Academic
- Advising
- Dissertation
- Early Evaluation
- Individual Study Plan
- Qualifying Examination
- Requirements
- The Major & Minor
Administrative
- Dismissal from the Program
- Leaves of Absence
- Readmission
- Rules for Enrollment
- Time Limits
- Waiving and Transferring Courses
- Withdrawal from the Program
- Withdrawing from a Course
The first two years of a student’s program emphasize course work, but all students are expected to begin research projects by the summer after the first year. Most course work is completed by the end of the second year, when full-time students take a qualifying examination. Students who are successful in the qualifying examination then undertake a major research project aimed at producing a dissertation. Students are expected to complete their degree in four to five years.
The doctoral degree requires a total of 72 credits. At least 18 of these credits must be in dissertation research. An additional 6 credits must be taken to satisfy the program’s early research requirement. The remaining credits are usually in doctoral courses; the exact number of courses required depends on the major. Additional courses are sometimes needed as prerequisites or to correct academic deficiencies. In addition, students must also satisfy a Professional Development Requirement.
This web page gives only general information on program requirements. Since many of these requirements are implemented in different ways for different majors, a student should consult the page for his or her major for fuller information. Further information of a general nature, including information about disciplinary procedures, is provided in the Catalog of the Graduate School-Newark.
Questions about the requirements for a major should be directed to the departmental Doctoral Coordinator for that major. The departmental Doctoral Coordinator is a faculty member designated to supervise the students in the majors supervised by the department and to work with the Program Director on advising and policy. The Coordinator is assisted by a departmental Doctoral Committee, drawn from the faculty for the major. The faculty for each major consists of all members of the Graduate School-Newark who are appointed to work with the major. This includes faculty members from RBS and NJIT, as well as members from other Rutgers units. Individuals from outside Rutgers and NJIT can be appointed as adjunct members.