F3.7 Lapsing, Reinstatement, and Termination of Candidacy
Updated: May 11th, 2012
Lapsing of candidacy. Candidacy for the doctorate is of limited duration. When students are advanced to candidacy, the Graduate Division informs them of the number of semesters that they are eligible to be candidates, based on their major’s Normative Time in Candidacy (NTIC). If a student exceeds the number of semesters, they are subject to lapsing. However, a student may be lapsed earlier than this period for failure to make sufficient academic progress (see “Early Lapsing” section below).
Lapsing a doctoral candidate is equivalent to being placed on probation, with the consequence that a student may not hold any academic appointment or fellowship. (“Probation,” as a specific term, is used for insufficient academic progress before advancement to candidacy.)
The Graduate Division sends each department a list of students who, at the end of that semester, will have exceeded their Normative Time in Candidacy by two years, and are subject to having their candidacy lapsed. The list also names those students whose candidacy will lapse the following year. Unless the department requests the Graduate Division to approve an extension, the candidacy of students who have exceeded their NTIC will be lapsed at the end of that semester. A student whose candidacy has lapsed for two years may be subject to termination.
Early lapsing. If a student is making insufficient academic progress on his or her dissertation, the department may recommend that a student’s candidacy be lapsed earlier than the expiration of time in candidacy. If the Graduate Division approves this request, the Graduate Council requires that the department supply the following for the student’s action:
- the nature of the problem or deficiency;
- the steps to be taken to correct the deficiency;
- a reasonable period in which to correct the problem or to show acceptable improvement; and
- an approximate date on which the student’s record will next be reviewed.
How to request an extension of candidacy. The Head Graduate Adviser may request an extension of the student’s candidacy if the student is otherwise making adequate progress and if the delay can be attributed to factors largely beyond the student’s control (for example, unavoidable problems with the scheduling of experimental facilities or disruption of data collection).
Usually, the Graduate Division approves only one extension of no more than one year beyond the date when the student’s candidacy would lapse. Under exceptional circumstances, which must be fully documented and justified in a memo addressed to the cognizant Associate Dean, the Graduate Division may approve an additional or longer extension.
Reinstatement of candidacy. After a student’s candidacy has been lapsed, it may be reinstated by the Graduate Division if there is evidence that the student has renewed progress toward completing degree requirements and if previously completed requirements, such as course work and the Qualifying Examination, are still valid. (See “Time Limits on the Use of Courses for Degrees” in the section below on “Policies Affecting Both Master’s and Doctoral Students,” section F4.1.)
A department who intends to readmit a student who has been lapsed should request reinstatement of candidacy at the same time as readmission. Following the successful outcome of readmission and reinstatement, the student may then register.
How to request reinstatement of candidacy. To request reinstatement of candidacy, the Head Graduate Adviser must send a memo addressed to the cognizant Associate Dean, in care of Graduate Services Degrees (318 Sproul Hall, #5900), verifying: 1) the student is still competent in any required foreign languages; 2) the student must have submitted a dissertation draft to the dissertation committee in a form complete enough that the committee determines its approval and submission to the Graduate Division likely by the next filing date; and 3) the results of the student’s Qualifying Examination are still valid and represent current mastery of relevant fields.
The Graduate Division usually will not accept a Qualifying Examination more than five years old as representing current knowledge unless the student gives other evidence of continuing scholarly activity besides research for the dissertation. This policy is based on the Graduate Council’s belief that the Qualifying Examination and submission of the dissertation are not separate “hurdles” but together form an integrated educational experience for doctoral candidates.
A recommendation for reinstatement may be subject to approval by the Administrative Committee of the Graduate Council.
Termination of candidacy. The Graduate Division may terminate a doctoral student’s candidacy two years after candidacy formally lapses, unless the department requests an extension as described above.
A student’s candidacy also may be terminated if: 1) the student no longer holds the qualifications appropriate for the award of the degree, such as an outdated Qualifying Examination and course work; 2) continued lack of progress indicating that the student will not be able to complete the remaining requirements within the lapse period determined by the Graduate Division and the department; or 3) the student fails to correct within the lapse period determined by the Graduate Division and the department, major deficiencies in a dissertation previously submitted for committee review.
See All Topics in the Category: F. Degrees, Guide to Graduate Policy
