Completing Your Doctoral Degree

As a doctoral student at Ball State you’ll need to work through three distinct stages of study and take the following steps to complete your degree: 

• Have a doctoral committee appointed.
• Obtain an approved program of study.
• Fulfill a residency requirement. 
• Satisfy advancement criteria for each stage of study. 
• Pass all comprehensive exams. 
• Be admitted for candidacy for your degree. 
• Complete your dissertation. 
• Prepare your final dissertation defense. 
• Earn your doctoral degree.