DMA Final Oral Examination

One month prior to the proposed final oral examination date, the candidate must present a copy of the document or dissertation to all members of the doctoral committee for critical examination and comment. All five members of the committee must read the document/dissertation and accept or reject it. If it receives tentative acceptance from the committee and the indicated corrections and/or revisions are minimal, then the candidate may begin preparation of the final draft.

The candidate must present to the Graduate Office an unbound copy of the complete document/dissertation and abstract (the latter not exceeding 350 words) in order to secure permission to take the final oral examination. The document and abstract must be accompanied by the Doctoral Oral Exam Scheduling Form, signed by all members of the Doctoral Committee. The student must contact each member of the Doctoral Committee prior to setting and confirming the date and time of the final oral examination. After the reading copy has been examined and approved and a degree check has been satisfactorily completed by the College of Fine Arts Graduate Office, the associate dean will sign the Doctoral Oral Exam Scheduling Form and the exam may take place as scheduled. A Report on the Final Oral Examination Form will be given to the major professor.

The final oral examination is primarily a defense of the document or dissertation, although any relevant topic may be explored if the committee so chooses. In order to allow adequate time for preparation of examination questions, a copy of the document should be provided to each member of the committee at least seven days prior to the examination. The student is responsible for contacting all committee members prior to setting the time, date and location of the examination. The final oral examination is open to the public.

At least four members of the committee, including the major professor and the outside member, must be present to conduct the examination. Following a decision on the student's examination performance, those committee members present must sign the Report on the Final Oral Examination Form. The major professor will deliver the report to the College of Fine Arts Graduate Office.

The candidate must be enrolled in at least one graduate hour during the semester in which the final oral examination is taken. The final oral exam must be taken during the same semester that the document or dissertation is completed.

If the candidate fails the oral exam, only one reexamination will be permitted; the date of the reexamination is set at the discretion of the doctoral committee. If the candidate fails the reexamination, he/she is dropped from the program, and candidacy for the degree is terminated.

If the candidate passes the final oral examination, he/she will take a copy of the document/dissertation, signed by all committee members, to the College of Fine Arts Graduate Office for final approval. The process requires electronic submission of a PDF file, according to the instructions posted at lib.tcu.edu/NDLTD. Copyright may be obtained; the fee for this optional service is paid by the student. The School of Music also requires a bound copy of the document/dissertation for its archives.

Time Limit

A doctoral student who enters the TCU DMA program with a master's degree must pass the general examination within four calendar years of the student's first registration for doctoral study at TCU. A doctoral candidate must complete all the degree requirements within six years after passing the general examination. Extension of time must be applied for in writing to the School of Music director, who will then make a recommendation to the associate dean. The letter should explain why the degree was not completed within the time limit and should present a schedule for completion of the degree.





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