Within 24 months of admission, a student chooses a research adviser and forms a supervisory committee. In consultation with the research adviser and other members of the proposed supervisory committee, the student prepares a proposed Ph.D. plan of study, obtains all required signatures and submits the proposed plan to the School of Graduate Studies for review and final approval by the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Executive Committee. This submission must occur within 24 months of being admitted to the program.

In addition to any coursework completed prior to admission that is being credited toward discipline-specific requirements, the written Interdisciplinary Ph.D. plan of study includes courses and other activities at UMKC that should normally be completed approximately two years from the time the Ph.D. student is fully admitted, a statement about overall plans for study and research, and a list of the proposed members of the supervisory committee.

The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Plan of Study Guidelines:

• The plan of study must include coursework from all the student's disciplines and must satisfy all of the applicable discipline-specific core requirements.
• The plan of study must include at least 30 didactic hours beyond the baccalaureate degree, exclusive of thesis or dissertation research hours, in courses taken at UMKC or courses taken at another institution and approved for transfer by the student's supervisory committee.
• Didactic coursework on the plan of study will include a minimum of nine credit hours in a co-discipline area.
• No more than 60 percent of the total coursework taken at UMKC and listed on the plan of study, exclusive of thesis or dissertation research hours, will be in any one discipline.
• All plans of study must include a minimum of 12 hours of dissertation research (5696-5699) credit.
• At least two-thirds of the total courses included on the plan of study must be numbered 5500 or above if taken at UMKC, or, if taken from an institution with a course-numbering system that differs from UMKC's, they must be courses intended primarily for graduate students.
• UMKC courses at the 100 and 200 levels, and courses with equivalent lower-division numbers taken at another institution, are not available for graduate credit and may not be applied toward the hours required for the degree nor included in the discipline percentages.
• At least 75 percent of the coursework on the plan, exclusive of dissertation credits, must be in disciplines certified as eligible to participate in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program.
• Students' needs will be examined on a case-by-case basis by their supervisory committees, and appropriate language or related research skill requirements will be incorporated into each student's plan of study.
• The plan of study will include a brief description of the course focus and the name of the supervising professor for any independent study courses listed.
• The plan of study will specify which courses are being used to satisfy the residency requirement.
• The plan of study will outline the comprehensive examination expectations.
• The plan of study will include a preliminary research proposal for the dissertation research, including key bibliographic references.

If modifications to discipline-specific requirements are made after the student is admitted, the student has the option of proceeding under either the requirements in place at the time he or she entered the Ph.D. program or the current requirements.

Plan of Study Approval Process

Once the supervisory committee members and student have agreed on and signed the plan of study, appropriate academic officers corresponding to the student's choice of disciplines [dean(s) or program director(s), department chair(s), division head(s), etc.], must then review and certify by signature that the courses and all other resources are currently available at UMKC and in the respective units for the student to initiate the plan of study. The student then submits the certified plan of study to the dean of the School of Graduate Studies for review and approval by the appropriate subcommittees of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Executive Committee.

The subcommittees of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Executive Committee will accept Ph.D. plan of study proposals for review only if:

• The Ph.D. coursework falls within the guidelines outlined above.
• The student will enroll at UMKC for dissertation credit under the supervision of a UMKC member of the UM doctoral faculty.
• The plan includes written assurance from the appropriate academic officers that:
  1. adequate faculty, laboratories, library support and all other necessary resources are presently available at UMKC to support the proposed Ph.D. plan of study, and
  2. the courses included in the plan are either presently available at UMKC or can be taken by the student as a visiting student in a time period less than that required to satisfy the residency requirements on the other campus.

The appropriate Interdisciplinary Ph.D. executive committee subcommittees will review the certified plan of study within 60 calendar days and will either recommend to the dean of the School of Graduate Studies approval of the plan as presented or will return the plan to the student with recommendations for modification. Once the proposed plan of study and supervisory committee are approved by the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. executive committee, the dean of the School of Graduate Studies will confirm the appointment of those doctoral-faculty members who will serve as the student's supervisory committee and file the plan with the registrar. Any further modifications of the plan of study must be made in consultation with the student's supervisory committee and major modifications must be approved by the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Executive Committee.