Important Policies

Length of Program

The Grad School allots eight years from the time you matriculate (i.e. from the time you are accepted into the program). Coursework that is more than eight years old may not be used for a graduate degree. If permitted by the departmental or interdepartmental degree program policy, a supervisory committee may allow revalidation through testing, following a plan developed by the supervisory committee and approved by the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. The results must be verified in writing to the graduate dean by your major professor or other person(s) responsible for the testing. Work experience cannot be substituted for out-of-date coursework or used for revalidation.

Residency Requirements

PhD students will establish residency in their first year. They must remain in residence at least until achieving doctoral candidacy (ABD) and be engaged as active members of the USU academic community. Please note that students must be Utah residents to maintain their GI-ship.

Class Attendance

Students in the Technical Communication and Rhetoric (TCR) PhD program should be aware that while portions of some PhD classes are online, there is a once-a-week, in-person, face-to-face meeting that is required of PhD students in all TCR courses. A student's physical presence is expected at these meetings. On rare occasions, with the proper documentation from medical professionals, a student may petition an instructor to attend a particular class meeting via Zoom or other video platform because of extenuating medical conditions. Such periods should not typically last longer than the equivalent of two weeks of class time. The student should receive permission from the instructor in writing prior to the class meeting, and the instructor has the right to refuse based on the particular class activities planned for that meeting if those activities are not conducive to remote attendance. This policy is part of our residency requirement for PhD students.