Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students bring previous graduate study in a wide variety of fields, primarily in the social sciences and/or a licensable mental health master’s degree such as social work, marriage and family therapy, or counseling psychology. Many are mid-career professionals who are already practicing as sexuality educators, counselors, or therapists.
Those who already hold a licensable mental health degree typically pursue the Human Sexuality Studies–Sex Therapy track, while those who do not hold such a degree and are interested in education typically pursue the sexuality education track.
This program is ideal for those interested in conducting empirical research and contributing to sexuality scholarship. The PhD in human sexuality places emphasis on research design and methodology.
Doctoral Candidacy
Doctoral candidacy occurs upon successful defense of the dissertation proposal.
Financial Clearance
Students must be financially cleared if they are to be advised during the dissertation process. Students who are not financially cleared by the census date set by the Registrar’s Office forfeit continuous enrollment status. Such individuals may either (a) complete a “Petition for an Approved Leave of Absence” or (b) request retroactive reinstatement from the dean of the College of Health and Human Services through the director of the Center for Human Sexuality Studies. Students who have achieved candidacy must petition their dissertation chairs for a leave of absence.
Dissertation
The dissertation experience requires a minimum of 18 semester hours. Students should enroll in HSED 901 (3 credits) immediately after successful completion of the comprehensive examination. The sequence of subsequent courses should be as follows: HSED 902 (3 credits), HSED 910 (6 credits), HSED 920 (6 credits). If a student has not defended the dissertation proposal in HSED 902 , then the student must register for HSED 903 each semester until the proposal has been accepted. (See “Continuous Enrollment ” section for additional information.) If the dissertation has not been completed, then the student must register for 3 credit hours of HSED 930 each succeeding semester. Students may register for HSED 903 and HSED 930 a maximum of two semesters. Students who have not successfully defended their proposal or dissertation must petition the PhD program director to register for additional semesters of either course. (See the CHSS Student Policy Manual and CHSS Dissertation Manual for more information regarding dissertations.)
The scope of the dissertation project must be such that it will contribute to improved practice or theoretical understanding within the field and not be limited to an institutional problem. Students must complete their doctoral dissertations within five years of completing doctoral coursework.
Transfer Credit
Transfer credit will be considered on an individual basis. This decision will be made after the time of admission, by a student’s academic advisor. A decision to award transfer credit will be based on the recency and similarity of courses required by a program of study. A grade of A, B, or Pass is required for transfer credit. All decisions regarding transfer credit rest with the Center for Human Sexuality Studies faculty. Courses can only be approved for transfer credit by a faculty member who teaches that course following a syllabus review. The maximum amount of transfer credits is 12.
Degree Requirements
The minimum requirements for the doctoral degree are the completion of 81/84 semester hours of graduate credit and completion of the doctoral dissertation. After passing all required coursework, the student may begin the doctoral dissertation. The doctoral dissertation phase includes a minimum of 18 credit hours of dissertation seminar and dissertation research related to the dissertation activity. Please note that a waiver of any requirement for the degree must be approved in writing by the student’s academic advisor and the director of the Center for Human Sexuality Studies. All degree requirements must be completed within ten years of the start date. Dissertation work must be completed within five years of completing all coursework.
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