Advisory Committee
Membership in the advisory committee shall be limited to graduate faculty members who are professors and/or PhD degree holders and shall be with the mutual consent of individuals selected to serve. Other graduate faculty members may act as member or chair of the committee only by exceptional merit to be approved by the dean upon recommendation of the department chair or institute director.
The student, in consultation with the chair of the department or institute director in which he desires to do his major work, selects his major professor who shall serve as chair of the advisory committee.
Not later than 2 months after registration, the student, in consultation with the major professor, selects one or two cognate fields and the other members of his advisory committee. This committee shall be composed of four or five members with the major field and cognate field(s) represented.
The chair of the major department or institute director recommends to the dean of the Graduate School the composition of the advisory committee.
Changes in Committee Composition
A student may request a revision of the composition of his advisory committee upon endorsement of the department chair or institute director and in consultation with the professor concerned for approval by the dean of the Graduate School.
Qualifying Examination
The student must take the qualifying examination to be conducted by the advisory committee before the registration of the second semester of residence. The result of the examination will be the basis for evaluating the student’s ability to pursue doctoral study and for determining a suitable program of course work.
The student should submit his application for the qualifying examination, duly recommended by his advisory committee and noted by the chair of the major department, or institute director, to the dean of the Graduate School not later than 1 month before the date of examination. Details of the qualifying examination shall be left to the discretion of the advisory committee.
To pass the examination, the student must receive not more than one negative vote of the committee.
If the student fails his qualifying examination, no reexamination shall be allowed except on the unanimous approval of his advisory committee. If the student fails the reexamination, he shall be permanently disqualified from earning the degree.
The chair of the advisory committee shall submit to the dean of the Graduate School a report on the result of the examination within 1 week after the examination.
Residence Requirement
A minimum of four semesters of residence is required for the doctoral degree. A student is in residence when he is registered for course work on campus, or work in absentia with due approval in advance by his advisory committee.
Course Work Requirement
After passing the qualifying examination, the student shall confer with his advisory committee to plan his course work. The plan of course work shall be recommended by the advisory committee and endorsed by the department chair or institute director to the dean of the Graduate School for approval. The UPLB Registrar shall be furnished the approved copy of the plan of course work.
A minimum of 24 units of course work beyond the master’s degree is required with at least 18 units of the course work in the above-200 level.
At least 12 units of courses shall be in the major field and 6 units in each cognate field. In case the student selects to have only one cognate, the minimum number of units for the major and cognate fields shall be 15 and 9 units, respectively.
The cumulative units to be credited for courses numbered 290/291 and 299 should not exceed 4 and 2 units, respectively.
English Language Requirement
Foreign students whose English proficiency is Level A as determined from the English Proficiency Examination are required to present a certificate of English proficiency issued by the Arts Language Program and Special Studies of the College of Arts and Sciences. The Graduate School monitors the fulfillment of the English language requirement and this must be satisfied prior to taking the written comprehensive examination.
Official Plan of Study
Within the first semester of residence, a regular student must confer with his advisory committee to draw up his proposed plan of study which includes a detailed listing of the courses, and transfer of courses, if any, that he is proposing for the fulfillment of the degree requirements. A form is available in the Graduate School office. The proposed plan of study must be recommended by his advisory committee and endorsed by the department chair or institute director to the dean of the Graduate School for approval. Once approved, this becomes the official program of study and must be fulfilled in every detail to meet graduation requirements.
(Plan of Study for Doctor of Philosophy Degree)
Note: Please use long (8 1/2" x 13") yellow color copy paper.
Changes in the Approved Plan of Study
A student may request a revision in his approved plan of study upon recommendation of his advisory committee and endorsement of the department chair or institute director to the dean of the Graduate School for approval. Any change in the official program should first be approved before courses to be deleted, added, or replaced are registered.
Grade Requirement
A student must obtain a weighted average of “2.00” or better in all courses prescribed by his advisory committee under the major and minor fields to qualify for the comprehensive examination. He must also obtain “passing grades” in all other courses in which he enrolled.
Comprehensive Examination
The student may apply for a comprehensive examination after completing satisfactorily all courses prescribed by his committee and the foreign language requirement, if any, and upon recommendation of his advisory committee.
Application for comprehensive examination duly recommended by the advisory committee and noted by the chair of the major department, or institute director, shall be submitted to the dean of the Graduate School at least 1 month before the date of examination.
The comprehensive examination shall test the student in his major and cognate fields. A written examination shall be given for each area indicated in his plan of course work. An integrative oral examination shall be given after passing the written examination. The details of the examination shall be left to the discretion of the advisory committee.
To pass the examination, a unanimous vote of the committee is required.
A student who fails the comprehensive examination may apply for reexamination not earlier than 1 month but not later than 1 year after the first examination. If the student fails the reexamination, he shall be permanently disqualified from earning the degree.
The chair of the advisory committee shall submit to the dean of the Graduate School a report on the result of the examination within 1 week after the examination.
Doctoral Candidacy
Candidacy is established when a student has passed the oral comprehensive examination.
Doctoral Dissertation
After earning at least 12 units of course work, a doctoral student may start working on his dissertation. The title and outline of the dissertation as recommended by the adviser must be approved by all members of the advisory committee and submitted to the dean of the Graduate School for approval.
The candidate must present a copy of his dissertation that is satisfactory to all members of the advisory committee. The dissertation which should be in the prescribed form must show that
The doctoral dissertation shall have an equivalent of 12 units of graduate credit and shall have a numerical grade.
Three (3) copies of the dissertation manuscript and a soft copy (CD) in pdf file must be submitted to the dean of the Graduate School not later than the deadline set for submission of all requirements for graduation.
The three (3) copies of the dissertation shall be distributed as follows: one copy each for major department, major adviser, and the UPLB Graduate School.
Work in Absentia
The dissertation of a candidate may be done in absentia with the approval of the advisory committee, if his research project requires work outside the University or will be facilitated by the resources of other institutions.
A candidate working in absentia shall make periodic reports of his progress to his adviser. The candidate must be registered if his work is to be recognized.
Final Examination
The final oral examination has two purposes: to test the candidate’s ability to defend his dissertation and to provide the advisory committee the opportunity to suggest modifications in the dissertation proper.
The candidate may apply for the examination when his dissertation is complete and in a form acceptable to his major professor who indicates his favorable judgment by recommending the approval of the application for final examination.
The application for final examination duly recommended by the candidate’s advisory committee and noted by the chair of the major department or institute director and the final draft of the dissertation shall be submitted to the dean of the Graduate School not later than 2 weeks before the examination. The candidate must also submit a copy of the final draft of his dissertation to each member of his advisory committee who shall conduct the examination.
To pass the examination, the candidate must receive not more than one negative vote of the committee.
A candidate who fails in his final examination may apply for a reexamination, which should take place not earlier than 1 month but not later than 1 year after the final examination only upon the unanimous approval of the advisory committee. If the student fails the reexamination, he shall be permanently disqualified from earning the degree.
The chair of the advisory committee shall report the result of the examination to the dean of the Graduate School not later than 3 days after the examination.
Interested members of the Graduate Faculty may attend and participate without any voting power in the final examination.
Time Limit for Earning the Doctoral Degree
The maximum time allowed for the completion of the doctoral degree is 7 years. The 7-year period begins with the earliest course work listed in the official plan of study, including validated and/or transfer courses.