Doctor of Canon Law
Admission
The doctoral program consists of two distinct stages. First, for admission to the doctoral program, the student must have successfully received the licentiate degree (J.C.L.) and demonstrated superior academic ability as demonstrated by achievement of an overall A- average in the various components of the licentiate program (i.e., coursework, thesis, comprehensive examination) taken in the aggregate. However, within this overall average, the grade for the thesis must be at least A-. For students who did not earn the licentiate degree from CUA, the student must submit a thesis or major writing project for faculty review and two letters of recommendation, from professors on the faculty where they earned their licentiate degree. A decision is made by the faculty conjointly. All students considering the doctoral program must write a formal application letter to the Dean, explaining their reasons for advanced canonical study.
Admission to the second stage, doctoral candidacy, follows upon the successful development and submission of the dissertation proposal and requires a separate faculty vote of approval. Prior to such submission, a candidate must demonstrate fluency in canonical Latin and pass proficiency examinations in two modern languages (Italian, Spanish, German, or French) administered by the School of Canon Law.
Residence
The residency requirement for the Third Cycle is one year or two semesters. During the residency requirement, a candidate must have completed the Seminar in Sources (CL 702). The actual time necessary to complete the requirements of the degree program usually extends to three or four semesters, chiefly dependent on the time needed to complete the dissertation (below) According to School of Canon Law policy, the student has four years to complete the writing, defense, and publication of the dissertation. This period of time is calculated from the beginning of the semester following admission to candidacy.
Continuous enrollment is required unless an authorized leave of absence is granted for very serious reasons; such a leave cannot be longer than a maximum of four semesters.
Coursework
During this cycle the candidate is to be registered for dissertation guidance and is to complete four courses or seminars.
Dissertation
The candidate must submit a written dissertation to the faculty, reflecting a level of research expected of Ph.D. candidates. The candidate must defend the dissertation during an examination on the dissertation and on 10 theses closely related to it or subjects of special study. If the dissertation is approved, the specified number of printed copies must be deposited in the Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies.