Effective Date Nov 16, 2018

Last Review Date: August 12, 2024

(Graduate Policy 2.2)

Program of Study

(Graduate Policy 2.2.1)

The course requirements below shall be documented in the form of a formal Program of Study. The Program of Study must be:

1. written in consultation with the student’s academic advisor, doctoral committee, or designee of the academic unit head;
2. signed by the student, academic advisor and academic unit head, no later than one month prior to the time nine semester credit hours of graduate coursework have been completed; and
3. submitted to the registrar’s office along with the student’s petition to graduate.

Credit Hour Requirements Effective Fall 2009 (Applicable to students who began Fall 2006 or later)

(Graduate Policy 2.2.2)

Although the doctoral degrees are awarded primarily on the basis of creative accomplishment rather than the accumulation of a specified number of semester credit hours, there are standards regarding the minimum number of semester credit hours that must be successfully completed by all doctoral students, as noted below. Specific programs may require more than any “at least” figure cited.

1. Total Credit Hours: At least 72 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree (herein called the “72-hour program”) or, at the department’s discretion, at least 42 hours beyond an applicable master’s degree (herein called the “42-hour program”) must be completed.
2. Coursework (Formal): At least 18 semester credit hours for the 72-hour program or at least 12 semester credit hours for the 42-hour program of formal courses (i.e., any classroom-based course or equivalent in which grades of A, B, C, D, or F are given).
   • At least 12 semester credit hours must be taken at Florida Tech that have never applied to a Florida Tech degree; and
   • Up to six semester credit hours of 4000-level undergraduate courses, with academic unit approval, may be taken while enrolled as a graduate student at Florida Tech provided that graduate rigor is documented. Requirements in courses not exclusively designed for graduate credit but that allow both undergraduate and graduate enrollment must ensure that there is a clear distinction between the requirements of undergraduate students and graduate students.*
3. Coursework (Non-Formal/Non-Dissertation): Up to 36 semester credit hours for the 72-hour program or up to 12 semester credit hours for the 42-hour program of non-formal/non-dissertation courses (i.e., seminars, practica, internships, laboratory and field experiences, preparatory research courses, independent study, special projects/topics, and colloquia in which grades of Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory are given).
4. Dissertation/Supervised Research Coursework: At least 18 semester credit hours of dissertation (XXX 6999) as well as supervised research coursework such as XXX 6095, CSE 6990, CVE 6991, MTH 6050, OCE/OCN 6993, PHY/SPS 6090 and PSY 6198:
   • All dissertation hours applicable to the degree must be taken at Florida Tech; and
   • At least 15 semester credit hours of dissertation (XXX 6999) must be taken beginning with the term in which a student is admitted to candidacy.
5. Transfer Credit: Credit earned for courses taken in fulfillment of the requirements of a master’s degree, either at Florida Tech or elsewhere, may be used in meeting the 72 or 42 semester credit hour minimum requirement (other than for the 12 hours of formal coursework required to be taken at Florida Tech previously indicated above, subject to the restrictions stated above, and provided that the courses are directly applicable to the field of the doctoral degrees. A student should expect to take a significant amount of either formal or non-formal/non-dissertation coursework (or a combination of the two) at a more advanced level, even if master’s degrees in more than one field have been earned.

*Consistent with accreditation requirements of SACSCOC Standard 9.6 (Resource Manual, 2024).

Credit Hour Requirements (Rev. 01/19/06) (Applicable to students who began before Fall 2006)

(Graduate Policy 2.2.2)

Although the doctoral degrees are awarded primarily on the basis of creative accomplishment rather than the accumulation of a specified number of semester credit hours, there are standards regarding the minimum number of semester credit hours that must be successfully completed by all doctoral students, as noted below. Specific programs may require more than any “at least” figure cited.

1. Total Credit Hours: At least 78 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s or, at the department’s discretion, at least 48 hours beyond an applicable master’s degree must be completed.
2. Non-Dissertation Coursework: At least 24 semester credit hours (for the 48-hour program) or at least 54 semester credit hours (for the 78-hour program) of non-dissertation courses (i.e.: any eligible course other than XXX 6999), including:
   • formal classroom courses and supervised study, such as seminars, practica, internships, laboratory and field experiences, preparatory research courses, independent study and special projects/topics
   • at least 18 semester credit hours must be taken at Florida Tech that have never applied to a Florida Tech degree
   • up to six semester credit hours of 4000-level undergraduate courses, with academic approval, taken at Florida Tech
3. Dissertation/Research Coursework: At least 24 semester credit hours of dissertation courses (i.e. XXX 6999) and non-dissertation research must be taken at Florida Tech.
   • Up to nine semester credit hours of supervised research and dissertation preparation
   • All research and dissertation hours applicable to the degree must be taken at Florida Tech
   • At least 15 semester credit hours of dissertation must be taken beginning with the term in which the student is admitted to candidacy.
4. Transfer Credit: Credit earned for courses taken in fulfillment of the requirements of a master’s degree, either at Florida Tech or elsewhere, may be used in meeting the 78 or 48 semester hour minimum requirement for coursework (other than for the 18 hours of coursework required to be taken at Florida Tech previously indicated), subject to the restrictions stated above, and provided that the courses are directly applicable to the field of the doctoral degrees. A student should expect to take a significant amount of coursework at a more advanced level, even if master’s degrees in more than one field have been earned.