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Style Guide & Instructions for Typing Thesis and Dissertations (available on this page: /cas/graduate-forms):

Graduate Student Handbook (fall 2024)

All graduate students are required to complete Title IX training. An online course that takes about 90 minutes is available here: /srvss/complete-think-about-it. Email the notification that you have successfully completed the course to the Graduate Coordinator.

All forms must be filled out/typed. Handwritten forms are no longer accepted.

MA & PhD Level (common forms)

1) (updated 5-18-2020)

• You will be asked by the Graduate Coordinator to submit an updated copy of this document at the end of each academic year. Keep a copy for your own records and update annually.

2)

• Complete this form and submit it to the main office when you declare a faculty advisor or anytime you change advisors. First year students should declare an advisor no later than the end of the first semester.

3)

• Students who wish to take Research hours or complete an Individual Investigation under the direction of individual faculty members should complete the relevant form available in the Sociology main office.

4) Transfer of Graduate Credit

• Consult the . In short, students who are accepted into our program can transfer an M.A. thesis and up to 12 semester credit hours toward program coursework (see the Graduate Handbook--link above--for an overview of required and elective coursework), as long as the coursework has not been applied toward another degree. Please note these and other that must be satisfied in order to transfer graduate credit. If you are accepted into our graduate program and wish to transfer graduate credit, please complete the Transfer of Graduate Credit form and submit it along with electronic copies of your M.A. thesis and/or relevant course syllabi to our Graduate Coordinator. If credit for courses has already been applied toward a graduate degree in sociology at another university, we will consider waivers on a case-by-case basis. Consult with the Graduate Coordinator about course waivers. Importantly, in cases where a course waiver is granted, the student still needs to meet the total credit-hour requirements for the program. Where this is an issue, the student may take electives in place of the waived course(s).

MA Level Info & Forms

1) 

• If you will be completing an M.A. thesis along the way toward earning your Ph.D., complete this electronic form and return it to the main office at the start of your first semester. Beyond entering your student information (Name, ID, etc.), all you need to do is enter the "Catalog Year" in the two spots for that, sign your name next to the "Sign Here" stamp, and type in the date next to where you sign your name. Do NOT enter or change any other information on the form. Also, note that "Catalog Year" refers to the year you STARTED the program (20XX). Put that year in both fields.

2) Thesis committee composition - The MA thesis committee should be composed of the following: 1) an advisor from our department who chairs the committee, and 2) at least two additional members from our department. If desired, one or more additional committee members also may be selected from other departments or universities/colleges. However, the majority of the committee members must be from our department. Committee members from other universities will need to get "temporary graduate faculty status" to serve on your committee. This includes our colleagues in the Akron Sociology Department. To request temporary status, the member should submit their c.v. along with the Recommendation for Appointment to the Graduate Faculty form (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library). Instruct them to 1) check the appropriate box in the upper left of the form (usually "New Appointment"), 2) fill in their personal information in the top section, 3) enter the semester and year they will begin serving on your committee in the second section, 4) check "Associate Member" in the third section, 5) check "Temporary Member" in the fourth section, put the student's name in the space next to "Graduate committee to serve on," and enter the period of the appointment (i.e., from when they plan to start serving until the anticipated semester and year of the final oral defense). The completed form and c.v. should be emailed to the graduate coordinator.

3) The "Style Guide and Instructions for Formatting Dissertations and Theses" is available on this page: /cas/graduate-forms

4) Approval of Thesis Topic (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library)

• Fill out no later than the semester before the formal oral thesis defense at the required proposal/prospectus defense. NOTE: This document must be filed and IRB approval must be obtained before you begin data collection. This form with local signatures can be scanned and emailed to any remote members, re-scanned, and sent back to you. The form with all committee member signatures should be submitted to the main office for further routing. You are done with this form at this point. Once signatures are obtained by the office staff from the Graduate Coordinator and Department Chair, the form will be scanned to casgraddoc@kent.edu by the office staff. Also, if you ever have a revision to this form (e.g., title change, member change, etc.), it should be marked "REVISION" at the top of the page.

5) Application for Graduation with Arts & Sciences - THESIS

• To apply for graduation, log in to Flashline and click on "Application for Graduation" under the "Student Tools & Courses" tab. Make sure you apply for graduation in the semester prior to the semester you intend to graduate. Check the College of Arts & Sciences website for important dates and deadlines. If you apply for graduation and decide that you will not make the deadline, please call Graduate Affairs to cancel your application (330-672-8964). IMPORTANT: Please be sure that you will make all deadlines for graduation before making arrangements for the graduation ceremony (e.g., inviting family and friends in from out of town). Only graduates whose application for graduation has been tentatively accepted by their advising offices for the specific term of graduation will be invited to RSVP their attendance. If the students are removed from the graduation listing by the advising office prior to the ticket download (e.g., because the student did not defend by the deadline) they are considered to no longer be eligible to participate in the ceremony and will not receive tickets for their guests to attend.

6) Thesis Final Examination Guidelines for advisors (available on this page: /cas/graduate-forms)

7) Report of Thesis Final Examination (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library)

• Fill out at the thesis defense and obtain signatures from committee members. This form with local signatures can be scanned and emailed to any remote members, re-scanned, and sent back to you. The form with all committee member signatures should be submitted to the main office for further routing. You are done with this form at this point. Once signatures are obtained by the office staff from the Graduate Coordinator and Department Chair, the form will be scanned to casgraddoc@kent.edu by the office staff. NOTE: The oral defense of the thesis must occur by the deadline for graduation in any semester. Please see the College of Arts & Sciences dates and deadlines web page for semester-specific dates. The completed thesis should be submitted to committee members no less than 10 days prior to the defense. No pre-oral meeting is required for the M.A. thesis.

8) Signature Pages

• As noted in theStyle Guide for Typing Theses & Dissertations (available here: /cas/graduate-forms), two separate copies of the signature approval page should be delivered by hand or campus mail to the Office of Graduate Affairs (108 Bowman Hall) prior to electronic submission of your thesis. See p. 21 of the Style Guide for a signature page sample. IMPORTANT: bring the copies of the signature pages to your defense along with the Report of Thesis Final Examination form mentioned immediately above. Finally, and most importantly, the signature pages should be signed in black ink on archival paper (>50% bond). Original signatures are absolutely REQUIRED. If one or more committee members are not local, the signature pages must be sent to them via snail mail and returned to you the same way. The College realizes that this may take some time, and the time required to acquire signatures from remote committees members will not jeopardize your graduation. Simply inform Michelle Etling (metling1@kent.edu) in Graduate Affairs that you are in the process of acquiring signatures on your signature pages from remote members.

9) Submit Thesis

• Instructions are available here: . Check the College of Arts & Sciences web page for the filing deadline.

Advancement to Candidacy

1) (updated May 2020) - use this version if you are under the fall 2020 Graduate Handbook (no secondary area requirement)

• Prior to advancing to candidacy, students are required to take 9 hours of electives (three courses) in a specialization area. In addition, students are required to complete 17 hours of other electives. At the beginning of the first week of the semester when the student is finishing all requirements for coursework, this form should be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator via the Graduate Secretary.

2) 

• Fill out this university form (distinct from the Report of Comprehensive Exam form above) after completing the entire candidacy exam process. Return the completed form (including your advisor's signature) to the Sociology main office. You are done with this form at this point. Once signatures are obtained by the office staff from the Graduate Coordinator and Department Chair, the form will be scanned to casgraddoc@kent.edu by the office staff.

PhD Level Info & Forms

1) Dissertation committee composition - Normally the dissertation committee will consist of a minimum of the advisor from our department (who will act as chair of the committee), two additional members from our department, and one faculty member from a different discipline (e.g., psychology). The advisor and at least two of the remaining three must be members of the Graduate Faculty who have "full" status (i.e., only one of the four members may have less than full status; the graduate faculty roster listing statuses is available on the ). If a co-advisor is desired/needed, they should be included in the above members. If, for warranted  reasons, it is desirous  to have a person on the committee who does not meet the above qualifications, special permission must be obtained from the Graduate Dean. If desired, an additional committee member also may be selected from a different university, including from the University of Akron Sociology Department. They will need to get "temporary graduate faculty status" to serve on your committee. This includes our colleagues in the Akron Sociology Department. To request temporary status, the member should submit their c.v. along with the Recommendation for Appointment to the Graduate Faculty form (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library). Instruct them to 1) check the appropriate box in the upper left of the form (usually "New Appointment"), 2) fill in their personal information in the top section, 3) enter the semester and year they will begin serving on your committee in the second section, 4) check "Associate Member" in the third section, 5) check "Temporary Member" in the fourth section, put the student's name in the space next to "Graduate committee to serve on," and enter the period of the appointment (i.e., from when they plan to start serving until the anticipated semester and year of the final oral defense). The completed form and c.v. should be emailed to the graduate coordinator.

2) The "Style Guide and Instructions for Formatting Dissertations and Theses" is available on this page: /cas/graduate-forms

3) Approval of Dissertation Topic (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library)

• Fill out no later than the semester before the dissertation defense at the required proposal/prospectus defense. NOTE: This document must be filed and IRB approval must be obtained before you begin data collection. This form with local signatures can be scanned and emailed to any remote members, re-scanned, and sent back to you. The form with all committee member signatures should be submitted to the main office for further routing. You are done with this form at this point. Once signatures are obtained by the office staff from the Graduate Coordinator and Department Chair, the form will be scanned to casgraddoc@kent.edu by the office staff. Also, if you ever have a revision to this form (e.g., title change, member change, etc.), it should be marked "REVISION" at the top of the page.

4) Application for Graduation with Arts & Sciences

• To apply for graduation, log in to Flashline and click on "Application for Graduation" under the "Student Tools & Courses" tab. Make sure you apply for graduation in the semester prior to the semester you intend to graduate. Check the College of Arts & Sciences website for important dates and deadlines. If you apply for graduation and decide that you will not make the deadline, please call Graduate Affairs to cancel your application (330-672-8964). IMPORTANT: Please be sure that you will make all deadlines for graduation before making arrangements for the graduation ceremony (e.g., inviting family and friends in from out of town). Only graduates whose application for graduation has been tentatively accepted by their advising offices for the specific term of graduation will be invited to RSVP their attendance. If the students are removed from the graduation listing by the advising office prior to the ticket download (e.g., because the student did not defend by the deadline) they are considered to no longer be eligible to participate in the ceremony and will not receive tickets for their guests to attend.

5) Request Graduate Faculty Representative for dissertation defense

• When you're ready to defend, your advisor will need to request a "Graduate Faculty Representative." Your advisor should do this through the Graduate Affairs website using an online form. IMPORTANT: Advisors should submit requests for a Graduate Faculty Representative at least 30 days before the pre-defense meeting.

6)  - Post in suitable locations around the department at least ten days prior to the scheduled defense. In addition, send the announcement to Ms. Michelle Etling in the Graduate Affairs Office (metling1@kent.edu). This is university policy.

7) Dissertation Final Examination Guidelines for advisors (available here: /cas/graduate-forms)

8) Report of Dissertation Final Examination (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library)  

• Fill out at the dissertation defense and obtain signatures from committee members. This form with local signatures can be scanned and emailed to any remote members, re-scanned, and sent back to you. The form with all committee member signatures should be submitted to the main office for further routing. You are done with this form at this point. Once signatures are obtained by the office staff from the Graduate Coordinator and Department Chair, the form will be scanned to casgraddoc@kent.edu by the office staff. NOTE: The oral defense of the dissertation must occur by the deadline for graduation in any semester. Check the College of Arts & Sciences dates and deadlines web page for semester-specific dates. The completed dissertation should be submitted to all committee members at least 10 days prior to the required pre-oral committee meeting (without the student). At the pre-oral, the committee should agree that the dissertation is ready for defense prior to the formal oral defense. The oral defense with the candidate should be scheduled no sooner than 10 days after the pre-oral meeting.

9) Signature Pages

• As noted in theStyle Guide for Typing Theses & Dissertations (available here: /cas/graduate-forms), two separate copies of the signature approval page should be delivered by hand or campus mail to the Office of Graduate Affairs (108 Bowman Hall) prior to electronic submission of your dissertation. The signature pages should be signed in black ink on archival paper (>50% bond). See p. 20 of the Style Guide for a signature page sample. IMPORTANT: bring the copies of the signature pages to your defense along with the Report of Dissertation Final Examination form mentioned immediately above. Finally, and most importantly, the signature pages should be signed in black ink on archival paper (>50% bond). Original signatures are absolutely REQUIRED. If one or more committee members are not local, the signature pages must be sent to them via snail mail and returned to you the same way. The College realizes that this may take some time, and the time required to acquire signatures from remote committees members will not jeopardize your graduation. Simply inform Michelle Etling (metling1@kent.edu) in Graduate Affairs that you are in the process of acquiring signatures on your signature pages from remote members.

10) Submit Dissertation electronically

• You must deposit your final document with the university electronically. . Check the College of Arts & Sciences dates and deadlines web page for the filing deadline. Return the completed form to the Sociology main office and the office staff will ensure that it is routed properly.

1) Application for Extension of Time Limits (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library)

• Please refer to the college catalog for the policy concerning time limits.  Students who have exceeded the 10-year limit must submit a request to the Graduate Coordinator and include (a) an explanation of why an extension is needed, and (b) a timeline for completion of the degree. The request must be approved by the Graduate Education Committee. Fill out and submit this form if your request for an extension of time limits is approved by the GEC. Return the completed form to the Sociology main office and the office staff will ensure that it is routed properly.

Graduate Assistantships

1) Request for Exception to Full-time Enrollment (for funded students, GAs; available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library)

• Fill out the semester before the semester in which you would like the exception. Consult the Graduate Coordinator before filling out this form. Return the completed form to the Sociology main office and the office staff will ensure that it is routed properly.

2) Request for Additional Employment (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library)

• Graduate students who wish to be employed on campus beyond 20 hours for their Graduate Assistantships must submit this form. This is done only under very rare circumstances. Consult the Graduate Coordinator before filling out this form. Return the completed form to the Sociology main office and the office staff will ensure that it is routed properly.

Leave of Absence

1) Request for Leave of Absence (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library)

• Fill this out when you wish to request a leave of absence. Before submitting a request, please speak with your advisor and the Graduate Coordinator and review the "Leave of Absence Policy" (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library) and also the relevant section in the "Graduate Student Expectations" document. Return the completed form to the Sociology main office and the office staff will ensure that it is routed properly.

2) Application for Graduate Re-enrollment (available in the Kent State Graduate Program Forms Library)

• Fill this out when you return from an approved leave of absence. Return the completed form to the Sociology main office and the office staff will ensure that it is routed properly.

If you are unsure of your current status, you can check it in the  .

1) "Levels & Criteria for Graduate Faculty Status in the Department of Sociology" document (Appendix A from Department Handbook; updated 12/7/20)

2) (updated 2/29/24)

3) Recommendation for Appointment to the Graduate Faculty

• Faculty members should fill out this form and submit it (along with current c.v. and the Graduate Faculty Status Questionnaire) to the Graduate Coordinator whenever they are seeking a New Appointment, Renewal, or Revision to their Graduate Faculty status. 
• For those so interested, the College policy is here.