Part-Time PhD Students Who Are Employed Outside of Boston University

Effective April 2024

In the rare conditions, where we do permit admission of part-time PhD students, the following rules should apply:

i. Deans (or their designate) will review and approve requests for part-time PhD enrollment, and requests must be made on behalf of students by the given PhD program;

ii. Requests approved by school/college deans must be reviewed and approved by the Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs;

iii. Requests for part-time PhD enrollment must provide a cogent justification, explaining why part-time enrollment is appropriate for the given student, a detailed timeline with appropriate milestones for the part-time status to continue, and how part-time enrollment will not harm the culture or character or completion of the PhD program;

iv. Students enrolled in PhD programs part-time during the period in which a student is pre-dissertation status need to take a lower course load, however defined by their program, than that expected of full-time students;

v. Part-time students doing dissertation research and writing must be registered for continuing study (part/certified full in the technical parlance) and are responsible for continuing study fees;

vi. Part-time PhD students will not receive stipend support, tuition remission, or health insurance or fee coverage from Boston University (including through federal grants received by BU principal investigators);

vii. Students near completion of their dissertations may, with approval as outlined above, be part-time for up to two terms, if they are not receiving stipend support;

viii. Students may be part-time during the first year after the birth of a child or the adoption of a child; however, (vi) above will apply;

ix. Student dissertation research must be consistent with existing policy on Dissertation Work Outside of Boston University;

x. Student dissertation research must be consistent with academic norms of academic freedom, openness, and transparency;

xi. Enrolled part-time PhD students on the Charles River Campus will count against a program’s PhD slot allocation;

xii. This policy is not intended to prohibit or restrict program- and advisor-approved internships or other relationships consistent with a student’s professional development.