AHMA students are subject to the University’s Normative Time policy and are required to: (a) be registered
each semester; and (b) satisfy all requirements for the PhD, from entrance with either a BA or an MA to
completion of the dissertation, within a period of seven years. An additional two semesters of withdrawal
(i.e., semesters in which a student is not registered) may be added; AHMA students sometimes dedicate
these two semesters to fieldwork (see section VI.E). The University defines Normative Time as “the elapsed
time (calculated to the nearest semester) that students would need to complete all requirements for the
doctorate.”
Students are considered to be making satisfactory progress in the AHMA program if they complete Stage
I (leading to the MA degree, if desired) within two and a half years after admission and complete Stage
II (all PhD requirements except the dissertation) within five years after admission. This allows for two
years (plus, if absolutely necessary, two semesters when a student has withdrawn from the university),
for the writing of the dissertation. The dissertation must be completed in no more than four years after
completion of the Qualifying Examination.
Students not making adequate progress at any stage of their degree may be subject to academic probation
and, eventually, dismissal.
Students who withdraw from the University must apply for readmission in order to register (contact
Graduate Degrees, (510) 642-7330). Students who register in absentia are considered continuously
registered and are not required to apply for readmission. In order to be eligible for the Dissertation
Completion Fellowship (DCF), doctoral students are allowed a maximum of two semesters of withdrawal
(documented by petition) for medical and parental leave only prior to advancement to candidacy. In
absentia registration and withdrawals for research or other academic purposes will count towards accrued
time to degree. Students must be within normative time to advancement to be eligible for the DCF (see
Section III.B).