University at Buffalo (UB)
CDSE PhD students should submit any degree-related forms to the Graduate Coordinator for processing.
To become a candidate for an advanced degree you must submit an Application to Candidacy (ATC), for departmental and Graduate School approval. You should expect to file an ATC with the Graduate School after two to three semesters of full-time enrollment toward the master's degree or after six semesters of full-time enrollment toward the doctoral degree.
Form: http://www.buffalo.edu/content/dam/grad/forms/atc.pdf
Filing Instructions: Students should submit to the graduate coordinator once all signatures are collected from the PhD Committee and the Director of Graduate Studies. The graduate coordinator will then review and have sent for departmental approval within SEAS. Once submitted, the Graduate School will review to make a final decision. If/when your ATC is approved by the Graduate School, written notification of the approval will be mailed to you, using your name and address information, on file in HUB.
Students may need to make a minor amendment to the ATC when changes in registration (e.g., adding or deleting anticipated courses or credits) occur. In these scenarios, the changes must be formalized through the Change of Expected Conferral Date/Amend ATCDownload pdf(81 KB) petition.
Filing Instructions: Students should submit to the graduate coordinator once all signatures are collected from the PhD Committee. The Graduate Coordinator will review and obtain the final signature from the Director of Graduate Studies. Once submitted the Graduate School will review to make final decision on the petition.
Students pursuing the PhD are guided by a dissertation advisory committee. This committee is arranged to oversee all degree requirements for the student, and has the responsibility of evaluating and approving the student’s program of coursework as well as advising the PhD dissertation. They also are responsible for administering the student's oral examination.
No later than the end of the first semester in the program should the student identify their PhD Committee. The PhD committee consists of the advisor and two “core” members. The PhD committee may have “additional” members. Core committee members are considered ‘core” CDSE Faculty, as identified on the program website. They must also be on the Graduate Faculty Roster. Only one core member may have the same primary academic affiliation as the primary advisor.
The Committee Approval Form must be signed by every faculty member that has agreed to serve on the committee. Once these signatures are obtained, the student should give the paperwork to the Graduate Coordinator who will review and obtain the final signature from the Director of Graduate Studies.
The Project Plan Approval outlines what courses in each content area the student plans on taking, and in what semester they intend to enroll in that course.
By signing the form, the student’s Ph.D. committee indicates:
1. Their approval of the courses indicated for satisfying the CDSE Ph.D. Focus Area course requirements.
2. They have reviewed the dissertation prospectus and discussed it with the student and its alignment with the courses listed herein and the CDSE Ph.D. program.
This form, along with the dissertation prospectus and the student’s current unofficial transcript, must be completed and submitted to the Graduate Coordinator by the first day of the second semester in the PhD program. The Graduate Coordinator will review and obtain the final signature of approval from the Director of Graduate Studies.
No later than the end of the third semester in the CDSE PhD program, the student must complete an oral examination, administered by the student’s PhD committee. The advisor may attend, but may not participate in the examination process. The exam should cover topics from the CDSE Focus Area courses and background material relevant to the student’s research plan.
The student’s PhD committee must sign the form at the end of the exam to certify that they have administered the exam and note whether or not the student has passed or failed.
If the student failed, they make retake the oral exam within none year. Failure to pass the second exam may result in dismissal of the student from the CDSE PhD program. The completed form should be returned to the Graduate Coordinator located in 118 Bell Hall.
No later than the end of the FIFTH SEMESTER in the CDSE Ph.D. program, the student must complete a formal proposal to his/her Ph.D. committee. The proposal should include a substantial written document and a presentation. It is expected that a large portion of the Ph.D. research has been completed and that a detailed completion plan has been made.
The students PhD committee must sign the firm, indicating that they approve the students’ proposal. If the committee feels any adjustments need to be made, they may record their feedback on the back of the form under Committee Comments/Requirements.
The form must be signed by the advisor and all committee members before being submitted to the Graduate Coordinator. The Graduate Coordinator will review and obtain the final signature from the Director of Graduate Studies.
Once the student has completed their oral dissertation defense, the advisor and PhD committee must meet to decide whether or not the student has successfully defended their thesis. The advisor and committee must complete the CDSE Dissertation Approval form with their feedback. This form needs to be approved by all members before the Director of Graduate Studies will sign off on both this form, as well as the M-Form that the Graduate School requires for degree conferral.
Each committee member will indicate their approval of the dissertation in one of three ways:
In the third case, that committee member must contact the Director of Graduate Studies directly to approve that the changes have been made.
The Director of Graduate Studies will NOT sign the M-Form until this step is completed.
Filing Instructions: The Graduate Coordinator will submit this paperwork to the students primary advisor prior to the oral dissertatation. It is the student's responsibility to notify the graduate coordinator of the date/time of the oral defense to coordinate paperwork. The Graduate Coordinator can assist with reserving a room if neccessary.
All graduate students defending their project, thesis, or dissertation for conferral of their degrees. The M-Form must be available at their masters and doctoral final defenses for signatures of the major advisor and committee members.
Filing Instructions: The M-Form is prepared by the graduate coordinator and given to the major advisor on or before the defense date. The student is responsible for notifying the graduate coordinator prior to the defense and making sure that the major advisor receives the form.
Graduate students may be certified for full-time even though they have registered for less than the minimum requirements, if one or more of the following criteria are met:
Filing Instructions: The student should contact the graduate coordinator to complete and submit to the Graduate School.
PhD Students can request a one-time, $500 award to receive funding to attend and present at academic conferences. Interested students should complete a formstack request for approval.
Students should work with the Graduate Coordinator to complete and submit any and all required paperwork on this page, or as stated by the Graduate School.
Contact: Kaileigh Kosicki, 415 Bonner, cdsedept@buffalo.edu