and varied resources. To conduct research of high quality, individuals must keep abreast of substantive and methodological developments within their specializations and in related fields and disciplines. Such intellectual energy derives in part from students' interactions with fellow students and faculty on the Michigan campus.
Doctoral students in the School of Education are expected to make continuous progress toward the completion of their degree programs. Significant lapses of time can disadvantage students in several ways; they may find it difficult to complete courses that are arranged in a sequence, the continuity in their research apprenticeships may be broken as the composition and expertise of the faculty can change, and students' knowledge of a particular specialization area, as well as in research methods, may become outdated.
The Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, through which graduate degrees in Education are awarded, has a policy requiring that doctoral work be completed within seven (7) years of initial enrollment in a doctoral program. A petition for an extension of time to complete a doctoral degree must be submitted if a student fails to meet this deadline.
The current paper form is being moved to an online process for any request except for those requiring action by the Registrar’s Office. The new process for these types of requests will be handled by submitting an online form. The student initiates the request and will be asked to enter the graduate program chair and advisor (if applicable) email addresses, the request and justification for the modification/waiver, and any supporting documentation. When the student submits the form, emails will be sent to the graduate char and the advisor asking them to log into the system and approve or not approve the request. Once Rackham has reviewed the petition, and email will be sent to the student and the program’s graduate coordinator with the decision.
Rackham Graduate School Academic Policies
rackham.umich.edu/policies/academic_policies/
Time Limit for Completing a Doctoral Degree
rackham.umich.edu/policies/academic_policies/
Students are expected to complete the degree within five years of achieving candidacy, but no more than seven years from the date of the first enrollment in their Rackham doctoral program. Graduate programs should conduct annual reviews of candidates to assess progress toward completion of the degree. Students who entered their program prior to the fall of 2007 and have not completed their degree within the seven year limit should petition Rackham OARD for an extension of time to degree with a plan for completion. Effective for students entering in the fall of 2007 and later, graduate programs may request an unconditional one-year extension for students deemed to be making satisfactory progress toward the degree, providing a plan and timeline for completion. A program may request an additional one-year extension, but a student who does not complete the degree after two years of extension may be returned to precandidacy status and required to meet candidacy requirements again. Rackham will notify graduate programs of students who have not completed their degree within the stipulated period.
Instructions to Petition for an Extension of Time
Doctoral students who have not completed their program within seven years from the date of the first enrollment in the doctoral program will need to petition for an extension of time.
SOE requires that students include these items as an supplemental upload within the online form:
1) Current vitae or resume. Be sure to include the activities that enhance your scholarship. If you have been reinstated, be sure to include a report of your professional activities during the time that you have not been enrolled.
2) Doctoral students must request a recommendation from two current faculty members:
Ø One letter from a faculty member who agreed or would agree to serve as the chair/co-chair
Ø One letter from a faculty member who agreed or would agree to serve as a committee member
Current faculty members should complete the attached recommendation form. The recommender should submit it to the Office of Student Affairs in the School of Education.
Questions should be directed to Betsy Dodge () or Jessica Mason ()
What other information do I need to know about an extension of time?
Ø A program chair can require a doctoral student to enroll in additional courses or return to precandidacy status and retake prelims/CQE if the course work is not considered current or state of the art.
Ø When requesting additional time, it is important to demonstrate progress.
Ø When developing your timeline for completion, it is important to be as realistic as possible. If you are preparing a timeline for completion in Fall Term 2011 and it seems tight, it would be best to prepare a timeline for the completion in the following term, Winter Term 2012. It is OK to finish early. Your dissertation chair/co-chairs should review your timeline before you submit it.
Ø Notification of the approval of your extension of time will be sent to you from the Rackham Graduate School, specifically the Office of Academic Records and Dissertations. The School of Education will not send an additional communication about the approval of the extension.
Ø As a condition of the approval of an extension of time, doctoral students are expected to make continuous progress.
Ø If an extension of time has been approved and you are not able to complete your degree requirements, you will need to submit materials for another extension of time. Again, you would need to demonstrate progress and submit a very realistic timeline for completion.
Ø Doctoral students are expected to register every fall and winter term until the degree is awarded in accordance with the Rackham doctoral registration requirements: rackham.umich.edu/policies/academic_policies/section3/#32.
Ø A spring-summer registration is required if the dissertation is defended during this term.
Ø TUITION SUPPORT FOR DOCTORAL CANDIDATES
Tuition support is available for doctoral students who are making satisfactory academic progress, who register due to the Rackham doctoral registration requirements but would not have registered under former policies and practices, and who do not have another source of tuition funding. Doctoral students admitted prior to Fall Term 2010 who have achieved candidacy and are making satisfactory academic progress but who are not otherwise supported, will be eligible for a tuition-only fellowship when they are required to register due to the Rackham doctoral registration requirements. You are considered a supported doctoral candidate if you secure a GSRA, GSI, GSSA or internal or external fellowship at the University (in the School of Education or in another department) that includes tuition reimbursement.
Information about applying for Rackham Graduate School Continuous Enrollment Support can be viewed at: soe.umich.edu/academics/financial_aid/#rackham_graduate_school_continuous_enrollment_support.
To apply for this award, please visit sitemaker.umich.edu/soe.awards/tuition_support.
Ø TUITION SUPPORT FOR DOCTOral Candidates and Defense Registration
All doctoral candidates are required to register for 8 hours in the defense term (fall, winter, or the full spring/summer). Doctoral candidates are encouraged to apply for the following to cover tuition for their registration in the defense term:
o Dissertation Finishing Grants
The School of Education Dissertation Finishing Grants are intended to provide need-based tuition support for students in the term in which they defend a dissertation. Only doctoral candidates in Educational Studies or the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education are eligible to apply. For deadline dates and to apply for this award, please visit soe.umich.edu/files/dissfingr.pdf.
o Rackham One-Term Dissertation Fellowships soe.umich.edu/academics/financial_aid/
Rackham One-Term Dissertation Fellowships are intended to assist students in completing their dissertations by providing sufficient financial resources to allow them to work full-time on the final stages of writing and defending a dissertation. For deadline dates and to apply for this award, please visit soe.umich.edu/files/OTD.pdf.
Document Prepared: January 13, 2015