FAQs and Terms

Terms

The following list contains terms and acronyms used by the Graduate School staff. These terms pertain to the different aspects of your graduate studies.

A.B.D.

Acronym for "All But Dissertation," is a term for doctoral students who have completed Ph.D. coursework in Graduate School, but have not finished their dissertation.

Admission to Candidacy

Doctoral students who have fulfilled the residency requirement passed their prelims, and met the research tool requirement, are admitted to candidacy upon recommendation of the faculty and approval granted by the Dean of the Graduate School. A student is admitted to candidacy upon receipt of the "Admit to Candidacy Form" from the graduate program to the Graduate School.

Assistantship

Assistantships are offered through most graduate programs and through many campus offices. Three types of assistantships are offered: teaching (TA), research (RA), and administrative assistant (AA). Graduate Assistants work either 10 or 20 hours per week and receive a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a monthly stipend. Visit the Assistantship page for more information.

Committee Members

Students completing a thesis or dissertation must create a committee composed of faculty members who advise them regarding their research or creative project. Master’s degree requires at least three committee members, and PhD requires at least five committee members.

Comps

Written and/or oral exams administered at the end of course work for graduate programs. Oral exams are administered by a committee of faculty members from the graduate program or school.

Concurrent Degree Program

A concurrent master’s degree program permits students to be enrolled at the same time in two academic programs which have an approved concurrent degrees arrangement, and earn two master’s degrees. Visit Graduate Degree Requirements for more information.

Conditional Admission

With the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School, a program may admit a student who does not meet the Graduate School's minimum standards for admission. A conditional admission may require the student to maintain a certain grade point average (GPA) or successfully complete a certain number of semester hours of coursework or meet other academic criteria in order to continue in the program. For an international student, a conditional admission might be issued if they have not yet met the English language requirement, and must enroll in CESL classes before beginning their graduate degree program.

Continuing Enrollment

All graduate students are required to maintain continuing enrollment status in the Graduate School. Students must be registered at least in 601 (Continuing Enrollment course) every semester except Summer. Visit 601 Continuing Enrollment for more information.

Double Major

A student may earn a double major for a master’s degree if such a program of graduate study is commensurate with the student’s vocational and professional goals, and approved by both programs. Visit Graduate Degree Requirements for more information.

ETD

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation. A pdf of Thesis or Dissertation is submitted electronically via ProQuest to the Graduate School.

Fellowship

Fellowships are scholarships or grants that are awarded to doctoral students. Awards vary but could include enough money to cover the cost of living, including tuition. Students may be required to work on a specific type of research, or publishing a set amount of articles in a specific field, to meet fellowship requirements. Visit our Fellowship page for more information.

Graduate Certificates

Many graduate programs offer certificate programs at the master’s degree level, earned by taking about half the credit hours required for a master’s degree. View our certificate list for more information.

Hooding

Doctoral candidates are hooded by their major professor at the graduation "commencement" ceremony. Visit University Commencement for more information.

Leave of Absence

Graduate students may request a leave of absence (LOA) from their degree program for up to two semesters, at a time, when they will be not taking classes and not utilizing university resources. Requests for leave of absence require the approval of the graduate adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies of the graduate program. LOA must be requested by the 8th week of the semester.

Major Professor or Advisor

A faculty member advising the student with research or creative projects, known as the Chair of the Thesis or Dissertation.

Non-Paper Option ( No paper)

Taking additional hours as a substitute for the thesis or research paper and not submitting either a thesis or a research paper to the Graduate School. Not all programs have this option.

Oral Defense

An oral presentation to the faculty committee during which students provide a summary of their research or creative projects and the results obtained. Committee members pose questions, and students must respond and defend their work.

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

This is an advanced degree, beyond the master's level, which requires further courses as well as several years of original research culminating in a dissertation.

Preliminary Examination or “Prelims”

The preliminary examination is required by the Graduate School for doctoral students. It may be oral or written or both, depending on the unit's policy. Preliminary examinations generally evaluate the student's overall and specific knowledge in the field.

Practicum

A work experience or hands-on portion of a class offered in graduate schools. For instance, clinical psychology students may spend 8 hours a week seeing clients to fulfill requirements for some classes. A practicum is smaller in scope than an internship and usually only lasts as long as the length of the course which requires it.

Research Paper

Research document completed and submitted to the Graduate School to partially fulfill Master’s degree requirements. It is a mini version of a thesis. It is electronically submitted to OpenSIUC.

Research Tool Requirement

The doctorate at SIU Carbondale is a research-oriented degree. The research tool requirement consists of courses that will aid the student with their doctoral research projects. The faculty from each doctoral program determine the courses designated as research tool.

Residency Hours

24 credit hours of SIU Carbondale graduate-level courses taken within a 4-year period, required for doctoral students to establish residency. Residency must be established prior to advancing to Candidacy. Visit Graduate Degree Requirements for more information.

RUN Numbers

Registration User Number (RUN) is a six-digit number that allows students access to the registration function in Salukinet so they can add or drop classes. RUN numbers are unique for each student each semester, and they are given to students by their faculty advisor or program support staff after advisement. Most graduate programs do not require RUN numbers for their students.

Satisfactory Progress

SIUC requires that a classified graduate student be making satisfactory progress toward a degree if that student wishes to receive financial aid funds. Questions about satisfactory progress may be addressed to gaoffice@siu.edu.

Withdrawal from the Program

Students who do not wish to continue in a program should send an email to their advisor or other graduate program representative. Requests for withdrawal must be in writing. Officially withdrawing helps to prevent misunderstandings and unwanted auto enrollment in 601. Visit Withdrawal Information for more information.

Withdrawal from the University (Withdrawal from the Semester)

Dropping an entire course load or dropping to zero hours constitutes a withdrawal from the university for that semester. Graduate students may withdraw through week 8 for a current semester, and tuition and fees may or may not be refunded, based on the day of withdrawal. Students should contact their graduate program representative if they want to request a leave of absence instead of a permanent withdrawal. Questions may be directed to gradregistration@siu.edu.