Virginia Doctoral Minimums

So, in earlier threads we saw that VUL DHA students must do a practicum to graduate because the STATE requires 90 graduate hours to matriculate at the doctoral level...

It got me thinking.

Liberty, has a 48 hour DPA
the PhD in Public Admin is 48 also
the Doctorate in Worship Studies is 45
D.Min is 30 hours
D. Strategic Leadership 51
D. Theology 51
D. Nursing is only 41

There were others,but you get the idea.

University of Virginia also has doctorates with less than 60 hours.

So do other Virginia schools.

So, with the STATE requirement for a student to have 90+ hours to graduate, how are these degrees happening?

I understand that some masters degrees are longer than others, but the vast majority are 30-40 hours in length. For those folks, what is the expectation?

My RA masters in public safety administration was exactly 30 hours.

If I wanted to do the DPA or PhD in Public Administration for example, I would have "only" 78 hours beyond my undergrad degree.

Are the universities not under an obligation to ensure students have a pathway to finish? If all Virginia schools have this limitation, why are the shorter doctoral programs not specifying the extra work up front?

Again, I understand some Masters programs are longer than others, but this is not universal.

 

I think it's odd that a state government would dictate higher educational degree requirements. In any event, I can speak for the DMin: The vast majority of DMin programs require at least three years of demonstratable full-time ministry experience (or its equivalent) and a 90-credit MDiv (or its equivalent with specific disciplines). Therefore, the average DMin grad likely has around 120-125 graduate hours.

 

Old Dominion University, FKA College of William and Mary at Norfolk offers a Ph.D. in Engineering Management and System Engineering, which requires only 48 credits.

 

On the other hand, the Liberty History PhD is 72 hours to complete. I know because none of my hours ( University of Houston, too old, North Carolina Central University, too old and UNISA, you have to complete the degree in order for the hours to transfer) transferred in and I had to do the program from scratch to finish.

 

Maybe Virginia applies the 90 graduate hour requirement to non-RA schools but not to RA schools? Maybe Virginia applies the 90 graduate hour requirement to new programs but not to grandfathered programs?

 

Is there a link to the law or regulation?

 

Is the accredited agency considered as COUNCIL under the #5 EXCEPTION?

"
8VAC40-31-140. Certification criteria for institutions of higher education.
A. This section shall apply to each institution of higher education for which certification is required.

B. In order to award a degree, the institution's programs must meet the following generally accepted minimum number of semester/quarter credit hours required to complete a standard college degree.

1. An associate degree shall be granted only after the successful completion of at least 60 semester hour or 90 quarter credit hours of collegiate level study.

2. A bachelor's degree shall be granted only after the successful completion of at least 120 semester hours or 180 quarter credit hours of collegiate level study.

3. A master's degree shall be granted only after the successful completion of the requirements for a bachelor's degree and at least 30 semester hours or 45 quarter credit hours of collegiate level study.

4. The doctoral degree shall be granted only after the successful completion of a minimum of three years of full-time graduate study or equivalent (90 semester hours or 135 quarter credit hours) beyond the bachelor's degree, including dissertation credits or research study.

5. Exceptions to these standards must be approved by the council. Proposed programs will be evaluated by the standards of similar programs in public or private postsecondary institutions.

6. A student shall complete a minimum of 30% of course work at the institution in order to be granted a degree from that institution.

7. An institution that awards life or work experience credit shall have its related transfer policy approved by the council. No more than 30% of the credit in a student's degree program may be awarded for life or work experience.
"

Reference: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title8/agency40/chapter31/section140/#:~:text=The%20doctoral%20degree%20shall%20be,dissertation%20credits%20or%20research%20study.

 

Thanks. It sounds like the program should be at least three years OR 90 semester hours, if it's an accelerated program.

Even though DMin programs are typically around 30 semester hours, they follow a three-year plan. Plus, there was two to four years of study for the MDiv. A 48-credit PhD that takes two to three years to complete would be in addition to a one to two-year master's degree.

Since VUL's program is designed to be completed in 12 months, they have to rely on credit hours to meet Virginia's requirement.

 

My issue is this...

If the state requires 30 for a masters what is the expectation for a student whose total is less than 90 when they finish with a doctoral program?

The college has to provide some sort of pathway to completion.

And to a lesser extent, if a student completes the degree requirements as specified in a school catalog, isn't the school legally obligated to award the degree?

 

I'm speculating, but it would seem that this part of the law applies:

"5. Exceptions to these standards must be approved by the council. Proposed programs will be evaluated by the standards of similar programs in public or private postsecondary institutions."

So maybe the state approved an exemption from the 90 semester hours requirement based on what other institutions have done for the same degree.