Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program

Faculty Handbook

Fall 2016

Dean’s Welcome

Denis Medeiros, Ph.D.

Vice Provost and Dean School of Graduate Studies

Welcome to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program. I am very pleased that you will be working with students from your discipline who are pursuing doctoral degrees. The concept of interdisciplinary studies, research and practice has been around for centuries. Abraham Kuyper (1836- 1920) said, “No single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest.” The first use of the word interdisciplinary was documented in 1926 and is defined as involving two or more academic, scientific or artistic disciplines. (Merriam-Webster). As identified by Kuyper, not only can we not blindly seal off our thinking from the world around us, we also can better find effective solutions to complex issues when we understand how one discipline can impact another. Thus we can promote problem-solving though interdisciplinary practices.

Initiated in 1989, the UMKC Interdisciplinary Ph.D. (IPhD) Program was ahead of its time with a goal to transcend disciplinary and departmental boundaries. The IPhD Program provides students the unique educational opportunity to develop as scientistsand scholars in their chosen field by combining two or more disciplines of study. Working with faculty, students explore content, research, practice and performance questions from the perspective of both disciplines. The world of the future will require scholars with a global approach to problem solving. It will not be enough to know one area, one discipline, or one field of study. Inquiry and discovery are crossing disciplines. Thus, the mission of the IPhD Program is to span traditional boundaries while helping students develop knowledge and skills for independent research. This broader training allows students to gain novel insights to solve complex problems and allows them to be nimble in their career choices. Your role in guiding students through this process is critical to the success of the IPhD Program and the success of our students.

This handbook will serve as your guide to the structural design of the program and the policies that guide the program. The ultimate outcome will be that our graduates are scholars in a rapidly emerging world of interdisciplinarity.

Again, thank you for your commitment to this doctoral program. Together, we will develop scholars and scientists who are leaders for tomorrow.

Table of Contents

Content / Page(s)
UMKC Vision, Mission and Goals / 4
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Mission and Philosophy / 4-5
Program Administration
  • Introduction
  • School of Graduate Studies
  • Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Executive Committee
  • Discipline Coordinators
/ 6-7
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program Description
  • Program Goals
  • Disciplines Participating for the Fall 2016 Admissions Cycle
  • Admission to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program
  • Plan of Study and Comprehensive Examination
/ 7-9
Student Support Services
  • Best Practices in Mentoring and Advising
  • Graduate Writing Initiative
  • International Student Affairs
  • Counseling and Health Services Available at UMKC
  • Disability Support Services
  • Title IX
  • LGBTQIA Program and Services
/ 9-14
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Admissions
  • General Admission Criteria
  • International Graduate Applicants
  • Additional Admission Requirements
  • Application Procedure
  • Helpful Links
/ 14-19
Graduate Academic Regulations and Degree Requirements
  • UMKC Catalog
  • Student Conduct Policies
  • Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantships
/ 19-21
Graduate Fellowships, Scholarships, and Grants / 21
Appendix
  • UMKC Catalog
  • Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Student Handbook
  • Flowchart Guide for Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program
  • Forms for the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program
/ 21-22

Program Information and Policies

1.UMKC Vision, Mission and Goals

Vision

UMKC will become a model urban research university characterized by signature graduate and professional programs, a dynamic undergraduate population, a highly diverse faculty, staff and student body, and active engagement with its city and region.

Mission statement

UMKC’s mission is to lead in life and health sciences; to deepen and expand strength in the visual and performing arts; to develop a professional workforce and collaborate in urban issues and education; and to create a vibrant learning and campus life experience.

Goals

  • Place student success at the center
  • Lead in life and health sciences
  • Advance urban engagement
  • Excel in the visual and performing arts
  • Embrace diversity
  • Promote research and economic development

2.Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Mission and Philosophy

Research is rapidly expanding as global problems and issues require scholars with an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving. It will no longer be enough to know one area, one discipline, one field. Inquiry and discovery are crossing disciplines. For this reason, in 1990, UMKC developed and introduced an interdisciplinary doctoral degree program that spans traditional boundaries across disciplines while helping students develop knowledge and skills for independent research on the fundamental questions of the present and the future.

The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program is designed to provide self-directed students with academic training at the highest level of scholarship, while allowing their participation as colleagues in research of fundamental importance. Students in the program develop the ability to integrate principles and theories from at least two disciplines (Primary and Co-Discipline), using approaches, methods, ethical principles, and tools to pursue a research line of inquiry.

There are currently 21 Primary disciplines and 25 Co-Disciplines accepting applications for the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program. Enrollment in the program includes more than 360 students. More than 750 students have graduated during the program's existence.

The following core values and attributes underscore UMKC's Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program:

Learning is enhanced by a search for knowledge across discipline boundaries.
Therefore, the program:

  • Is student-centered.
  • Enables students to acquire the skills of interdisciplinary scholarship and research.
  • Broadens students’ exposure to multiple academic fields.

Interdisciplinary research draws on discipline-based knowledge, generating integrated solutions to problems that cross discipline boundaries.
Therefore, the program:

  • Is problem-oriented.
  • Integrates the attributes of a broad-based interdisciplinary approach with the grounding of a traditional academic focus.
  • Provides a solid grounding in theories, concepts and methodologies of two or more disciplines.

Learning thrives in an environment open to a diversity of ideas, cultural backgrounds, discipline perspectives and approaches to problems.
Therefore, the program:

  • Instills an appreciation of different disciplines.
  • Integrates the disciplinary perspectives to give students the methodological and theoretical tools to thrive in a wide range of scholarly and professional environments.

Society derives great benefit from collaborative efforts that transcend discipline boundaries to solve problems. Therefore, the program:

  • Prepares individuals to be multi-functional; to combine disparate skills to solve problems.
  • Provides opportunities for individuals to gain skills in working within a collaborative environment.

In the course of pursing a Ph.D., there are many skills students obtain that are transferable to other occupations.Acquisition of transferable skills allows graduates to compete for positions in a variety of work settings. Transferable skills such as analytical thinking and problem solving, verbal communication, project management, and technical writing and design, allow students to be nimble throughout their careers, changing positions and career directions.

3.Program Administration

Introduction

The School of Graduate Studies serves as the academic home for students admitted to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program. Quality control of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program rests with those faculty members certified by the University of Missouri to chair and serve on doctoral supervisory committees. These doctoral faculty members are responsible for the design and implementation of a student's doctoral plan of study and for the assessment of the qualifications of a student they recommend to the Curators for the Ph.D. degree. To help students formulate an appropriate plan of study, the doctoral faculty are divided into five broad groups corresponding to research interests and expertise. The groupings do not preclude an interdisciplinary plan of study and research involving more than one of these five groups, but are intended only to provide a structure that will assist students and doctoral faculty in developing a plan of study for each Interdisciplinary Ph.D. student.

A 15-member executive committee of the doctoral faculty, chaired by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, formulates the policies that govern Interdisciplinary Ph.D. studies. Ten members of the committee are elected by the doctoral faculty. The Chancellor, in view of the election results and in consultation with the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, appoints five members. There are three members from each of the five broad research areas. This process ensures representation from across the primary areas of responsibility assigned to the campus by the Curators. The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Executive Committee is also charged with formulating, monitoring and reviewing goals of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program and recommending changes in goals, procedures and policies to the faculty. Any proposed major change must be ratified by the doctoral faculty of the campus.

School of Graduate Studies

The operating procedures and structure for graduate education is available as a PDF document on the School of Graduate Studies website. The School of Graduate Studies staff information is also available on the website.

Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Executive Committee

Membership and meeting scheduleis available on the School of Graduate Studies website.

Discipline Coordinators

Each discipline participating in the IPhD program has a faculty member with doctoral appointment status that serves as the discipline coordinator. These faculty serve as the primary advisor for applicants and facilitates the application review process within the discipline and communicates directly with the primary discipline or co-discipline coordinator. Other responsibilities of the coordinators include quality review of students progressing through the program to assure compliance with policies governing the IPhD program and serves as the liaison between the discipline and the School of Graduate Studies. Coordinators may be involved in facilitating decisions related to fellowships, assistantships, and other financial support offered to students. Discipline Coordinators are appointed by the Dean of their respective academic units or assigned within their departments. There is no limit on the number of times one can serve as coordinator or length of appointment.

The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Coordinators List is available on the School of Graduate Studies website.

4.Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program Description

In order to be fully admitted to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program, applicants must meet all criteria for admission and be recommended for admission by the doctoral faculty review groups in a primary discipline area and to at least one co-discipline area. Upon approval by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, students are admitted to the School of Graduate Studies. The School of Graduate Studies monitors student progress in the program, enforces program regulations and facilitates communication among the disciplines. A discipline coordinator, usually a doctoral faculty member, coordinates admission reviews andmonitors progress of students within each discipline.

Doctoral students in this program take coursework and conduct their research in at least two disciplines. The content of their program of study is not predetermined, but formulated by thestudent, in consultation with UMKC doctoral faculty, to meet their individual needs and research interests and to satisfy discipline-specific requirements.

ProgramGoals

Students in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program will acquire:

  1. grounding in the primary and co-disciplines;
  2. the ability to integrate the principles and theories of each of the disciplines;
  3. the ability to effectively communicate findings and approaches to solving interdisciplinary research problems;
  4. research skills in each discipline such as approaches, methods, ethical principles, and tools to pursue a research line of inquiry;
  5. the ability to form effective teams with diverse scholars across disciplines to solve novel research questions.
Disciplines participating for the Fall 2016 admissions cycle:
Administrative and Information Sciences
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation(Henry W. Bloch School of Management)
  • Public Affairs and Administration(Henry W. Bloch School of Management)
    (only available as a co-discipline option)
  • Educational Leadership, Policy and Foundations(School of Education)
Biological and Chemical Sciences
  • Biomedical and Health Informatics(School of Medicine)

(only available as a co-discipline option)

  • Cell Biology and Biophysics(School of Biological Sciences)
  • Molecular Biology and Biochemistry(School of Biological Sciences)
  • Chemistry(College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Oraland Craniofacial Sciences(School of Dentistry)
  • Pharmaceutical Sciences(School of Pharmacy)
  • Pharmacology(School of Pharmacy)
Humanities and Arts
  • ArtHistory(College of Arts and Sciences)
  • English(College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Humanities Consortium(College of Arts and Sciences)

(only available as a co-discipline option)

  • Music Education(Conservatory of Music and Dance)
Physical, Mathematics, Engineering and Computer Sciences
  • Engineering(School of Computing and Engineering)
  • Geosciences(College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Mathematics(College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Physics(College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Telecommunication and Computer Networking(School of Computing and Engineering)
  • Computer Science(School of Computing and Engineering)
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering(School of Computing and Engineering)
Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Economics(College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Curriculum and Instruction(School of Education)
  • History(College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Social Sciences Consortium: Economics, Political Science and Sociology(only available as a co-discipline option)

The above list of participating disciplines constitutes a dynamic list that can change annually as members are added to or dropped from the doctoral faculty, or as the resources in various academic units change. Applicants should contact the School of Graduate Studies Office for information about modifications to the above list that might have occurred since this catalog was prepared.

Admission to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program

Admission to UMKC's School of Graduate Studies' Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program is highly competitive. Enrollment in the program is limited, and admission is granted only to students who have a mature commitment to advanced study and scholarship. Admission is also subject to availability of adequate faculty and other resources within an applicant's chosen disciplines.

Plan of Study and Comprehensive Examination

After being admitted to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program, and no later than the end of the semester in which the student completesthe comprehensive examinations, each student must satisfy the interdisciplinary doctoral residency requirement by completing at least 18credits, exclusive of dissertation research (5696-5699), in no more than 24 months. Students may be admitted either provisionally or fully to the program; however, within 24 months of being fully admitted, each student must develop a Plan of Study proposal in consultation with the doctoral faculty members who have agreed to serve on the student's supervisory committee. Although no fixed set of courses is required, students are expected to prepare a rigorous plan of study that includes at least 30 didactic course hours beyond the baccalaureate degree, exclusive of thesis and dissertation research credits. More credit hours may be required by either the student's supervisory committee, the student's disciplines, the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Executive Committee, or the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. The number of credits included on the plan of study shall be predicated upon the extent of the student's previous academic preparation, the discipline-specific requirements of the student's disciplines, and the nature of the student's field of study.

Students must take and pass a comprehensive examination containing components of each discipline to which they have been admitted to determine if they are ready to advance to candidacy and the final phases of their Ph.D. program. Typically the comprehensive examination will be conducted as the student nears completion of the didactic coursework listed onthe plan of study. The final phases of the program shall comprise:

  • Completion of significant research.
  • A written dissertation acceptable to the doctoral faculty.
  • Successful oral defense of the research work and dissertation.

5.Student Support Services

Best Practices in Mentoring and Advising:

Equal access to high-quality advising and mentoring is essential to excellence in graduate education. The Council of Graduate Schools (2010) identified the following “Promising Practices” for mentoring and advising (p. 36):

Regularity and uniformity of progress review

  • Implement regular advisor/advisee meetings and progress reports
  • Encourage programs to set up annual student performance review systems
  • Develop “best practices” for tracking student progress in relation to the amount and type of student financial aid
  • Institute a modified report on students’ plans for the remainder of the academic year to be completed immediately upon their advancement to candidacy

Early advising

  • Require each first-year student to have an advisor or advisory structure; conduct regular evaluations of progress
  • Encourage the participation of graduate students of color and women in programs that support members of underrepresented groups in graduate education
  • Initiate a “Navigating the System” seminar program to address the theme of inclusion and diversity
  • Establish administrative structures for the early identification of, and interventions aimed at retaining students
  • Create omsbud position to support first-year students

Resources for faculty

  • Offer workshops for faculty on mentoring
  • Make such workshops part of the new faculty orientation
  • Develop materials / handbooks and online resources for faculty on mentoring
  • Offer mini-grants to help faculty develop initiatives aimed at improving the quality of mentoring
  • Recognize excellence in mentoring through faculty awards

Other mentors

  • Train peer mentors and ensure that all new students are assigned a trained peer mentor
  • Provide students with external mentors

Reference

Council of Graduate Schools. (2010).Ph.D. Completion and Attrition: Policies to Promote Student Success.

Graduate Writing Initiative

The UMKC School of Graduate Studies, University Libraries, and the UMKC Writing Studio are partnering to implement a Graduate Writing Initiative to provide resources such as writing workshops and online tutorials for the more than 5,400 graduate students enrolled in our degree and certificate programs. Survey results from more than 500 graduate students and 140 faculty members demonstrated that there was a need for increased graduate writing support on campus. Using the survey findings, student and faculty focus groups further explored ways to enhance graduate student writing.