The doctoral program ideally provides a broad integrative approach to the discipline, and following its successful completion, the student should be prepared to pursue research as an independent investigator. Doctoral students undergo intensive course training which can be highly specialized due to the flexibility in the design of the Course Program. Students entering a PhD program are expected to complete degree requirements within 6 years. Extension of the 6-year limit will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the GSC. A summary of PhD graduation requirements and detailed information regarding forms, filing dates, the composition and conductance of written and oral examinations, etc., is presented in section 9 of the Graduate School Handbook. Students entering a MS program who are later approved for a PhD program will be expected to complete the requirements for both degrees within 8 years. Students in the PhD program may be registered for research in absentia for not more than two years (eight quarters). This policy applies to students with or without financial support. The PhD program in Horticulture and Crop Science consists of:

A. Choosing an advisor and a student advisory committee(SAC).

• See The Advisor and The Advisory Committee (section V)
• detailed SAC approved research proposal with a copy to the GSC is required by the end of the 3rd quarter of study

B. Academic program.

• a minimum of 135 credits in graduate-level courses
• courses must be listed in a Graduate Course Program during the second quarter of enrollment
• courses must be approved by the SAC and by the Horticulture and Crop Science GSC
• Seminar requirement under Course Requirements (see section VI,A,1)

A significant portion of PhD degree course work should be taken in fundamental sciences outside the Department. A student entering the program with a Master's degree may request that the GSC review previous course work and, if it is considered to be equivalent to that listed on the Course Program, the GSC may allow up to 45 credit hours to be applied to the 135 hour requirement for the PhD degree.
The format of the proposal should be provided by the advisor. Students are encouraged to develop their own research projects rather than base their work on a proposal of the advisor.

C. Candidacy Exam.
After completing most of the formal course requirements for the PhD, the student becomes eligible for the Candidacy Examination, a comprehensive review of knowledge in the area studied and in related areas. The Candidacy Examination for the PhD degree consists of written questions from members of the SAC and an oral examination by the full SAC. The student must file a Doctoral Notification of Candidacy Exam form with the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the oral portion of this exam. The purpose of the Candidacy Exam is to determine if the student possesses the requisite knowledge and philosophical attitude to be admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree, if the student needs to enroll in additional coursework, or if the student should terminate graduate study. In the context of the Candidacy Exam, the specialty area is taken in the broadest sense.

1. The written portion of the Candidacy Examination for the PhD degree consists of written questions from the SAC. The format of this exam and the timing of its administration are determined by the individual exam committee members.
2. The oral portion of the Candidacy Examination, which lasts approximately 2 hours, is normally completed within one month after the written exam. Questions need not be limited to specific aspects of the research and may deal with general aspects of Horticulture and Crop Science and related disciplines. The examination is open to all faculty, with permission of the advisor.

A Candidacy Exam Report. The satisfactory completion of both the written and the oral examination will constitute admission to candidacy, and the Candidacy Exam Committee must give unanimous approval for a satisfactory rating. If the examination is judged to be unsatisfactory and the Candidacy Exam Committee approves, the student may apply to be reexamined. If a second examination is permitted, it must be held by the same Candidacy Exam Committee. The committee may decide to include both the written and oral portions in the second examination, or may decide to include only the oral portion if the written proposal was satisfactory. If the performance on the Candidacy Exam is regarded as unsatisfactory on two attempts, the student will be denied candidacy to the doctoral program in this department.

D. Dissertation.

• the student must submit a complete, typed, thesis draft to the SAC for approval prior to the Final Oral Exam.
• a final copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School within five years following the successful completion of the Candidacy Examination.
• a bound copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Departmental main office in Columbus. It is the student's responsibility to pay for these copies to be bound.

The dissertation is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student's chosen area of specialization. The presentation and discussion of research in the dissertation should demonstrate a high level of knowledge and the capability to function as an independent scholar. The student must submit a complete, typed, thesis draft to the SAC for approval prior to the Final Oral Exam. Format must follow the Graduate School Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting Theses, Dissertations and D.M.A. Documents. If the dissertation is acceptable, each Dissertation Committee member indicates approval by signing the Draft Approval/Notification of Final Oral Examination form, which must be submitted to the Graduate school no later than two weeks before the date of the Final Oral Exam. A final copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School within five years following the successful completion of the Candidacy Examination or the candidacy will be canceled (see section E below). A bound copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Departmental main office in Columbus and the OARDC Library.

E. Final Oral Examination.
The SAC makes up the Final Oral Examination Committee (FOEC), together with a representative from the Graduate School who is appointed by the dean of the Graduate School. The composition of this committee must be approved by the dean of the Graduate School. The oral examination is closed to those outside the FOEC. The FOEC meets with the candidate to pursue questions concerning general principles, historical perspective, originality, independence of thought, and ability to synthesize ideas and interpret data, as well as assessing the quality of the research represented by the dissertation. Each examiner indicates judgment by signing the Final Oral Examination Report form that must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than two weeks before commencement. The result of the examination will be considered satisfactory if the FOEC votes approval unanimously or with one dissenting vote. If the examination is judged to be unsatisfactory, a second examination may be scheduled, subject to the approval of the FOEC. Following satisfactory completion of the Final Oral Exam, the committee can signs a Final Approval/PhD Dissertation form, which must be submitted to the Graduate School along with a bound final copy of the dissertation.

F. Exit Seminar.
The exit seminar is a one hour public seminar (Columbus and Wooster via satellite link) presenting the major results of the dissertation research. This seminar is scheduled at the beginning of the final quarter of attendance, and public announcements are circulated to the faculty and students of the Department. The final seminar will count as one of the required seminar presentations.