Procedures for Requesting Requirement Extensions

For those students in YEAR 8 of their program: Requests for extensions beyond year 8.

7.8- Doctoral Degree

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within eight years of the first semester of matriculation in GSAS for those students who enter with a master’s degree from another institution, or within ten years of the first semester of matriculation for those students who are direct doctoral students (students who receive a master’s degree in cursu from Fordham) or who complete a master’s degree from Fordham and then continue directly into a doctoral program. Time limit requirements apply to both full and part time students.

The GSAS requirements for doctoral students are typically as follows:

1. Completion of the appropriate number of graduate credits (see §7.1- General Requirements).

2. A language and/or research skills requirement (see §7.5- Language Requirements).

3. Comprehensive examination (see §7.6- Comprehensive Examinations).

4. Dissertation proposal acceptance.

5. Doctoral dissertation.

6. Oral dissertation defense.

7. Presentation of the dissertation to the dean (see §7.8.5- Presentation of the Dissertation to the Dean).

Individual departments and programs may impose additional requirements.

Students who plan to seek an extension to the doctoral time limit must apply before the conclusion of their final academic year. Such a request must be directed in writing through the department chairperson or program director; must be approved by the dissertation mentor, readers, and the department chairperson; and must receive the written approval of the dean. An extension to the time limit for degree completion will be granted only if, in the dean’s judgment, there is sufficient evidence that the degree will be completed expeditiously and that the dissertation will be of high merit.

Extensions beyond the time limit will not be granted to students who have not secured approval of a dissertation topic prior to the expiration of the time limit or who have otherwise not made substantial academic progress toward completion of the degree, except with the permission of the dean.

Requests for an extension of the doctoral time limit must include:

• a sufficient portion of the dissertation to permit an objective evaluation of the quality of the student’s work. In the humanities, a reasonable portion is one-half of the dissertation; in the sciences, research through the stage of data collection should be presented;

• a timetable for the completion of the remaining portions of the dissertation;

• a plan for renewed demonstration of language and/or research skills competency (if needed for dissertation research) if more than five years have elapsed since the original completion of these requirements;

• a plan to demonstrate currency of knowledge for any courses taken prior to the request for extension (departments may require that students seeking an extension retake certain courses); and

• a timetable for retaking and passing the doctoral comprehensive examinations in the department’s or program’s current format if more than five years have elapsed since any portion of the comprehensive examination was completed.

Students must meet any additional requirements imposed by the dean after consultation with the department chairperson or program director, and must maintain continuous enrollment (see §5.1- Continuous Enrollment Policy) until all requirements are complete. Failure to adhere to the timetable or to meet other conditions may result in unenrollment. Students may petition to have one or more of these requirements adapted to their particular situation, but approval of such a petition is not guaranteed.

Here is a model GSAS would like you to use for your timetable; please use this format:

1. June 2024: Submit second edits to drafts of Chapter 1 (Name of Chapter here) and Chapter 2 (Name of Chapter here) to dissertation advisor. Begin drafting Chapter 3 (Name of Chapter here). Continue editing Chapter 8 (Name of Chapter here).

2. July 2024 through August 2022: Edit Chapter 3 (Name of Chapter here) and draft Chapter 4 (Name of Chapter here). Incorporate edits from Chapters 1-2. Continue editing Chapter 8 Name of Chapter here).

3. September 2024: Edit Chapter 4 and draft Chapter 5 (Name of Chapter here). Incorporate edits from Chapter 3. Continue editing Chapter 8 (Name of Chapter here).

4. October through November 2024: Edit Chapter 5 and draft Chapter 6 (Name of Chapter here). Incorporate edits from Chapter 4. Continue editing Chapter 8 (Name of Chapter here).

5. December 2024 through February 2025: Edit Chapter 6 and draft Chapter 7 (Name of Chapter here). Incorporate edits from Chapter 5. Continue editing Chapter 8 (Name of Chapter here).

6. March 2025: Edit all chapters. Draft introduction and conclusion.

7. Early April 2025: Final edits, and oral defense by the deadline for an May 2023 graduation that is found in the GSAS academic calendar.

8. Apply for  May 2025  graduation via my.fordham.edu by the deadline in the GSAS academic calendar.