As we are a four field department the time line for completing a Ph.D. often differs for students in the different sub-fields. Some students will be able to complete their degree in five years, while others will require six years, and some may take longer, but the program is designed to allow students to complete the work in five or six years. Below are target dates for meeting requirements that will move social-cultural and linguistic students toward their degree quickly.

• Meet with your tentative advisor to talk about your research interests
• Begin to recruit faculty for your Advisory Committee. This committee will supervise your early academic work and your Qualifying Exams
• Begin and possibly complete your language requirements. Students in sociocultural anthropology and linguistics are required to have a scholarly language and a field language. Therefore, students may require 2 or 3 years of language study, including summer courses where possible, depending on the student’s language skills and field language. (Language courses do not count toward the required 60 hours of course work.)

• Finalize the members of your Advisory Committee and submit the official form naming the committee to the graduate secretary.
• Meet with your Advisory Committee to discuss your course work and dissertation topic.

• Finalize your dissertation topic in conjunction with your Advisor and your Advisory Committee early in the semester.
• Write a proposal for the Skomp Feasibility Study award (the Skomp award provides limited funds that will assist you to go into the field to do a pilot study that will serve as an important foundation for your dissertation.)
• Apply for external pre-dissertation funding as well.
• Early in semester: give your Advisor and Advisory Committee copies of your Skomp proposal to get feedback.
• March: Submit Skomp Feasibility Award proposal
• Complete language requirements.
• Begin conversation with your Advisory Committee about your Reading Lists for the Qualifying Exams.

• Collect pilot study data

• Complete any remaining course work.
• Working with your Advisory Committee complete your reading lists and schedule your Qualifying Exams.
• Submit a draft of your Dissertation Proposal to your Advisory Committee.

• Study for Qualifying Exams and/or pre-dissertation field work

• Take Qualifying Exams.
• Once you have passed your exams, you will be ABD (all but dissertation). You can register for G901 hours, which means you are a full time student with access to all university resources for a matter of several hundred dollars a semester.
• Finalize your research proposal and submit it to your Advisory Committee two weeks before your qualifying exams; it will be discussed and approved at the time of your Qualifying Exams.
• Working with your Advisory Committee submit grant proposals for dissertation research.
• Submit your Research Committee form to the graduate secretary (this committee might be the same as your Advisory Committee, but it is also possible to make changes at this time).

• Conduct your dissertation research

• Write your dissertation
• Keep in close touch with your Doctoral Supervisor
• Defend your dissertation