Instructions for Completing
the Doctoral Degree Candidacy Form:

• When filing for graduation, doctoral students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on all graduate work undertaken at The University of Memphis whether or not the courses are listed on the candidacy form.
• No more than 15 post-baccalaureate hours of 6000-level courses may be applied to a doctoral degree.
• No more than seven (7) hours of C, C+, or C- grades will be counted toward degree requirements.
• Grades of D or F are not accepted for credit for graduation purposes, but these grades are computed in the overall cumulative GPA.
• If you were admitted to The University of Memphis as a Non-Degree student and were eventually admitted to a doctoral degree program, you must take at least 2/3 of the credit hours AFTER acceptance into the degree program.

ATTENTION: Only those student whose cumulative grade point average is 3.00 or better are eligible to apply for graduation in any given term. Please read this page in its entirety before completing required graduation forms.

1. Apply to Graduate - Please follow the steps below to file your application to graduate for the first time or to update one which you have already filed.

• Visit your MyMemphis portal at: https://my.memphis.edu/cp/home/displaylogin
• Click on the MyDegree tab and then locate the Commencement channel to access.
• Review the Prerequisites to Graduate (Step 1), then click on Apply to Graduate (Step 2).
• Once you have completed the application, proceed to the Diploma Mailing/Cap and Gown form (Step 3) located on the Commencement channel. You must complete both the Diploma Mailing form and the Cap and Gown form even if you do not plan to attend the graduation exercises.  The Commencement Office will provide an Attendance Card (Step 4) for you to complete if you do plan to attend graduation.
• Once you have completed the application to graduate, click the View Application to Graduate.

2. Do NOT include undergraduate level courses, courses completed for "Audit" credit, or courses dropped or withdrawn on the candidacy form. List only graduate level courses required for your degree program, including all electives -- No excess courses, please.

3. Course titles listed on the candidacy form may be abbreviated and should be no longer than 100 characters long for both letters and space between words.

4. If you are currently enrolled in course work and/or dissertation credit, include these courses on the candidacy form. If you are enrolled in a course, enter "IP" in the graduate field; enter the maximum number of dissertation hours required for your degree in the appropriate field, i.e., 3, 6, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 30, etc. It is not necessary to enter every semester of dissertation enrollment. One entry is sufficient.

REMINDER: You must be enrolled in dissertation credit during the semester you defend. If you do not complete the dissertation, the Intent to Graduate Card must be completed again for each subsequent semester until completion.

Doctoral Candidates must register for dissertation credit each academi semester (fall and spring) until the dissertation is completed. Students must enroll in the summer semester if the dissertation will be completed. Failure to continuously enroll in dissertation will result in the student being charged back tuition in additional to late fees charges for each semester he or she did not enroll.

6. If another course was substituted for a required course or for an elective, your major advisor MUST complete an Approved Course Substitution Form and attach it to the candidacy form.

7. If you have transfer credit from another graduate institution that has not been posted to your U of M record, complete and attach a Evaluation of Transfer Credit Form to the candidacy form.

• If transfer credit has already been posted to your U of M record, complete and attach an Approved Transfer Credit form.

8. If you were accepted to a U of M post-baccalaureate doctoral program (e.g., Biology, Economics, History, Mathematical Sciences, Philosophy, Psychology, etc.) with an earned master's degree from another institution, include the total number of hours accepted by your department on the last page of the candidacy form.

9. If you have previously completed a Credit by Examination/Course Validation Examination or are planning to complete either type of examination in your intended term of graduation, indicate the type of credit on your candidacy form in parentheses AFTER you have listed the course title, e.g., LDPS 7130, Microcomputer Application (CBE) or ICL 7001, Fundamentals of Curriculum (CBV).

10. After completing the candidacy form, print it out. Signatures must be obtained from your major professor, your departmental graduate studies coordinator, and your College Director of Graduate Studies (see list below):

• College of Arts and Sciences - Dr. Linda Bennett, Scates Hall, Room 104
• Fogelman College of Business and Economics - Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal,   Fogelman Business and Economics, Room 426
• College of Communication and Fine Arts - Professor Moira Logan, Communication & Fine Arts Building, Room 232
• College of Education, Health and Human Sciences - Dr. Ernest Rakow, Ball Hall, Room 215
• Herff College of Engineering - Prof. Deborah Hochstein, Herff Engineering Admin. Bldg., Room 201
• School of Communication Sciences and Disorders - Dr. David Wark, 807 Jefferson Avenue, Room 211
• School of Public Health - Dr. Kenneth Ward, Browning Hall, Room 230

10. It will be the responsibility of each graduate student to notify the Graduate School Academic Advisor of any changes in name or address.

Printing Instructions:

If this form does not print correctly on two pages, go to the Page Setup box under the File menu of your Internet browser and change your page margins to the following specifications:

• Netscape: 0.30 for all margins--L,R,T,B, Font Size: 11
• Explorer: 0.50 for all margins--L,R,T,B, Font Size: 11

If you have questions regarding the completion of the candidacy form, contact the Academic Advisor in the Graduate School for further information.