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The procedures described here supplement the requirements listed in the catalog.

  1. General Schedule for Masters and Doctorate Students

    Pathways through the MS and PhD degrees are listed in the graduate catalog. All graduate students in
    the department (except those in the non-thesis MS program) must take the Comprehensive Exam as
    soon as they have passed the three corresponding courses (see 2. below). Students are encouraged to
    form their committee and prepare their Qualifier Proposal at the end of their second year, and undergo
    the Qualifying Exam (see 4. below) early in their third year.

  2. Comprehensive Exam

    The Department of Space Science runs a comprehensive exam ("Comps") each year between the Spring and Summer semesters, with results being announced before the start of the Summer semester. This is a written exam with no oral component. More information can be found in this document.

  3. Obtaining your Master's Degree

    Students in the Space Science Ph.D. Program are encouraged to apply for a Master's degree in Space Science (non-thesis) after they have completed the appropriate 32 hour of core, required, and elective coursework and passed the Comprehensive Exam, but have not yet taken the Qualifying Exam. Students should apply through their Charger Status account and may contact Graduate Admissions for a discount code for the application fee. When the student has received acceptance into the Master’s program, they can apply for graduation online through their myUAH account or they can submit the form and graduation fee to the Registrar’s Office, located in the Student Services Building, Room 120. The Department strongly encourages all students eligible for an MS degree to apply for the degree. For any questions or concerns, please contact Wendy Waggener.

  4. Qualifying Exam

    The Department of Space Science PhD program includes a qualifying exam where candidates present their dissertation plan to their committee. This presentation is accompanied by a written research plan ("qualifier proposal") that must be submitted to the committee 2 weeks before the presentation. Committee members may submit written questions related to topics covered in the proposal to the candidate up to 1 week before the presentation so that the candidate can incorporate his/her responses in the presentation.

  5. Dissertation/thesis Defense and Committee

    The Department of Space Science follows the committee rules as stated in the graduate handbook. PhD candidates are encouraged to include at least 1 "external" member on the committee from another department or research center on campus, but this is not always practical and hence it is not a strict requirement. A complete version of the dissertation or thesis must be sent to the committee at least 1 week before the date of the PhD or MS defense. While it is normal for candidates to make changes to their dissertation/thesis following the defense, the version submitted to the committee must be in a "final" state. A copy of the research paper that has been accepted for publication (as required by the PhD program) should be sent to the committee along with the dissertation.