About the Department

Recreation, Park and Tourism Management Policy Manual

Candidacy Examination Policy

RPTM Policy (Updated 1/27/06)

There is no standing Candidacy Exam Committee. Each candidacy examination is administered by the doctoral student’s faculty advisor and an “advisory committee” made up of probable
dissertation committee members.

For the examination students prepare four documents: (1) a vita, (2) a 2-3 page statement of career intent and direction, (3) a complete program of study, and
(4) a 10-15 page dissertation plan (or pre-proposal). Students make a formal presentation of their prospectus. To write a credible dissertation plan, students need to have reasonably clear ideas about the topical area of the dissertation research and a disciplinary/conceptual orientation; however, a specific research design may or may not have been selected. Students defending their master’s thesis research may choose to take the candidacy examination immediately after the defense of the thesis. Requirements for the candidacy examination are the same, whether the candidacy examination stands alone or is immediately following the thesis defense. Results of the thesis defense and candidacy examination are not connected nor contingent on each other (e.g., passing thesis defense does not guarantee passing candidacy examination).

At completion of the candidacy examination, the committee provides one of the following evaluations: pass, retake, or fail. The committee will also pass or fail the student on English Competency (as required by the Graduate School) at the time of the candidacy exam.

Forms Needed:
• Evaluation of the committee is recorded on the Graduate School’s “Report on Doctoral Candidacy” and is sent to the graduate school.
• The RPTM “English Competency Form” and the student’s plan of study is given to the Graduate Professor-in-Charge and filed in the student’s departmental folder.