PhD Admitted Students
Useful Links
NEW College of Science PhD Student/Faculty Handbook 2020-21
New Graduate Students Checklist: https://gradlife.gmu.edu/new-student-checklist/
Steps in Obtaining a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy
| Step | Timeline |
| Admission: Advisor Assigned, Possible Provisions Attached | Start |
| Enroll in First Semester of Classes | After confirming enrollment through Graduate Admissions application portal |
| Provisions (if applicable) must be met in first 12 credits and then apply for full admission* | 12 credits in |
| Reduction of credits of up to 30 credits for previous graduate work, must be relevant* | After admission, within the first year |
| Plan Coursework with advisor (use Program of Study Form as a reference) | Every semester |
| Submit Annual Report. | Every September |
| Form Dissertation Committee: At least four members. The chair (normally your advisor on admission) must be a graduate faculty member from COS or SIS. Two additional members must be from the GMU graduate faculty. One of these members may be appointed committee co-Chair. One member may be from outside Mason. Students should meet with the committee at least once per year after committee formation. Use the Committee Formation and Amendment form. | Before the end of the fourth semester of coursework |
| Program of Study (final coursework program for PhD) must be approved by full dissertation committee. Required for Advancement to Candidacy. | Soon after committee formation |
| Qualifying Exam (written and oral, oral within one month following written) (may be repeated once at the discretion of the committee) | After all (or nearly all) of the coursework has been completed |
| Approval of dissertation proposal. New COS handbook stipulates formal dissertation proposal defense. See Forms for details, under "Advancement to Candidacy". | After Qualifying Exam is successfully passed |
| Advancement to Candidacy (must have completed previous 4 steps); once advanced, student must maintain continuous registration, and forms are available at the Forms page (under "Full Time Equivalency). | Must be completed within 6 years of enrollment |
| Dissertation Defense and Submission: Send the draft dissertation to the University Dissertation and Thesis Services (UDTS) for formatting review and approval prior to the defense (see https://library.gmu.edu/udts for deadlines and information). Requires submission of Dissertation Defense Readiness Form and the PhD Dissertation Abstract Template (title, date/time/location, names of all committee members, abstract of ≤100 words); and a copy of the final draft of the dissertation to the ESP Graduate Program Office. The Abstract Template will be sent to the COS Graduate Office and ESP faculty and students to announce the defense. The student must also provide the copy of the final draft of the dissertation to all committee members and the library reserve desk. These are due no later than 15 days prior to the defense date. Following a successful defense, the signature page must be signed by the Committee and sent to espgrad@gmu.edu to obtain the other signatures. The completed dissertation (electronic file or soft copy), transmission form, and embargo request must be submitted to UDTS no later than that semester's deadline (see https://library.gmu.edu/udts). | Must be completed within 9 years of enrollment |
*Work directly with the ESP Graduate Program Office on these steps.