The University of Texas at Austin

Evaluation for Advancement to Candidacy

The prospectus adviser serves as chair and coordinator of the prospectus committee. Each committee member reviews appropriate information from the student’s academic records.

After evaluating all necessary evidence and discussing the case, the committee votes on the recommendation to the GSC regarding the student’s suitability for advancement to candidacy. The recommendation of the evaluation committee is by majority vote. If the vote is not unanimous, the evaluation committee will report the contrasting recommendations, and the reasons for them, to the GSC.

The four options available to the student’s evaluation committee and to the GSC in making a final decision about the student are as follows:

  1. Continuation in the doctoral program with the rec ommendation for admission to candidacy when the required 8 Domain courses have been satisfactorily completed (check with your area of specialization regarding the specialized competency requirement).
  2. Continuation in the doctoral program with the recommendation for admission to doctoral candidacy when the regular requirements and certain specified conditions have been met within a specified amount of time (usually one or two long semesters).
  3. Termination, with permission to take a terminal master’s degree: These students may register only for courses counted toward the master’s degree. This recommendation should specify a thesis, report in lieu of thesis, or no thesis/no report.
  4. Termination: These students may not reregister.

Evaluation committees’ recommendations are presented to the GSC for discussion and voting. The Evaluation Data Sheet is used to summarize a student’s evaluation credentials. It is reviewed by the committee as part of the evaluation, and presented to the GSC at the time they are considering a decision concerning admission to doctoral candidacy. Final decisions are made, by majority vote of the GSC, for each individual student. It is the responsibility of the student’s prospectus adviser to convey this decision to the student at the earliest opportunity. A letter will also be sent to the student regarding the GSC's decision.

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