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". Also required is the Blooms Form, available under "Evaluation Process" (requires all committee member’s signatures, program director signature, department chair signature, Associate Dean signature). | 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: Requires submission of Dissertation Defense Readiness Form to the ESP Graduate Program Office; notification email to Dean’s office and ESP Graduate Program Director with title, date/time/location, names of all committee members, abstract of ≤100 words; a copy of the final draft of the dissertation to all committee members, the Dean’s Office, and the library reserve desk. Following a successful defense, the signature page must be completed in triplicate, and the final draft of the dissertation must be formatted and approved by the library (https://library.gmu.edu/udts) Blooms form is required — available under “EVALUATION PROCESS” at the Forms page. | Must be completed within 9 years of enrollment |
*Work directly with the ESP Graduate Program Office on these steps.