Milestone 1: Coursework

In partnership with their advisor, students select courses that are appropriate for their program track. Course registration occurs online through students’ MyU portal (click here for a tutorial). Students should be using departmental Program Planning Sheets to help plan how they will meet the coursework requirements of their program area. Generally, coursework takes 2-3 years to complete, but may take longer for part-time students.

Milestone 1, Step 1: Taking Courses

• • Students must be “continuously enrolled” during their doctoral study, meaning they must register for something each Fall and Spring, or be on an approved leave of absence. See “Continuous Enrollment Rule” in the “Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development and University of Minnesota Credit Policies” section below.

  • Students may declare a minor during their coursework. Graduate minors each have their own admission and course requirements. Please contact minor coordinators for full details about a given minor and see the section on “Procedures for Declaring a Minor” below. Minors are not required for OLPD students. Information on all minors can be found the University of Minnesota Course Catalog. Please note that a minor can only be added prior to taking the oral preliminary exam and that someone with advising status within the minor must serve as an external member representing the minor on the student’s preliminary and final exam committees. Also note that if the minor is not represented on both committees, the minor on the student’s record will be removed even if all coursework counting towards the minor is completed.

  • Upon entry into the program students should discuss if transfer credits can be used to supplement PhD coursework with their adviser. Transfer credits must be approved by the advisor, Director of Graduate Studies, and College of Education and Human Development. Between 9-18 transfer credits can be used from previous accredited graduate education programs depending on how OLPD-like courses are and how long it has been since they were taken (e.g., Masters programs). For details on allowable transfer credits, see the OLPD Departmental Transfer Credit Policy section below. Transfer course names will not appear on a student’s final transcript.

  • All courses (including minor and transfer courses) are documented in the university’s Graduate Planning and Audit System (GPAS). This system can be accessed in your MyU portal (www.myu.umn.edu). Instructions for how to complete a GPAS are found here and in the hyperlinks section below.

Milestone 1, Step 2: Preparing for Your Next Milestone

Once students have reached the equivalent of your second or third semester of full-time coursework, they will begin preparing for the Preliminary Written Examination. Eligibility for this examination is determined by:

• • The student has completed 19 credits or will complete 19 credits in a doctoral program prior to the examination due date (transfer credits do not count toward this total)

  • The student has "active" enrollment status with the Graduate School (i.e., no registration holds)

  • The student is in good academic standing (with a minimum 3.0 grade point average and adequate progress toward the degree)

  • The student has approval of their advisor(s)

  • The student has a plan to submit coursework information into GPAS by Fall semester of the second year or when they have taken 30 credit hours of coursework. Within three months of submitting the initial GPAS, students should establish their Oral Examination committee. This committee must consist of the advisor, two members from the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, and member from outside the department. If students are taking a minor, the “outside” person will represent your minor field. Students should consult with their advisor about constructing a committee and note that many OLPD faculty hold appointments with other units, so can be considered “inside” or “outside” members of a committee.

If all the criteria are met above, students can plan to write a Written Preliminary Exam Proposal. The following section provides an overview of the Written Preliminary Examination proposal and exam process. Students can also visit the University of Minnesota’s Graduate School Degree Completion Steps document at any time for abbreviated explanations of degree steps.