PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Admissions
Admission to The University of Southern Mississippi’s graduate programs in Human Capital Development is selective. Regular admission is contingent on having graduated from a college or university accredited by a recognized regional accrediting agency and submission of the criteria indicated below. In addition, the HCD graduate program admission committee recommends admission only for those applicants whose academic background, work experience, demonstrated leadership, and communication skills meet the challenging demands of the Human Capital Development graduate program.

Required Criteria
• GRE scores
• GPA on previous graduate work
• Three letters of recommendation from persons qualified to assess the
   applicant’s readiness for graduate study in this program
• Letter of interest and professional goals
• Vita/Resume

Supplementary Criteria*
• other standardized test scores
• interview
• writing sample
• professional experience
• GPA on last 2 years of undergraduate work

*Supplementary materials may be submitted at the student's discretion or may be requested by the admissions committee.

Ph.D. Requirements:

In addition, students must meet the residency requirements through one of the following:

• Two Consecutive semesters of 12 hours each (12-12);
• Three consecutive semesters of 9 hours each (9-9-9); or Four consecutive semesters of a minimum of 6 hours each, (6-6-6-6).
• A comprehensive examination will be given after the completion of coursework
• A final GPA of 3.0 or higher is required

(Revised 4/20/2009)

Program Planning

Plan of Study. During the first term, the student will schedule a program planning meeting to complete the Plan of Study with the HCD Program Director.

Time Limitation. Students must complete the doctoral degree within eight (8) calendar years from the date of initial enrollment in the HCD program. Six years is the maximum allowed for coursework and the comprehensive exam, other than dissertation and research hours toward the degree.

Credit Hour Limitations. Transfer of credit for graduate work done at other institutions must be approved by the HCD program director, department chair, dean and University Director of Graduate Studies. Final evaluation of an acceptance of transfer credit will not be made until the student has been in residence for one semester. Coursework accepted for transfer must carry with it a letter or number grade (B or better), cannot have been graded pass/fail and may not have counted toward another graduate degree. Transfer of credit for doctoral degree programs is limited at The University of Southern Mississippi to not more than six (6) semester hours or nine (9) quarter hours beyond the master’s degree. Exceptions to this restriction may be made only with the approval of the program director, department chair and the University Director of Graduate Studies. Credit earned as non-degree graduate students cannot be applied toward a doctoral degree.

Comprehensive Exam. Comprehensive written examinations are prepared by the student’s doctoral committee members and should be taken within six months after the completion of coursework. Students must be registered for a minimum of three (3) semester hours the semester comprehensive exams are taken. Comprehensive exams are based on material learned during the overall program. The exam is designed to measure the student’s (1) specialized, advanced knowledge of the HCD discipline, and (2) the critical, analytical and problem solving skills needed to produce original, independent scholarly HCD research, thus contributing to the discipline’s body of knowledge.

The Doctoral Committee. The student’s work toward the doctoral degree is supervised by a departmental committee composed of a chair and at least four members recommended by the program director and department chair and appointed by the University Director of Graduate Studies. Qualified individuals from outside the university may serve if they have specialized knowledge needed by the student and are approved by the Graduate Council. The Doctoral Committee should be determined by the end of the student’s second semester.

The Dissertation. The dissertation topic must be approved by the student’s major professor and advisory committee and must be an original and significant contribution to knowledge in the HCD field. Guidelines for the preparation of the dissertation are available at www.usm.edu/graduatestudies. During the dissertation process, all students must complete twelve (12) hours of HCD 898, Dissertation Hours, and must register for a minimum of three (3) dissertation hours the semester in which the dissertation is defended. Both the dissertation proposal and the completed dissertation are submitted to a doctoral committee of four faculty members and defended orally. A student applies for candidacy only after all degree requirements except the oral defense of the dissertation are completed.

Graduation. To complete the Ph.D. degree in Human Capital Development, students must achieve a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average, complete all coursework (no grade below a “C” required), pass comprehensive examinations, and successfully complete and defend a dissertation. The Graduate Studies office requires that doctoral degrees be completed within eight years.

For additional information regarding general degree requirements, access the Graduate Bulletin at:

http://www.usm.edu/registrar/bulletins/graduate/index.php.

APPLY NOW

For graduate application information, visit: usm.edu/graduatestudies

Applicants are required to submit the following materials:

• Application fee ($35)
• Official GRE scores
• Official transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
• Statement of qualifications and resume (This statement is an important part of the application portfolio. Applicants should use the title “Statement of Qualifications, Goals, and Career Objectives” with name and degree you are seeking in the upper right corner. The statement should address the following: reasons this graduate program was chosen, how the applicant plans to relate the specialty area to his or her education and experience, expected career benefits from this program, and any other matters that should be taken into consideration. Minimum of five pages double-spaced.)
• Immunization compliance [PDF form]

For financial aid and graduate assistantship information, visit:

• usm.edu/financialaid
• usm.edu/wtd/ga