Interdisciplinary PhD Program

Build the course of study toward the PhD of your dreams

The University of Maine’s Interdisciplinary PhD program will allow you to pursue the education you want without leaving the state. Select your five-member Academic Advisory Committee to help you map out your program of study and achieve your research goals. You’re not a cookie-cutter person, so why would you get a cookie-cutter PhD?

The Application Process

Before you apply for the Interdisciplinary PhD, be sure to read through the IPhD Guidelines and schedule to meet with the Graduate School’s IPhD recruitment coordinator to discuss your educational goals.

You’ll gather the above materials and start an application. The online application is where you’ll also provide transcripts from your previous institutions, an essay, a resume, and letters of recommendation. Additional items may be required (e.g. English proficiency scores) as appropriate.

Note: the IPhD materials should be provided as separate documents to fit within the upload document setup, please plan accordingly.

  1. The Graduate School forwards completed applications to the IPhD Policy, Procedures, and Admissions Committee. 
  2. The IPhD admissions committee will meet with you, your advisor, and any or all of your academic committee members to review each component of your proposal. You will present an overview of your proposed Program of Study and answer any questions.
  3. The admissions committee will then make a recommendation, including any recommended changes, to the Graduate School.
  4. Final approval, admission to the IPhD program, and the appointment of the academic committee will be made by the Graduate School.

Completed applications must be received by the Graduate School by April 1 for admission in the fall and summer semesters and November 1 for the spring semester.

Building Your Program of Study

Part of your application materials will include a Program of Study. This is a plan that you along with your committee chair and the members of your proposed academic committee will develop to outline your research.

The 4-5 page proposal will contain the following:

  • A dissertation focus statement
  • A literature review of your intended field
  • A statement addressing how your dissertation work will add to the current field of knowledge
  • A statement of the methodologies you will use over the course of the dissertation work
  • A statement of what data will be obtained and the means and methods by which it will be analyzed or interpreted

A list of proposed courses (including prerequisite courses, language requirements, and any courses to be taken on an audit basis) and a statement outlining the importance of the proposed coursework in light of your prior academic and/or professional training and future professional plans.

  • The statement should describe the interdisciplinary nature of the proposed coursework.
  • Courses should be presented in the multiple disciplines or areas of inquiry involved,  which should include at least 2.
  • In addition, courses that bridge the disciplinary areas or areas of inquiry should be presented. 
  • Your program of study must include at least 6 dissertation credits. Normally, 30 to 60 hours of graduate credit excluding transfer credit is expected total.
  • No more than 6 credits may be taken at the 400 level.
  • Up to 12 credits from the University of Maine earned after a master’s degree may be applied toward the proposed Program of Study.

Your Academic Advisory Committee will consist of at least five members, four of whom must be University of Maine faculty. All of your Academic Committee members must also be members of the Graduate Faculty of the University of Maine before the Graduate School can formally appoint them to your Academic Committee. Those who are not members of the Graduate Faculty (such as external committee members) should submit a Record of Qualifications form before or with the submission of your application to the Graduate School.

Your Academic Committee members are responsible for assisting you in developing your dissertation proposal, so make sure that their areas of expertise closely match your study focus. If your Academic Committee composition changes during your degree program, the changes must be approved by the IPhD Policy, Procedure, and Admissions Committee.

  • Committee chair: Your committee chair must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Maine. Since the chair normally directs the dissertation research, they must have demonstrated expertise in your major research area. Prior experience in supervising a doctoral dissertation is strongly preferred.
  • University of Maine Committee Members: The three additional University of Maine committee members should be chosen on the basis of their substantive expertise in multiple areas of study or otherwise have expertise in the methodological areas that you have chosen to pursue.
  • External Member(s): The fifth member of the committee must be from another institution, and shall be selected on the basis of their demonstrated expertise in the topic of the dissertation research. The external member must be identified prior to the student’s admission and meet the IPhD criteria for appointment as an External Graduate Faculty member of the University of Maine.

Ideally, your committee chair and at least one additional committee member should have prior experience in directing and supervising doctoral-level research. A summary of this experience (such as a list of past doctoral committees) must be submitted to the Graduate School with your other application materials.

A brief description of the topics to be covered in the comprehensive examination and the names of the faculty Academic Advisory Committee members responsible for each topic.

A one-page or less justification of the interdisciplinary nature of your proposed work that specifies the different disciplines or areas of inquiry involved, and defines why the work does not fall under the purview of a single discipline or area of inquiry. Detail any relevant graduate programs at the University of Maine and state why the proposed dissertation work may not be completed in the individual programs identified.

Completing your IPhD Program

Overview

Your Program of Study is the roadmap to successfully completing your IPh.D. program. Your committee is responsible for ensuring that you’re making satisfactory progress toward completing all degree requirements. Your committee chair has primary responsibility for coordinating your degree program. All requirements must be completed within the time limits specified in the Graduate School catalog at the time of admission.

Your committee must meet at least annually with you to review your progress toward degree completion. Every year after at least one of these meetings takes place, your committee chair must submit a brief report summarizing your progress and the plan for the following year to the Chair of the IPhD Policy, Procedure, and Admissions Committee.

Coursework

Your committee will monitor your progress towards completion of your degree to ensure that everything is satisfactorily completed. Minor changes in specific courses require the approval of the Academic Advisory Committee, while significant changes in the scope of coursework require prior approval of the IPhD Policy, Procedure, and Admissions Committee.

Comprehensive Exam

Your committee is responsible for the content and administration of the comprehensive exam and must follow the format proposed in the Program of Study. Normally the comprehensive exam is taken at the end of your coursework, but a committee may wish to make alternative arrangements based on individual circumstances.

Admission To Candidacy

When your committee lets the Graduate School know that the comprehensive exam has been passed and all other requirements outside of the dissertation have been satisfactorily completed, the Graduate School admits the student to candidacy. Guidelines for admission to candidacy may be found in the Graduate School Catalog.

Dissertation

The dissertation must be completed and defended within the time limits specified by the Graduate School at the time of your admission. You are responsible for acquiring the approval of the appropriate human subject or other review boards before beginning your research. Guidelines for thesis formatting may be found here.

Final Oral Examination

The final oral examination for the PhD is administered and evaluated by your committee. Final oral examinations are open to the University community.