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DOCUMENT TYPE:
Policy
PURPOSE:
To outline the admission procedure for joint degrees at the University of Kansas
APPLIES TO:
Applicants to graduate study
CAMPUS:
Edwards, Lawrence
POLICY STATEMENT:
Admissions Procedures for a Joint Ph.D.
- The student applies and is admitted to the major Ph.D. program. The student must enroll in the major Ph.D. program for at least one semester and be in good academic standing before applying to the joint Ph.D. program.
- The student may then apply and be admitted to the joint Ph.D. program. This is an internal application procedure for students already admitted and enrolled at KU.
Plan of Study for Joint Ph.D.
- The student completes coursework in the major Ph.D. program and any additional coursework in the joint Ph.D. program. In many cases, the joint field coursework is integrated with the disciplinary field coursework. For example, PSYC 691 (Psychology of Aging) might meet the requirements for the joint degree in Psychology and Gerontology.
- The two participating Ph.D. programs of the joint program develop sections in their graduate student handbooks that outline the nature of the joint degree, stipulate the array of courses typically taken, and detail other structural and practical requirements of a joint degree.
Each participating program oversees its own joint students and signs off on a curricular plan for its own program.
- Ideally, the student’s advisor is a member of the major Ph.D. program and the joint program. If this is not possible, the student must have a co-chair from each of the two fields. This ensures integration of the two areas in the coursework, examinations, and the dissertation.
- The candidacy examination committee for the joint degree-seeking student must be composed of faculty from the major Ph.D. program as well as at least one faculty member from the joint Ph.D. program. The comprehensive exam requirements of both programs must be met.
- The dissertation topic should integrate both fields and be defended before a committee of graduate faculty from both programs.
The dean of the school for the major Ph.D. program confers the joint degree. The student’s diploma carries the name of both programs; for example: Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology and Gerontology. One Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code is assigned for the joint degree.
CONTACT:
Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs
785-864-8040
graduate@ku.edu
RESPONSIBLE UNIT:
Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs
APPROVED BY:
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
APPROVED ON:
2011-08-11
EFFECTIVE ON:
2011-08-11
REVIEW CYCLE:
Annual (As Needed)
CHANGE HISTORY:
05/28/2026: Updated "dual-title" to "joint" to align with current practice.
01/23/2026: Updated contact section.
12/24/2025: Technical edits. Graduate Studies name change to Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs.
10/03/2025: Updated formatting.
06/06/2025: Updated links
04/02/2025: Migration to TeamDynamix from Drupal.
12/11/2024: Removed retired policy link.
06/30/23: Updated links and formatting, changed approved by to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor.
01/10/2023: Formatting.
09/14/2022: Removed broken links. Dual-title Ph.Ds. are distinct from dual degrees, joint degrees, and combined degrees programs, which are completed sequentially and award the graduate two degrees upon completion.
07/2014: The policy was reviewed and updated by Graduate Studies.
08/2011: This policy was initially approved.
TITLE:
Admissions Procedures and Plan of Study for Dual-Title Ph.D. Programs