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Residency Attendance Policy

Students completing the Ph.D. in Global Leadership program are required to participate in on-campus residency weekends during enrollment. These events are held in spring and fall of each year and require Thursday through Saturday attendance. Residency requirements for the Ph.D. program are regulated by the university’s accrediting body – the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

These on-campus residency requirements are associated with critical points in the course progression to assure adequate progress is being made on development of research skills and critical analysis capabilities necessary to produce the dissertation. Residencies are structured to include seminars in current issues related to global leadership, lectures, guest speakers and opportunities for students to interact with faculty concerning development of the Qualifying Paper and Dissertation.

Residency Attendance Credits

Residency attendance is recorded and appraised as part of each student’s annual Academic Progress Review. To most accurately record a student’s attendance, the department utilizes a unit system – Residency Attendance Units, or RAUs. Units are broken down according to specific periods of time. For example:

  • Thursday evening: 1 RAU
  • Friday morning: 1 RAU
  • Friday afternoon: 1 RAU
  • Saturday morning: 1 RAU
  • Saturday afternoon: 1 RAU

Check-in times are offered throughout the weekend and it is each student’s responsibility to document their attendance for that particular period of time. Residency Attendance Units are not offered for attendance at social events offered throughout the residency, such as evening receptions. Social events are not required attendance, although encouraged.

A student must earn a minimum of 15 RAUs before he or she will be permitted to enroll into RES8001, Qualifying Research Seminar. The department recommends the accumulation of at least 5 units per year of enrollment. This is to ensure students have adequate residency attendance established before moving on to the Dissertation phase of the program.

Failing to Fulfill Residency Requirements

To fulfill Ph.D. degree requirements, residency is required by Indiana Tech and its accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Therefore, students who are found lacking in RAUs at the time of enrollment into RES8001 will be required to earn the deficit units before continuing with the program. Students can earn more units by attending another residency weekend. Another option is also available for extenuating circumstances.

Academic Topic Paper

The student must submit an appeal to be considered for this option. Academic topic papers will be assigned only after it has been determined by the Program Director that no other option is available for the student to earn additional units.

If approved, the student will be given an individual writing project. The content will be related to topics presented during residencies the student did not attend. Specific subject matter is up to the discretion of the Program Director. The paper must be an original work in referenced, APA style.

10 accepted narrative pages = 1 RAU

These research projects will be reviewed on a pass/fail basis by an appeals committee.

Rev. 3/27/2018

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