PhD Timeline
This webpage contains resources and guidance for all residential graduate students in the College of Education currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Students in hybrid PhD programs should communicate with your Student Success Coordinator regarding the steps and timeline for your program.
Step 1
Coursework
Consult with your major professor and register for courses each semester. You can register using the Scheduling Assistant in myPurdue.
Alternatively, you can contact our office for assistance with registration.
We recommend registering before the first week of classes, and be sure to Confirm Enrollment in myPurdue. Failure to register and/or Confirm Enrollment before the Late Registration Fee Deadline may result in a $200 late registration fee from the Office of the Registrar.
Step 2
Plan of Study
Submit your electronic plan of study in myPurdue by the end of the third semester.
The approval process can be lengthy, so submit as early as possible. The plan of study must be approved before the preliminary exam can be scheduled.
Step 3
Preliminary Exam
To formally schedule your exam, you must submit an electronic Form 8 at least 2 weeks prior to the exam date.
This form can be accessed via myPurdue in the plan of study portal. (Note: The option to submit a form will not appear until the plan of study step is completed.)
Students must have three members on their preliminary examining committee, and at least 51% of the committee members must have regular graduate faculty certification at the Purdue – West Lafayette campus.
Step 4
Dissertation Proposal and Research
An exam form is not required for the dissertation proposal.
The student or the committee chair can email the Office of Graduate Studies indicating that the proposal has been successfully completed.
Confirm your program area’s requirements for scheduling the proposal with your advisory committee. College policy requires that the prelim exam be completed prior to the proposal meeting.
Step 5
Defense and Deposit
Candidate Registration
You MUST be registered as a candidate in the semester of graduation. We recommend that students email the Office of Graduate Studies to request to register for candidacy for graduation during the first week of classes in the final term (or sooner). Failure to register for candidacy before the Candidacy Registration Deadline may result in a late fee or a delay of graduation.
Dissertation Format Consultation
Students are required to complete a dissertation format consultation with the Thesis and Dissertation Office. Students are highly encouraged to review the Templates webpage early in the formatting process.
Final Defense
You should connect with our office the semester before you intend to graduate to review deadlines and procedures. As with the preliminary exam, an electronic Form 8 must be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to the exam date to formally schedule your dissertation defense.
Two entire semesters of research registration must elapse between the semester of the preliminary exam and the semester of the final defense.
Students must have four members on the final examining committee, and at least 51% of the committee members must have regular graduate faculty certification at the Purdue – West Lafayette campus.
Dissertation Deposit
Students should carefully review the Thesis and Dissertation Office requirements for detailed instructions on how to deposit your dissertation.
Please note that the Electronic Thesis Acceptance Form (ETAF) is Form 9 that is found in the Graduate School Plan of Study Generator area of myPurdue, and this form is submitted by the student for the committee to review and sign. Please note that the Form 9 is not approved by the Office of Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars (OGSPS) until all requirements are completed including the dissertation deposit, the OGSPS Exit Questionnaire, and the Survey of Earned Doctorates.
Commencement
Refer to the Registrar’s Commencement website for commencement-related information and deadlines.
