Once admitted to candidacy, doctoral students in History are expected to make steady and demonstrable progress toward completing the dissertation. Continued enrollment, funding eligibility, and good academic standing are contingent on sustained progress. Minimum Enrollment and Credit Requirements After admission to candidacy, students must register for a minimum of 10 total credit hours of HIST 9300 (Doctoral Dissertation Research) or other graduate-level coursework before graduation. In any semester in which students use UGA resources—whether facilities, advising, or committee input—they must register for at least 3 graduate credit hours. Students must also be enrolled in the semester they intend to defend and submit the final version of the dissertation. Annual Dissertation Committee Review To ensure consistent progress, all Ph.D. candidates must meet with their full dissertation advisory committee at least once per academic year, starting in the academic year following admission to candidacy. The purpose of this meeting is to: Review the student’s research and writing progress; Discuss any completed dissertation chapters or sections; Identify obstacles and strategize solutions; Set concrete goals and timelines for the next stage of work. Annual Reviews in Later Years (Committee-Level Review) Beginning in the third year, responsibility for reviewing a student’s progress shifts to the major professor and advisory committee. The process of portfolio preparation and defense in the third year functions as a formal review of academic and professional progress. The dissertation prospectus and committee approval process in the fourth year functions as the primary review for that year. Annual reviews in the fifth and sixth years are conducted at the committee level, and guidelines for those reviews are provided in a later section of this handbook. Students must meet with their entire advisory committee at least once per year. Students are encouraged to maintain regular communication with their committee and consult their major professor each semester to ensure they remain on track toward timely degree completion. Guidelines and Responsibilities: The student must schedule the meeting and confirm a time when all committee members can attend. Prior to the meeting, the student must circulate all completed or partial dissertation chapters to the entire committee, allowing at least two weeks for review. Committee members are expected to read the submitted materials in advance and arrive prepared to offer substantive feedback. A summary of the meeting’s outcomes, including a timeline for next steps, should be documented in brief and retained by the student and the major professor for future reference. Failure to Meet Review Obligations Failure to complete an annual committee review may be interpreted as a lack of academic progress. In such cases, the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the student's advisory committee and the Graduate Studies Committee, may initiate a review of the student’s standing and eligibility for continued enrollment and/or assistantship funding.
