Unit Requirements
Unit requirements for a professional doctorate vary according to the field of degree. With the exception of the Doctor of Public Health program (see program requirements page), a minimum of 64 units of coursework are required for a professional doctorate. Individual programs may require additional units depending on the field of study and program design.
Residency Requirement
The residency requirement ensures that students who graduate from CGU have been fully enriched by the program characteristics and faculty interactions that distinguish their degrees as CGU degrees.
The residency requirement may be met by either two semesters of full-time study in a 2- year period or by the completion of 48 units of coursework within a 3-year period, including work in the summer sessions.
Students who are admitted to a professional doctorate program after completing a CGU master’s degree are subject to the same regulations on residency as students who enter CGU after completing a master’s degree at another institution. Units earned in a CGU master’s program may count toward the unit requirement for a professional doctorate in the same field. Because coursework requirements differ from field to field, and not all professional doctorates have a corresponding CGU master’s degree, applicability of prior units is determined by the program in accordance with its specific curricular requirements.
Transdisciplinary Course Requirement
Students are required to complete a Transdisciplinary course prior to the completion of two-thirds of the total units required for the degree, including transfer credits.
To fulfill this requirement, students must enroll in a CGU course section headed by the prefix TNDY and successfully complete a total of four units. Transfer units and audited courses may not be used to meet this requirement.
The four units of TNDY coursework apply toward the student’s total degree unit requirement and do not increase the number of units required for the degree.
Degree Milestones
Milestones for a professional doctorate may include one or more Research Tools, a Qualifying Examination, and/or an applied doctoral project. Students should consult the specific academic program section of the Bulletin for details.
Research Tools
A demonstrated proficiency in a skill or subject—such as statistics, mathematics, computer programming, or other approved areas—required by certain academic programs to support advanced research. Proficiency must be verified through an approved examination, successful completion of a qualified course with a grade of B or higher, or another documented method accepted by the institution.
Transcript notation will be added only if the research tool is completed as a non-course requirement. To record successful completion of the Research Tool on the student’s transcript, department staff will submit a completed Research Tool Approval Form to the Registrar’s Office by the last day of the semester in which the tool was completed.
Tools Completed Outside CGU
Only fully completed coursework may be used to satisfy a research tool requirement. Students who have completed an equivalent research tool at another institution may petition their faculty to have the coursework accepted, subject to the provisions of CGU’s transfer credit policy. An official transcript is required to verify that the coursework was completed within the last three years. Entering students are encouraged to submit their petition to their academic program as soon as possible after acceptance.
Qualifying Examinations
Not all professional doctorates require students to complete the qualifying exam. If a student must complete a qualifying exam, the advisor and dean of the student’s program approve a committee to administer the qualifying examinations. Each committee consists of at least two members. One member must be drawn from the core CGU faculty from the candidate’s department.
At minimum, the following requirements must be met before a student is permitted to take the qualifying examination. Individual academic departments may have additional prerequisites and should be consulted for more information.
- Good academic standing
- Successful completion of all research tools as detailed in the degree requirement section of the Bulletin
- No less than two-thirds of the total units required for the degree, including approved transfer credit. Courses in which the student has received an incomplete grade do not qualify toward the units required for eligibility.
Scheduling Exams
Qualifying exams are scheduled in consultation with the academic department. The qualifying examination must be completed at least one term prior to the anticipated term of degree conferral. Exam results are reported to the Registrar’s Office and posted to the student transcript.
Failing an Exam
Students who fail to pass the qualifying exam are permitted, on the recommendation of the student’s advisor and dean, to take a second examination after a stipulated period of time. This period must be no less than three months and no more than one calendar year after the first examination. If the results of the second examination are unsatisfactory, no further examinations are permitted, except upon recommendation of the graduate faculty in the field concerned and with the approval of the provost.
Students who are unable to pass required qualifying examinations within the time to degree established for their degree program, may be subject to dismissal from their program.
Submitting the Applied Doctoral Project for Publication
Students completing a professional doctorate are not required to publish the Applied Doctoral Project in order to graduate. However, students who choose to submit their project to the ProQuest Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Administrator must comply with all applicable requirements. This includes meeting the degree completion deadlines listed in the Academic Calendar and following the Formatting and Filing Requirements Guide available on the Registrar’s Form Index website. Documents submitted to the ETD are not eligible for publication until they have been approved and released by CGU, and no submissions will be accepted once the degree has been conferred.
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