Degree Requirements

Students are required to complete 74 credit hours, including 18 credit hours of dissertation research, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) each semester. 

As per UNC Charlotte Graduate School policies, the accumulation of three “C” grades or one “U” grade will result in suspension from the DTSC Ph.D. program. Termination from the program may occur upon receiving an additional “C” or “U” grade.

Qualifying Examination

Students must submit a draft research proposal by the start of their third semester, including an introduction, literature review, research design, evaluation plan, and potential research contributions. They will orally defend the proposal to a three-member ad hoc committee of SDS faculty (excluding their academic advisor).

The committee will issue a Pass or Fail grade with feedback. Students who fail the first attempt may retake the exam before the semester’s end. Failure to pass after two consecutive attempts will result in termination from the DTSC Ph.D. program.

Academic Advisor

Students must choose a single advisor or two co-advisors. A single advisor must be a core tenure-track or tenured faculty member of the SDS; affiliate faculty cannot serve as the sole advisor. For co-advisors, at least one must be a core SDS faculty member. It is recommended that co-advisors come from different disciplinary backgrounds.

Dissertation Committee

After passing the Qualifying Examination, students must form a Dissertation Committee, consisting of their academic advisor(s) and four additional members, all of whom must be graduate faculty at UNC Charlotte. The committee should be established within one semester of passing the exam.

  • Committee Composition: The Dissertation Committee consists of five graduate faculty members, including the advisor(s) and three (or two) additional members, plus a Graduate Faculty Representative appointed by the Graduate School. Aside from the advisor/co-advisors, at least two other committee members must be core or affiliate SDS faculty, and the members must represent at least two different colleges. Professors of Practice, Research Professors, and Teaching Professors who are Graduate Faculty members and hold a doctoral degree may also serve on the committee.
  • Dissertation Topic Proposal Defense: DTSC students must present and defend their Ph.D. dissertation topic proposal after passing the Qualifying Examination and within eight semesters of entering the program. The proposal must be submitted to the doctoral committee for review at least two weeks prior to the defense. The defense will be conducted by the student’s dissertation advisor and committee, in accordance with UNC Charlotte Graduate School policies. Once the dissertation topic is approved by both the committee and the Graduate School, the student advances to candidacy, which must be achieved at least six months before the doctoral degree is conferred.
  • Ph.D. Dissertation Defense: Students must complete and defend a dissertation based on a proposal approved by their doctoral committee. Typically, Ph.D. candidates are required to have at least two peer-reviewed papers accepted or published in reputable journals or conference proceedings, with the candidate as the first author on at least one publication. However, the advisor or committee may adjust this requirement based on the field of study. The dissertation defense involves an oral presentation to the committee and is open to the UNC Charlotte public. The dissertation can be either a traditional monograph or a collection of three or more articles centered around a common theme, following the guidelines of the UNC Charlotte Graduate School’s Three-Article Dissertation.

Additional Requirements

  • Fulfill the 18-credit residency requirement.
  • Achieve candidacy at least six months before graduation.
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