Policies/Forms

Graduate Level Independent Study Contract

Students wishing to enroll in an Independent Study (COMM866) must complete the form linked above, including the steps outlined for creating a proposal. The form must be signed by the faculty member overseeing the Independent Study, and then forwarded to the Director of Graduate Studies and the Department’s Associate Chair, with the attached proposal, for approval. Once finalized, it will be forwarded to the Department’s Graduate Program Coordinator to enroll the student in COMM866.

Advanced Deg​ree Application​

The application linked above must be completed by all graduate students in the semester they plan to graduate. The deadlines are as follows: September 15 for December degree conferral, December 15 for Winter degree conferral, February 15 for May degree conferral, and April 15 for August degree conferral. The completed form should be submitted to the Department’s Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.

Change of Major/Concentration or Degree Form for Graduate Students

This form is used to request a change in a graduate student’s academic classification when the change occurs within the same program or department. Upon completion of this form, with all the required signatures, the student must submit a copy of the form to the Department of Communication's Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.

Request for Transfer of Graduate Credit

Prior to the completion of the form linked above the student must get approval from the Department of Communication's Director of Graduate Studies for transferring course credits. A copy of the course's syllabus must be provided in order to be considered. If the Director of Graduate Studies agrees to the transfer the student must complete the above-attached form, acquire the necessary signatures, and submit it to the Department’s Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.

Course Substitution Request Form for Graduate Degree Programs

This form is for any graduate student that would like to use a course not offered by the Department of Communication or not currently on the list of accepted courses for one of the degree requirements to fulfill a degree requirement. Before this form can be completed the course must be vetted by the student's Academic Adviser and the Department of Communication's Director of Graduate Studies. Once this course is approved the form linked above must be completed (with required signatures), and submitted to the Department’s Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.

​​Thesis and Dissertation Manual

This manual lays out the guidelines of the Graduate College for how an M.A. thesis or a Doctoral Dissertation must be formatted and written.

Ph.D. Candidacy Exams Committee Form

Ph.D. students must use the form linked above to establish which faculty members are serving on their candidacy exams committee. Once all required signatures from committee members, their academic advisor, and the Director of Graduate Studies are acquired, students must submit this form to the Department’s Graduate Program Coordinator.

Ph.D. Candidacy Exams Oral Defense Form

The form linked above must be completed following a student’s oral candidacy exam. The committee chair and members must sign this form once the student's oral defense is assessed. Upon completion of the oral defense this form must be submitted to the Department’s Graduate Program Coordinator.

Doctoral Dissertation Committee Form

The dissertation committee will include the student’s advisor, and two additional faculty members from within the Department of Communication's graduate faculty. Students must also name at least one dissertation committee member from outside of the Department of Communication with approval of their dissertation chair and the Department of Communication's Director of Graduate Studies. The outside committee member can be from another department within University of Delaware, or a faculty member at a different institution. A dissertation committee will have no less than four members and no more than six total members. All Ph.D. dissertation committee members must hold a doctoral degree. Students must complete this form and submit it to the Department of Communication's Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.

Doctoral Dissertation Candidacy Recommendation Form

Upon the defense of the dissertation proposal a Ph.D. student must complete the form linked above. Upon completion of this form, with all the required signatures, the student must submit a copy of the form to the Department of Communication's Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.

Request to Change Dissertation Committee

If at any point a Ph.D. student would like to change the members of their dissertation committee they must complete the form linked above. Upon completion of this form, with all the required signatures, the student must submit a copy of the form to the Department of Communication's Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.

Dissertation Defense Form

At least two weeks prior to the oral defense of the dissertation the Ph.D. student must complete the online form linked above. This will place their dissertation defense onto the campus-wide dissertation defense schedule.

Certification of Doctoral Dissertation Defense​

Upon successful completion of a candidate’s oral dissertation defense,this form must be completed. The candidate’s advisor and members of the dissertation committee must sign this, indicating if in their opinion the student passed or failed. Upon completion of the oral defense the student must submit a copy of the form to the Department of Communication's Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.