Degrees and certificates offered

Requirements for Master's Degree

Master of Arts ( MA )

Master of Science ( MS )

Specialised and Professional Master's Degrees

Master of Engineering Degree Requirements

Certificates

Dual Degree Programs

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Master of Engineering Degree Requirements

The Master of Engineering degree is offered by the Graduate Programs in Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Science and Engineering. The degree is practice-oriented requiring 36 semester hours.
The required distribution of coursework is as follows:

One-third of total credit hours—engineering design, analysis, synthesis courses.
One-third of total credit hours—combination of advanced mathematics, basic science, engineering science or design.
One-third of total credit hours—to complement the specified portions of the program and provide a meaningful total program in keeping with the educational objectives of the student and the college.

Certificates

The University of Texas at Arlington offers the following certificates through the Graduate School:

Archival Administration (History)
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Linguistics)

Requirements for each of these certificates are described under the department or program specified in parentheses after the certificate title.

Dual Degree Programs

Students may pursue dual degree programs other than those specifically defined in the catalog with prior approval of the appropriate Committees on Graduate Studies and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Students wishing to pursue dual degree programs other than those specifically defined in the catalog should contact the Graduate School for details.
Students in any dual degree program must be admitted to each participating program. Students accepted into dual degree programs must submit separate Programs of Work for each degree, showing only courses which meet requirements for the specified degree, including those joint courses which meet requirements for both degrees. Unless otherwise stated under the dual degrees programs specified elsewhere in this catalog, the number of hours which may be used jointly will be determined by the total number of hours required by both degree programs if completed separately.

a. Six semester hours may be used jointly when the total number of hours required for both degrees is 60;
b. Six to 12 semester hours may be used jointly when the total number of hours required for both degrees is between 60 and 72 hours;
c. Six to 18 semester hours may be used jointly when the total number of hours required for both degrees exceeds 72 hours.

Admission to and enrollment in the programs for a dual degree must be concurrent. A student must be admitted to the second program before completing more than 15 semester hours in the first, exclusive of leveling, deficiency or foundation courses, and must complete the second degree within one academic year following completion of the first.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the highest degree offered by The University of Texas at Arlington. The degree is awarded only for academic work of distinction through which the student demonstrates superior scholarship and capacity for original work. Requirements for the doctoral degree listed below are the minimum required by the Graduate School. Meeting all of these requirements does not result automatically in the awarding of the doctoral degree. All departments and programs have additional requirements for a high level of scholarly achievement that must be met by successful doctoral candidates. In all doctoral programs, the basic requirements are that a student (1) attain mastery of a field of knowledge as determined by the appropriate Committee on Graduate Studies and demonstrated in a general examination; and (2) present evidence of a capacity to complete a significant program of original research by preparation of a dissertation.
To be admitted to a doctoral program, an applicant must have completed a master's degree or at least 30 semester credit hours of graduate coursework.

Departmental, Program and College Program Manuals for Students
Many departments and programs issue program manuals, procedures and policy manuals, graduate student handbooks, and other informational publications for students and faculty in graduate programs. These publications may provide detailed and useful information; however, they are not statements of official policy of The University of Texas at Arlington nor of The University of Texas System. In all matters the Rules and Regulations of the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System, the Handbook of Operating Procedures of The University of Texas at Arlington, and the Graduate Catalog of The University of Texas at Arlington shall supersede departmental, program, or college publications.

Graduate Program Degree Requirements and Academic Performance Standards
for Doctoral Degrees

Degree requirements and academic performance standards in the section entitled "Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree" are the minimum required by Graduate School and University policy. Satisfying these general requirements does not imply that all degree and program requirements have been met. Many programs set special course requirements and may require higher grade-point averages or other academic standards than those in this section. Such program requirements and standards are included with individual program descriptions in this catalog and in departmental, program, and college program manuals or policy statements. These special course requirements published in departmental, program, or college program manuals or policy statements shall not be considered in conflict with this catalog and shall have the same force as this catalog.

Residence
Residence requirements vary widely among doctoral programs. For specific requirements, consult the Degree Requirements section under individual departments and programs offering the doctoral degree.

Courses and Semester Hour Requirements
The doctoral degree cannot be earned solely by passing certain courses and accumulating a specified number of credit hours; however, a department or program may require a core group of courses for all of its doctoral students. Courses are generally concentrated in the student's major field, but some are normally taken in one or more complementary minor fields. In interdepartmental programs, the major work may be divided among two or more primary fields.

The Graduate School imposes no specific semester-hour requirements for the doctoral degree except for residence requirements included in individual degree program descriptions.

Foreign Language Requirement
Prior to scheduling the doctoral comprehensive examination, the Graduate School requires evidence that the student has a reading knowledge of one foreign language applicable to the student's field of study or has attained proficiency in a research-tool area such as computer sciences or experimental statistics. Other suitable foreign language substitute may be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Foreign language competency is specifically required for the Ph.D. degree program in Humanities*. The Ph.D. program in Chemistry requires competency in an approved computer language, and the Ph.D. program in Psychology has established a computer knowledge requirement in lieu of the foreign language requirement. There is no foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. in the various engineering fields, but a research tool may be required as determined by the student's committee.

The foreign language requirement may be met by: (1) successfully passing an examination prepared by an appointee of the Dean of Graduate Studies; (2) making an acceptable score on the Educational Testing Service Graduate School Foreign Language Test; or (3) earning a grade of B or higher in French, German, or Russian 4331 and 4332, or equivalents. The foreign language substitute requirement may be met by a method determined by the appropriate Committee on Graduate Studies and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

*The Ph.D. program in Humanities is being phased out. See program description for information.

Diagnostic Evaluation
During the student's first year of doctoral program work, the student must demonstrate potential to successfully complete a degree program. The method of assessing the student's potential will be determined by the appropriate Committee on Graduate Studies and may be in the form of a written or oral examination, personal interviews with faculty members, successful completion of certain courses in the first semester of residence, or by any combination of these methods. Results of the diagnostic evaluation may be: (1) approval to continue in the doctoral program; (2) approval to continue with specified remedial work; (3) failure, but with permission for assessment through a second diagnostic evaluation after a specified period; or (4) failure and termination in the program.

The diagnostic evaluation report must be filed in the Graduate School by the student's Graduate Advisor during the student's first year of doctoral program work but no later than the completion of the first 18 semester hours of course work beyond appropriate master's level course work, or the equivalent.

Doctoral Committees
After the student successfully completes the diagnostic evaluation, the Dean of Graduate Studies will assign an examining committee, members of which are recommended by the Graduate Advisor and appropriate Committee on Graduate Studies. The committee will consist of at least five members, four of whom must be from the student's major area, including at least one from each minor field. In interdisciplinary programs, at least two members must represent each field concerned, but in no case will the committee consist of fewer than five members. The committee is responsible for design and direction of the student's program. After the student has passed the comprehensive examination (see next paragraph), the doctoral supervising committee may be altered or expanded to accommodate the dissertation research needs of the student, but the committee must continue to include at least five members of the Graduate Faculty. External members must be in addition to the five members of the Graduate Faculty and must be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Comprehensive Examination
Students are eligible to take the comprehensive examination after giving evidence to their doctoral committee of adequate academic achievement by having completed all or most course work requirements and by having met the language or language substitute regulation if required in the degree program. The comprehensive examination usually marks the end of formal course work and the beginning of concentrated work on dissertation research and preparation. The student must be enrolled in the Graduate School in the semester in which he/she takes the comprehensive examination.

The comprehensive examination may be written, oral, or both written and oral. Its scope, content, and form shall be determined by the student's examining committee with approval of the appropriate Committee on Graduate Studies. The student's Graduate Advisor must submit a Request for the Comprehensive Examination to the Graduate School no later than two weeks before the proposed examination date. The request must indicate the time, place, and form (oral and/or written) of the examination and include signatures of all members of the examining committee.

In some departments and programs comprehensive examinations are given semiannually; in these areas students should consult the Graduate Advisor in that program for appropriate regulations and procedures.

The comprehensive examination may result in (1) approval and recommendation to proceed to the next phase of the program; (2) approval to remain in the program but a requirement to meet certain specified additional criteria; (3) failure, but with permission to retake the examination after a period specified by the examining committee; or (4) failure with recommendation not to continue in the program.

Admission to Candidacy
Upon passing the comprehensive examination, the student becomes eligible for admission to candidacy. The Application for Candidacy and Final Program of Work must be filed in the Graduate School and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies at least one semester prior to awarding of the degree.

Time Limit
All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within four years after the student passes the comprehensive examination.

Dissertation
A doctoral candidate/student must be enrolled in a nine-semester hour dissertation course (6999) in the semester in which the dissertation is defended. The dissertation represents the culmination of the student's academic efforts and so is expected to demonstrate original and independent research activity and be a significant contribution to knowledge.

Once the student is enrolled in the dissertation course, continuous enrollment is required. A student receiving advice and assistance from a faculty member in the preparation of a dissertation must register for the appropriate course even if the student is not on campus.

Registration in Doctoral Courses
1. Registration in an individual study, research or similar course implies an expected level of effort on the part of the student which is at least equivalent to that of an organized course of the same credit value.
2. A doctoral student shall not be required to register for more than nine credit hours during any long semester or summer, except that:
a. A doctoral student who is enrolled in nine credit hours of organized courses who is also doing research related to his/her dissertation may be required to register for up to three hours of research for a total of 12 credit hours.
b. A doctoral student supported as a graduate research or teaching assistant may be required to register for 12 credit hours (no more than 9 credit hours to be in organized courses), as determined by the student's graduate program.
3. A doctoral student who is required to register solely for the purpose of satisfying a continuous enrollment requirement shall register for no more than three credit hours during each term.
4. A doctoral student may not register for more than 12 semester hours in a semester or summer session unless such registration is approved in advance by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Dissertation Requirements
Final copies of the doctoral dissertation must be prepared according to regulations described in the current edition of the Thesis and Dissertation Manual of Style available on the World Wide Web at http://www2.uta.edu/etd/ and K. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (6th ed.), available at the University Bookstore. The catalog section on Tuition and Fees provides information on dissertation binding, microfilming, and copyrighting fees.

All theses and dissertations must conform to University requirements regarding placement in the University Library, microfilming, publication of abstracts in Master Abstracts International or Dissertation Abstracts International, and access and citation for scholarly purposes. The three copies of the thesis or dissertation required to be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies are University property and a student may make no private agreements with employers, funding sources, or others which restrict or infringe upon University rights. Dissertation copyrights, where applicable, are held by the student author.

Each semester the Graduate School offers to all students enrolled in thesis or dissertation courses the opportunity to attend a seminar on thesis and dissertation preparation. Requirements described in the Thesis and Dissertation Manual of Style are explained, and general Graduate School procedures of particular importance to degree candidates are outlined.

Personnel in the Graduate School examine each dissertation and determine whether or not the dissertation meets Graduate School requirements for format and mechanical presentation. In order to reduce the number of last-minute inconveniences for the student, the student is required to submit the master copy of the final draft of the dissertation before having additional required copies prepared. The master copy must be received no later than 10 days before the final deadline to allow at least three days for Graduate School examination, time for the student to make necessary corrections and time to have the final required copies made. (See the Graduate School calendar for specific deadline dates.) After the Graduate School receives the master copy of the final draft, the student will normally be given a written format evaluation 72 hours later (excluding weekends, holidays and graduate registration periods).

Dissertation Defense
An application for the dissertation defense must be filed in the Graduate School by the student no later than three weeks before the final date for submission of approved dissertations and dissertation defense reports and at least two weeks before the scheduled defense. The dissertation supervising committee must have copies of the dissertation at least two weeks prior to the dissertation defense.

The dissertation defense will be a public oral examination open to all members (faculty, students, and invited guests) of the University community. Questioning of the candidate will be directed by the student's dissertation supervising committee, but any person attending the defense may participate.

Although the defense is concerned primarily with the dissertation research and its interpretation, the examining committee may explore the student's knowledge of areas interrelated with the core of the dissertation problem.

The dissertation defense may result in a decision that the candidate has (1) passed unconditionally; (2) passed conditionally with remedial work specified by the Committee; (3) failed, with permission to be re-examined after a specified period; or (4) failed and dismissed from the program. The dissertation must be approved unanimously by the student's dissertation supervising committee and by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Regardless of the outcome of the defense, the dissertation defense report must be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies within five working days after the examination. When a scheduled defense is postponed or canceled, the Dean of Graduate Studies must receive written notice of this postponement or cancellation and a new application for the dissertation defense must be filed in the Graduate School in accordance with the Graduate School requirements specified above.

Three unbound copies of the final approved dissertation must be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies by the date specified in the Graduate School Calendar on the inside covers of the current Graduate Catalog. When the final three copies are deposited with the Graduate School, the student will be billed for the required fees as explained in the Tuition and Fees section of this catalog.