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Guidelines for an Interdisciplinary Program of Study Leading to a Ph.D. Involving Social Science and Policy Studies

The Social Science and Policy Studies Department (SSPS) does not currently offer its own Ph.D. degree. Students interested in pursuing Doctoral work in the social sciences must instead enroll in an interdisciplinary program sponsored by faculty members from SSPS and another WPI Ph.D. granting department. As a result, each student's program will be somewhat unique, and particular care must be taken that the program meets the general requirements for a Doctorate at WPI. This document provides guidelines for the development and execution of such a Ph.D. It is intended to provide a template which, if followed, will result in a Program of Study approvable by WPI's Committee on Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR).

Administering Faculty

Interdisciplinary doctoral programs involving SSPS have currently been formed in coordination with faculty in CEE, CHE, CS, ECE, MA and ME departments. Administering faculty for the respective programs are named below. For administrative purposes, SSPS will serve as host department in each instance.

ID Program	Administering Faculty
SSPS/CEE	SSPS, Prof. Khalid Saeed CEE, Professor Guillermo Salazar
SSPS/CHE	SSPS, Prof. Khalid Saeed CHE, Prof. Nikolas Kazantzis
SSPS/CS	SSPS, Prof. Khalid Saeed CS, Prof. Mathew Ward
SSPS/ECE	SSPS, Prof. Khalid Saeed ECE, Prof. Kaveh Pahlavan
SSPS/MA	SSPS, Prof. Khalid Saeed MA, Prof. Bogdan Vernescu
SSPS/ME	SSPS, Prof. Khalid Saeed ME, Prof. Isa Bar-on

Additional administering faculty from other coordinating departments will be named when interdisciplinary programs involving those departments are created. This list of administering faculty must be updated whenever a change occurs.

Admission

Admission criteria for the doctoral program are outlined in the Graduate Catalog. At this time applicants to the SSPS interdisciplinary doctoral program must have prior BS and MS degrees. A GRE is required, but can be waived in special cases with consent of CGSR. Applications for admission must be made to the Office of Graduate Admissions. The administering faculty listed above will be responsible for reviewing the admission files.

The Doctoral Committee and Plan of Study

Each program of study is tailored to the interests of the student and the interests of the participating faculty members. The first step in establishing a program is the selection of a Doctoral Program Committee of no less than three faculty members, with at least one faculty member from each participating department. The Doctoral Program Committee must be approved by CGSR.

A Plan of Study, of at least 60 credit hours, is then developed with the help of the student's Doctoral Program Committee to meet the degree requirements, and the interests of the student and the participating faculty. This Plan of Study must also be approved by CGSR. Minimum and typical requirements for the plan of study are discussed below.

General Requirements for the Doctorate Degree at WPI

The general requirements for a Doctorate Degree at WPI can be found in the Graduate Catalog. In brief, they are:

• Completion of a minimum of 90 credit hours of graduate work beyond the bachelor's degree, or a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the Master's degree
• At least 30 of these credit hours must be research
• The student must establish residency by being a full-time graduate student for at least one continuous academic year
• The student must obtain status as a Doctoral candidate by satisfying specific degree requirements in the student's field (see below for Interdisciplinary Social Science degree).
• The student must prepare and defend a Doctoral Dissertation

In addition to meeting above requirements, students in the interdisciplinary social science Doctoral program must also take a Qualifying Examination prior to earning 18 credit hours of work.

Requirements for the Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctorate at WPI

There are Four stages toward an Interdisciplinary Doctorate involving SSPS: first, submitting an approved Plan of Study to the registrar; second, passing a Qualifying Examination; third, defending a Dissertation Proposal and becoming a Doctoral Candidate; and fourth, defending the Dissertation itself. The requirements stated below apply to students already having a Masters degree, and are focused on 60 credits of graduate work beyond the MS degree.

Summary of Post-Master's Degree Credits
Credits	Type	Category
18 max	Graduate Coursework	Pre-Qualifying Exam coursework
6 min	Graduate Coursework	Post-Qualifying Exam coursework
18 max	Dissertation	Post-Qualifying Exam, Pre-Candidacy Exam Dissertation credits
12 min	Dissertation	Post-Candidacy Exam Dissertation credits to make at least 30 Dissertation credits totally
Balance	Graduate Coursework or Dissertation credits	Post-Candidacy Exam credits to make at least 60 total credits
60	Total Post-MS Credits

Initial Coursework Leading to the Qualifying Exam

The student may take no more than 18 credit hours of graduate course work prior to taking a qualifying exam. The content of these 18 credit hours must be established and agreed to by the student's Doctoral Program Committee, and then approved by CGSR, as a part of the student's Plan of Study. Graduate courses from other departments and universities may be included if recommended by the student's Doctoral Program Committee.

Credit Transfer

According to the graduate catalog, up to 1/3rd of the credit requirements for the Doctoral degree may be satisfied from courses taken elsewhere. All credit transfer requests should be approved by the Student's Doctoral Program Committee and CGSR, and should be shown on the student's Plan of Study.

Qualifying Exam

In addition to the general WPI requirements for a Ph.D., students studying for the SSPS Interdisciplinary Doctorate must pass a Qualifying Examination. This examination will test the basic knowledge and understanding of the student in the disciplines covered by the research. The exam questions will be developed by the student's Doctoral Program Committee, and may take the form of written, take-home, or oral questions at the Committee's discretion. Students are allowed at most two attempts at passing the examination, and may take a maximum of 18 credits prior to passage. The schedule of the Qualifying Examination must be approved by CGSR, and the both the schedule and the exam results reported to the registrar.

Post-Qualifying Exam Coursework, Research, and Candidacy Exam

Once the Qualifying Examination has been passed, the student continues toward preparation of a thesis proposal, and its defense in a Candidacy Exam. This preparation will involve at least 6 additional credits of graduate coursework, and at most 18 credit hours of Dissertation research (prior to passing the Candidacy Exam). The student will prepare a thesis proposal and defend it in a Candidacy Exam. The exact format for the preparation of the proposal and its defense will be determined by the student's Doctoral Program Committee. The schedule of the Candidacy Exam and its result must be reported to the registrar.

Residency

The student must establish residency by being a full-time WPI graduate student for at least one continuous academic year.

Dissertation - Final Defense

Following the passing of the Candidacy Exam, an additional minimum of 12 credit hours of Dissertation research, under the guidance of the Doctoral Program Committee, is required for the preparation and defense of the Doctoral Dissertation. At this time, additional balance credits of graduate coursework or dissertation credits should be taken to complete the 60 required total post-M.S. credits, and to make at least 30 credits of dissertation credits. The requirements for the Dissertation are specified in the Graduate Catalog. All Dissertations must be defended in an oral presentation, and accepted by the student's Doctoral Program Committee, after revisions if necessary. Revisions may or may not be orally defended at the discretion of the Doctoral Program Committee, but must be approved by Doctoral Program Committee Chair. The schedule of the final defense and its results must be reported to the registrar.

Summary of Approvals Required

Departments and students are strongly advised to keep copies of all correspondence with the Committee on Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR) and registrar relevant to the approvals needed for successful completion of the degree. The following are the approvals required from CGSR:

1. Approval of the membership of the student's Doctoral Program Committee.
2. Approval of the student's Plan of Study (initial plan, and any changes). CGSR will not approve Plans of Study for students who have not been admitted for graduate study.
3. Approval of the student's Qualifying Exam schedule.

Summary of Information to be Sent to the Registrar

1. Submit the CGSR-approved Plan of Study.
2. Submit the schedule of the Qualifying Exam.
3. Submit the results of the Qualifying Exam.
4. Submit the schedule of the Candidacy Exam.
5. Submit the results of the Candidacy Exam, and admittance into doctoral candidacy upon the recommendation of the Doctoral Program Committee.
6. Submit the schedule of the final Dissertation Defense.
7. Submit the results of the Dissertation Defense (pass or fail).

Note: The final dissertation report, and the exact title of the Interdisciplinary Degree as recommended by the Student's Doctoral Program Committee is submitted in PDF form via the WPI Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) system. The submitted ETD Approval Form (119 KB PDF) and signed title page are then passed on to the Registrar by the ETD Coordinator at the conclusion of the process.

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Last modified: May 25, 2010 11:52:28