Doctoral Students

Track your progress toward graduation by viewing the Doctoral Student Flow Chart.

A graduate assistantship is an appointment made by Kent State University to full-time graduates who display a high level of scholarship and academic excellence. The award is merit-based, not need-based, and includes stipend and tuition.

Resources

• About Graduate Assistantships
• Download the printable Graduate Assistant Application (PDF)

Resources

• Human Subject Review – Before you implement research that involves the use of human subjects, your project must be reviewed and approved by the Kent State Institutional Review Board (IRB). Visit the Office of Research Compliance's webpage on Research with Human Subjects.
• Review the Guidelines for Preparation of Dissertation (PDF)
  IMPORTANT: Candidates writing a thesis or dissertation must use the recently released American Psychological Association, 7th ed. as their reference guide. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Luci Wymer in the Administrative Affairs and Graduate Education office at awymer@kent.edu.
• Accessibility Information
  Beginning in January 2023, all OhioLINK ETD Center PDFs must meet minimum requirements for digital accessibility. Please access the University Libraries webpage on Accessible PDF Instructions for both written and video instructions on accomplishing this.
• APA Tutorials and Tip Sheet
• ETD Instructions - University Libraries
• Electronic Submission of Dissertation
• Review the Doctoral Candidate Brochure Samples

A Change in Program of Study form must be completed if students decide to change their degree/major, concentration or catalog year.  The form should be used when students desire to change from one Master's, Ed.S., certificate or non-degree licensure/endorsement program into another. 

Students can not use the Change of Degree/Major form to change to a higher degree. They must formally apply again to the higher degree. Students can use the Change of Program form to drop down to a lower degree (Ed.S. to Masters, Ph.D. to Ed.S., etc).

If you have questions about the form, please reach out to ogs@kent.edu. 

Students nearing completion of their coursework are required to complete the online graduation application, available through FlashLine, by published deadlines. The online application is used for all degree and certificate programs. See our page on Applying to Graduation for more information.

Graduate courses earned at another college or university may be transferred into a Kent State University graduate program. Students who wish to have those courses considered for transfer must petition administrators of the graduate program. The program can accept or reject such courses based on the program requirements, regardless of the discipline or institution in which the credits were earned.

The following conditions must be satisfied to transfer graduate credit:

1. A maximum of 12 credit hours of transfer courses may be applied toward a doctoral master’s/EdS degree coursework must be numbered 50000-69999 for master’s level and 60000-79999 for EdS degrees). Some programs may have a lower maximum.
2. The graduate credit was earned at an institutional accredited college or university (or international equivalent).
3. The credit was not used for a previously awarded degree.
4. The student earned, at minimum, a B or satisfactory (S) grade in each course for which credit is to be transferred.
5. The transfer coursework satisfies a requirement in the student’s program.
6. Time limits for transfer credit must follow established policy. Refer to policy for time limits for graduate programs.
7. The student’s petition for transfer credit with an official transcript is filed with the program and college.
8. The student’s program coordinator approves the petition.

Students who wish to transfer graduate-level credits into a Kent State graduate program must obtain approval from their program coordinator by submitting the Request for Transfer of Graduate Credit form and including an official transcript of the courses.