A doctoral student who enters the OUHSC Graduate College with a bachelor's degree is expected to pass the General Examination within five calendar years of the student's first graduate enrollment in the department and a student who enters with a master's degree is expected to pass the General Examination within four calendar years of the student's first graduate enrollment in the program.
A doctoral candidate is normally expected to complete all the degree requirements within five years after admission to candidacy. Individual programs with shorter time limits should indicate so in their program handbook. Extensions greater than one year need the approval of the Graduate Dean and will require that the department or program unit involved certify that the student's knowledge will be current and appropriate to the degree at the time the degree is awarded. The procedure to be used for this determination must be approved by the Graduate Dean.
Individual graduate courses, not applied toward a previous graduate degree, taken at the University of Oklahoma or at another accredited university that is to be applied toward a doctoral degree must not be more than six years old at the time of admission or readmission to the Graduate College. No more than 23 credit hours (transfer credit and resident credit) applied toward a doctoral degree can be more than nine years old at the time of graduation for students entering with a master's degree or ten years old for students entering with a bachelor's degree. To compensate for an expired course, the student should complete a more advanced course on the same topic as the expiring course. The new course must be worth equal or greater hours to the expiring course. If the expiring course carries a letter grade, the new course should also carry a letter grade.
