You've been admitted to your doctoral program and now you're likely asking - how does all of this work? This page will provide a digest of a typical completion timeline for a doctoral students, including when important milestones should occur (e.g., forms, comprehensive exams, proposals, and final defenses). There may be room to adjust based on your goals, but that's a conversation to have your faculty advisor. Also, this is a good time to review the graduate academic policies that govern your progression and degree eligibility.
Year 1 - Get started and acclimated!
You're figuring out how this whole doctoral life works. You may be a full-time student, a part-time student, or even holding down a job while balancing school. It can be tough. So, know where your resources are located. Check out our Graduate Student Success resources page for available campus resources.
Important forms to submit in Year 1:
Year 2 - Getting further into the groove!
Year 2 is about taking more classes. You should also be narrowing down your intended dissertation proposal idea and working with your advisor to seek out opportunities for professional development. This could be getting involved in pilot research studies, presentations, publishing articles, academic organizations, on-campus organizations, or expanding your network.
Year 3 - Let's get ready for exams!
Generally, Year 3 is about wrapping up classes and scheduling your comprehensive exam. For financial and time efficiency, best practice is to take your comprehensive exam in your last semester of coursework. However, this is not a requirement. This exam can take many forms, but it typically it involves a series of lengthy papers on topics set by your Advisory Committee based on your intended dissertation topic. The exam should help you set the stage, from a literature and methodological standpoint, to make the case for your dissertation idea.Important forms to submit in Year 3:
Now that you've defended your comprehensive exam, and passed, you move toward your proposal writing stage. This is where you set the pace, so a proposal could be defended either quickly or later depending on what's happening with your topic (and life in general, because you may move, take on a new job, end or start a new relationship, etc.,) and this can all affect your writing time. Ideally, your comprehensive exam should have helped you have a clearer idea of intended topic and what you need to adjust in order to have a strong proposal.
This is it! You've defended your proposal and now you're working on your dissertation. Again, this is a self-paced endeavor and time management is critical. We do suggest dedicating at least 2 hours of writing time at least 4-5 days a week. There may be hiccups along this road in terms of working with the IRB to get approval for your study, finding enough participants, dealing with revisions, and maintaining energy to get to the end. You'll be tired, but you'll get there. This is also the time to apply for your degree!
Important forms to submit in Year 5:
After Year 5 - Celebration time!
You've done it and you should be super proud of yourself. So, celebrate to the fullest in whatever way works for you. You may want to catch-up on sleep first, because we all know we've lost many hours to this process. But, after that, savor the moment.