Academic Policies and Requirements
ACADEMIC HONESTY AND PLAGIARISM
It is contrary to justice, to academic integrity, and to the spirit of intellectual inquiry to submit the statements or ideas of work of others as one's own. To do so is plagiarism or cheating, offenses punishable under the University's disciplinary system. Because these offenses undercut the distinctive moral and intellectual character of the University, we take them very seriously.
Proper acknowledgment of another's ideas, whether by direct quotation or paraphrase, is expected. In particular, if any written or electronic source is consulted and material is used from that source, directly or indirectly, the source should be identified by author, title, and page number, or by website and date accessed . Any doubts about what constitutes "use" should be addressed to the instructor.
ACADEMIC FRAUD
Charges of academic fraud against students are subject to the University's policy on academic fraud when the regulations of the external sponsors (e.g. the federal government) are involved as determined by the Office of the Provost. In all other cases, charges of academic fraud against students are subject to this academic fraud policy only to the extent that they involve dissertations of students who have received their degrees, or work published or submitted for publication; other cases of academic fraud by students are subject to the University's area disciplinary system.
DEGREES
Degree Requirements
To be eligible for any graduate degree, a student must complete a minimum of three quarters of full time residence in the University, or its equivalent. To be eligible for a degree from the College, a student must complete a minimum of six quarters. Students in Ph.D. programs must be registered in the quarter in which the degree is awarded/received.
Degree Application
Students who expect to receive a degree at the end of a quarter must file a degree application with the appropriate Dean of Students. The application for the degree should be filed before the beginning of the quarter but no later than the end of the first week of the quarter in which the degree is expected. Graduate students in the divisions must first seek approval from their departments.
A degree application is valid only for the quarter in which the application for the degree is made. The application must be filed even if degree plans are tentative. If the degree is not granted at the end of that quarter, re-application must be made no later than the end of the first week in the next quarter in which a degree is expected. A cancellation fee of $50 will be charged for each degree application withdrawn after the end of the fifth week of the quarter.
Students are expected to settle all financial obligations to the University and clear all restrictions established by academic and administrative departments within the University, including current quarter tuition and fees, by the end of ninth week of autumn, winter and spring quarters, and by the end of the eighth week of summer quarter. Should the ninth week of autumn quarter conclude with the two Thanksgiving holidays, this deadline shall be the day before Thanksgiving.
Second Master's Degrees
Two master's degrees from the University
In general, students may receive a second master's degree from the University while still enrolled in a primary program. This may be of significant benefit to a student. However, to protect the integrity of the University's degrees, the following conditions must be satisfied to award a second master's degree:
There should be no overlap in courses, papers, lab work, etc., used to satisfy the requirements of the degrees (in the absence of a formal joint degree program approved by the Council of the Senate).
The student must formally apply to the unit granting a second degree and receive written approval of acceptance into the program from the dean or chair of this unit, as well as from the area Dean of Students, before half of the course requirements for the second degree have been undertaken. There is no presupposition that such an application would be approved.
The dean or chair of the student's primary program, as well as the area Dean of Students, must approve in writing, before half of the course requirements for the second degree have been undertaken, the student's plan to obtain a second master's degree.
The Office of the Provost must approve in writing, before half of the course requirements for the second degree have been undertaken, the student's plan to obtain a second master's degree.
The second master's program should form a coherent intellectual whole with the primary program. This should be evaluated by those whose written approval is required.
Students with master's degrees from other institutions
Students coming to the University with a master's degree from another institution may receive a master's degree from the University in a different field, and no special considerations apply. When a student enters the University in the same or closely related field in which a previous master's degree is held, the University may award a second master's degree in that field. To be eligible, a student must fulfill all the standard requirements for a master's degree from the University by work done as a student at the University.
DISSERTATION REQUIREMENTS
Doctoral dissertations are original contributions to scholarship. As a condition for receipt of the doctorate, all students are required to execute a publication agreement with ProQuest UMI Dissertation Publishing.
The public sharing of original dissertation research is a principle to which the University is deeply committed, and dissertations should be made available to the scholarly community at the University of Chicago and elsewhere in a timely manner. In exceptional circumstances such as potential endangerment of research subjects or the dissertation author, for example, students may choose an embargo period in ProQuest, in consultation with their advisor and after receiving permission from the Deputy Provost for Graduate Education. If a dissertation includes copyrighted material beyond fair use, the author must obtain permission from the holder of the copyright.
All dissertations must follow the formatting and submission requirements stated in University-wide Requirements for the Ph.D. Disssertation, available from the Dissertation Office on the first floor of the Joseph Regenstein Library http://phd.lib.uchicago.edu.
PH.D. ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENT
In addition to the University system of residence statuses used to track doctoral progress, UChicago requires all Ph.D. students to enroll in at least 300 units of coursework, including the option of a “Research and Writing” course to codify their continued progress toward the degree. Students must enroll and be graded quarterly in coursework.
RESIDENCE SYSTEM FOR STUDENTS IN PH.D. PROGRAMS
To record the progress of students toward the Ph.D., the University uses a system of continuous registration that assigns students to residence statuses based on their years of enrollment in a doctoral program. Within that system of residence statuses, students complete Ph.D. program requirements as established by individual academic units. Program requirements vary by department or school, while the system of residence statuses is uniform across the University.
To receive a Ph.D., students in doctoral programs at the University are registered in Scholastic Residence for four years, and then maintain registration in the status of Advanced Residence for eight years. Until the 2013-2014 academic year, students who have not completed a Ph.D. at the end of eight years of Advanced Residence then register in Extended Residence. Beginning in 2013-2014, however, Extended Residence status will be eliminated and students who have not completed a Ph.D. after 12 years from the date of their matriculation will no longer be permitted to register at the University. Students will still be allowed to graduate past the 12th ear with their department's and division's permission as detailed below. In all statuses, satisfactory academic progress toward the doctorate, as determined by the specific programs, is a prerequisite for continued registration. Note particularly that in addition to setting degree requirements, with progress markers and deadlines, academic programs may set a time limit on degree completion. The registration statuses and other details of the registration system fffor doctoral students are described below.
Students entering a Ph.D. program are registered in Scholastic Residence for each of their first four years of study, unless they earn the Ph.D. in fewer than four years. During each of those four years, students are required to be registered for at least three academic quarters, normally the autumn, winter, and spring quarters. Some programs require registration during the Summer Quarter as well. (This requirement for three or four quarters of registration for each year between entry into and completion of a Ph.D. program is how the University defines "continuous registration." Continuous registration is currently required from matriculation through completion of the Ph.D. Beginning in 2013-14, continuous registration will be required during Scholastic Residence and Advanced Residence, but not through the completion of the Ph.D. program, in the case of those who have not completed a Ph.D. by the end of 12 years.)
During the early years of Scholastic Residence, students are engaged primarily in course work; during the later years, students are typically engaged in a combination of coursework, examinations, and independent research and writing. The appropriate academic endeavors are determined by the academic programs, and not by the University.
Scholastic Residence is defined by the University as a full-time student status.
During the period of Scholastic Residence, students have all the privileges associated with full-time status: access to student housing, full library privileges, use of athletic facilities, quarterly computer time, access to student health insurance and the services of the Primary Care Services and Student Counseling Services, ability to borrow under federal student loan programs (so long as the student is otherwise eligible to participate in these programs), and deferment of repayment of past federal student loans.
University residence requirements are distinct from academic program requirements. While course requirements vary by academic unit, most students will complete them well within the period of Scholastic Residence. Such an accomplishment does not exempt the student from any of the four years required in Scholastic Residence; it means that the final quarters spent in this status are likely to be occupied with independent research, the development of the dissertation proposal, and preparation for the dissertation. Some students enter a doctoral program at the University with a master's degree earned from another institution in the field they are studying for the Ph.D. While an individual academic program may choose to waive certain of its course requirements as a result of prior graduate work, such adjustments in program requirements do not exempt students from any of the required four years of Scholastic Residence.
In the Ph.D. programs in the professional schools, in cases where admission is based on prior graduate training, the period of Scholastic Residence is adjusted accordingly, and the total number of years in Advanced Residence is held to the maximum of eight.
Scholastic Residence/Part-Time Registration
Although it is an option rarely chosen, students in Scholastic Residence can, with the permission of their academic programs, elect to be part-time students. As such, they pay half the regular tuition assessed for Scholastic Residence, and they double the length of time they remain in that status. To be more precise about the latter, the University defines two part-time quarters in Scholastic Residence to equal one full-time quarter in that status.
Once a student elects to register in Scholastic Residence/Part-Time for one quarter, the student is required to balance that registration with a later registration in Scholastic Residence/Part-Time status for a second part-time quarter. Part-time students may take up to two courses per quarter, but the tuition charge remains the same whether they take one course or two. Part-time students should check in advance with the Office of Student Loan Administration to see whether they are eligible to borrow or defer educational loans while registered in this status.
Advanced Residence
At the completion of four years of Scholastic Residence, the student enters the status of Advanced Residence and remains in this status (or in Pro Forma status, if approved, and as described below) for a maximum of eight calendar years. During this period, students are typically engaged in the conduct of a scholarly research project, and in writing a dissertation based upon it. Students are expected to register in at least three of the four quarters of each year they spend in Advanced Residence, typically in the autumn, winter, and spring Quarters. Note, however, that some academic programs require registration in all four quarters of the academic year. Registration in such programs does not reduce the eight-year maximum span allowed for Advanced Residence; neither does voluntary registration during the fourth quarter of an academic year, even though that may not be required by an academic program.
The University defines Advanced Residence as a full-time student status. Students in Advanced Residence are eligible for all the University benefits associated with full-time registration: access to student housing, full library privileges, use of athletic facilities, quarterly computer time, access to student health insurance and the services of the Primary Care Services and the Student Counseling Services, ability to borrow under federal student loan programs (so long as the student is otherwise eligible), and deferment of repayment of past federal student loans.
Students in Advanced Residence must be enrolled for at least 300 units of coursework, including the option of a "Research and Writing" course. During Advanced Residence, the choice to enroll in specific courses is made in accordance with program requirements and students' scholarly needs. Students may not use this as an opportunity to take courses to fulfill program requirements for a degree other than the one in which they are registered. Either way, the tuition associated with registration in Advanced Residence is a fixed sum that is not altered by enrollment in specific courses, and is much less than that for Scholastic Residence.
Students in Advanced Residence status who withdraw or are withdrawn from their programs and who subsequently are readmitted must register retroactively for three of every four of the intervening quarters from the time of withdrawal until the time of resumption of study and pay tuition at whatever rate is current at the time of reentry.
Pro Forma Registration
Pro Forma registration is a limited privilege designed to provide full-time status to doctoral students who must move away from the Chicago area, usually abroad but otherwise a substantial distance, in order to conduct the preparatory field research, archival research, or data collection which their dissertations will require. Students who are engaged in formal programs of intensive language training instruction abroad, as needed for completing their doctoral programs, are also eligible to apply for Pro Forma status. Note, however, that the choice to reside at a substantial distance from the University does not, in and of itself, qualify a student for Pro Forma status; neither does engagement in the research activity which continues throughout the dissertation stage qualify a student for Pro Forma status. All students other than those for whom the preparatory dissertation research requires a substantial geographic relocation are required to register in either Scholastic Residence or Advanced Residence, in accordance with the number of years of doctoral study completed.
Applications for Pro Forma registration must be recommended by the chair of the student's academic department and approved by the Dean of Students of the student's school or division. Normally applicants for Pro Forma status already will have been admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. Pro Forma registration can be approved for up to one year; applications for the renewal of Pro Forma status must be accompanied by a statement explaining why an extension is needed to carry out the research objective as originally defined. No student may be registered in Pro Forma status for more than the number of quarters of registration that are standard over two calendar years for the student's department (six or eight quarters).
Students in Pro Forma status are entitled access to e-mail and the University's electronic network, to student loan programs and deferment of past loans (if they are otherwise eligible to participate in such programs), and to student health insurance. Library privileges, access to student housing, and access to on campus student health services are not available to Pro Forma registrants, by virtue of their absence from the University.
Doctoral students in Pro Forma must be enrolled for at least 300 units of a "Research and Writing" course during every quarter they are in Pro Forma registration status. See the "Ph.D. Enrollment" section below for more information.
Please note that beginning in the 2013-2014 academic year, Extended Residence will be eliminated. Until then, Extended Residence policies are outlined below.
After the elapse of twelve years from the date on which they began their doctoral programs, students who have not completed their Ph.D.s must enter the status of Extended Residence. Students are expected to register in at least three of the four quarters of every year that they spend in Extended Residence, typically the autumn, winter, and spring quarters.
Extended Residence is not defined by the University as a full-time student status. Students in Extended Residence are entitled to use of the University libraries, as well as access to faculty, e-mail accounts, and the University electronic network. They are not eligible for any of the other benefits associated with full-time student status. Students remain registered in Extended Residence until they complete their Ph.D.s.
Students in Extended Residence status who withdraw or are withdrawn from their programs, and who subsequently are readmitted, must register retroactively for three of every four of the intervening quarters from the time of withdrawal until the time of resumption of study and pay tuition at whatever rate is current at the time of reentry.
Beginning in the 2013-2014 academic year, when Extended Residence is eliminated, students who have not completed their Ph.D.s after the elapse of twelve years will no longer be allowed to register in their degree programs. Students will, however, still be allowed to graduate past the twelfth year with their department and school or division’s permission. Those students removed from their programs at the end of the twelfth year who go on to complete their dissertations will be allowed to petition their departments to graduate. If the department accepts the dissertation and certifies that the student can demonstrate current knowledge of their field, the student will then be required to pay a graduation fee in the quarter they plan to graduate. Each department can define acceptable means of determining current knowledge. In order to ensure as few students as possible find themselves removed from their programs at the end of the twelfth year, students at the beginning of the tenth year of their programs will be required to submit a degree completion plan, endorsed by their dissertation chair, to their departments and deans of students.
Leaves of absence can be requested by and granted to students in Ph.D. programs during either the Scholastic Residence or the Advanced Residence stages, subject to the conditions and procedures described below. Note, however, that such leaves do not extend a doctoral student's eligibility for full-time student status (in either Scholastic or Advanced Residence) beyond the total of twelve years from entry into the Ph.D. programs. Three types of leaves of absence are available to students in Ph.D. programs.
- During Scholastic Residence, a student who has completed three or fewer years in this status may apply to the Dean of Students of his or her division or school for a leave of absence of up to four academic quarters. Upon returning from such a leave, the student will be required to register in Scholastic Residence until the requirement of four years of registration in that status has been fulfilled.
- A student in Advanced Residence may apply for a leave of absence only if temporarily incapacitated by major illness or injury. Applications for such a leave must be endorsed by the Dean of Students of the student's school or division; they can only be granted by the Office of the Provost. A student may take such a medical leave of absence for no more than four academic quarters.
- A female student in either Scholastic or Advanced Residence who becomes pregnant may request a one-quarter leave of absence for childbirth. The one-quarter maternity leave of absence may be taken in the quarter of the childbirth or an adjacent quarter. This includes summer quarter whether registration is required or not. Such a leave may be granted by the Dean of Students of the student's school or division.
Availability of student health insurance during a leave of absence, and other issues that may arise about that coverage, will be governed by the operative student health insurance rules and policies at the time the leave is taken. Other University facilities and services are not available to students on leaves of absence.
Scholastic Residence Beyond the Fourth Year
Depending on their duration and on a student's registration in subsequent quarters, Leaves of Absence or Pro Forma registration may extend the period of registration in Scholastic Residence beyond four calendar years. Note, however, that this does not affect the total of twelve years of full-time student status, from the beginning of the doctoral program, for which that student is eligible. For example, a student registered in Scholastic Residence for three years and taking a Leave of Absence in the fourth will return to Scholastic Residence for his or her fifth year of study and move to Advanced Residence for his or her sixth through twelfth years. After that, the student will register in Extended Residence, if necessary, until 2012-2013. Beginning in 2013-2014 when Extended Residence is eliminated, students will no longer be allowed to register past their twelfth year.
Withdrawal from Advanced Residence or Extended Residence
If a student in Advanced Residence or Extended Residence decides not to complete the Ph.D., he or she must formally withdraw from the program in writing. To resume study after such withdrawal requires reapplication to the University. If readmitted until 2112-2013, the student will be required to register retroactively in Advanced or Extended Residence, whichever is appropriate, for three of every four of the intervening quarters from the time of withdrawal until the time of resumption of study and to pay tuition at whatever rate is current at the time of reentry. In addition, the student will be required to pay a reinstatement fee of $150 per quarter for each of these quarters.
Beginning in 2013-2014, when Extended Residence is eliminated, students who withdrew during Advanced Residence will be required to pay tuition at the rate current at the time of reentry for the equivalent number of quarters as would have remained in Advanced Residence had they not withdrawn. They will also be required to pay a reinstatement fee of $150 per quarter for each of those quarters.
Administrative Withdrawal from Advanced Residence or Extended Residence
The University has a system of continuous registration that requires all graduate students to be registered in some official status for three of every four quarters in each academic year from the time of entry into the program until the degree is awarded. Following upon that requirement, students at the stage of Advanced or Extended Residence (until Extended Residence is eliminated in 2013-2014) who are restricted and therefore cannot register must clear their restrictions by the end of the fifth week of the quarter or they will be assessed a $250 continuous registration penalty fee. Any student who fails to clear all restrictions and become officially registered by the end of that same quarter will be administratively withdrawn from the University.
A student who has been administratively withdrawn from a Ph.D. program and later wishes to resume study must apply for readmission. If readmitted, the student will be required to register retroactively in the appropriate residence status for three of every four of the intervening quarters from the time of withdrawal until the time of resumption of study and will be charged tuition at the rate current at time of reentry. In addition, the student will be required to pay a reinstatement fee of $150 per quarter for each of those quarters, plus the one-time continuous registration penalty fee of $250 which was previously assessed during the quarter of restriction.
TRANSFER BETWEEN ACADEMIC UNITS
A student who wishes to transfer from one department, division, or school of the University to another must submit a complete application to the new unit at the appropriate time of year to be reviewed for admission and funding by that unit.
