Question about residency requirement for PhD programs

[Averroes MD]

Due to family reasons, I need to live in location X, but I am strongly considering a university in location Y (top tier program). I noted that the residency requirement is only 2 years. Moreover, the university has an Exchange Scholar program with Z university somewhat near X (where my family lives). Coursework done at Z university would count toward the PhD degree, and the website says it would reduce the residency requirement by one year.

Am I reading this right? Does this mean that I could be living on campus for only one year of the 6+ year PhD program, and spend the remaining years using the library/resources of a university closer to my family?

Obviously, this is a sup-optimal way to do things, but I am just wondering from a technical standpoint if it is possible or not.

Hope this makes sense.

Thanks!

Edited September 28, 2015 by Averroes MD
grammar

[dr. t]

Frequently these sorts of exchange programs are for those who have advanced to candidacy, i.e. passed quals. I assume that's the case here, too.

Classwork is only one part of the equation. Your funding package, including tuition remission and healthcare, will presumably be contingent on you teaching or TAing for a significant portion of your program. This must, of course, be done at Y.

[TakeruK]

In general, these residency requirements represent the minimum allowed time in residence and they very rarely reflect typical or even possible residence times. That is, when reading policies, keep in mind that just because something is technically allowed does not always mean it is practical or feasible! 

I have known some students (in the social sciences/humanities as well as STEM fields) who spent the majority of their degree not in residence though, however, they all stayed in residence for much longer than the minimum allowed time (usually at least until candidacy). 

As telkanuru points out, the biggest practical limitation is TAship or whatever your funding source requires. Sometimes you can get around this if you find external funding, but often these external funding sources will also require residency at your chosen place for the award. 

I think the best thing to do is to talk to the program Y and tell them about your scenario and see what happens. This could potentially hurt your application chances at Y if they think this means you are not "committed enough". However, I think this is a legitimate consideration and if they are going to hold it against you then perhaps being at Y isn't that good for you anyways. And, if you are only going to attend Y if this scenario is possible, then you have nothing to lose if you ask and they say no. The only instance where I would caution against asking program Y directly is if you want to attend Y but you are not yet certain how much you need to be at X. In that case, perhaps you can ask using an anonymous email address or through a phone call without identifying yourself.

I also know about a lot of students (in both STEM and arts/humanities) that spend part of the year away from their enrolled university. Depending on the nature of the work, many students (and professors too) will spend the summer months away from the school and only be present during the school year when there is TAing to do and seminars to attend etc. 

[TMP]

I agree.  It all depends on your funding.  You might be able to find a RA-ship that will allow you to work from distance or TA-ship for an online course.  My program allows graduate students who have passed their exams to teach online courses; a number of them do for research or family reasons.

Also, for the exchange program, there is still a chance that the other program may not offer enough courses to meet your needs.  

Regardless, be on the err side and plan on being at your PHD institution for the duration of your program with the exception of external fellowships.

[Averroes MD]

Thank you all for your very thoughtful replies.

 

 

Frequently these sorts of exchange programs are for those who have advanced to candidacy, i.e. passed quals. I assume that's the case here, too.

 

You may be right, but I knew a UChicago PhD student who spent his first year at Harvard, and I'm pretty sure it was through the Exchange Scholar program. So, this would be before candidacy.

 

Classwork is only one part of the equation. Your funding package, including tuition remission and healthcare, will presumably be contingent on you teaching or TAing for a significant portion of your program. This must, of course, be done at Y.

 

The program says it funds tuition for X number of years, a stipend for Y number of years, and Z number of years of teaching fellowships, etc... So, I am assuming that the tuition is guaranteed for X years irrespective of if you do teaching fellowships, etc., right?

 

 

I think the best thing to do is to talk to the program Y and tell them about your scenario and see what happens. This could potentially hurt your application chances at Y if they think this means you are not "committed enough".  

 

Thanks for your very helpful reply. I thought I'd bring this up only after I get accepted, and before I accept the acceptance. Sneaky, I know.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Averroes MD

[Averroes MD]

I guess this leads to my next question: are there restrictions on PhD students working outside of the university? Do these only apply while in residence?

[TMP]

When you are funded by the university, it is expected that you focus on your studies, particularly on a fellowship.

A typical funding package would include BOTH tuition waiver and stipend for Z of years.  How they get paid varies-- either by fellowship or teaching assistantship or research assistantship in any given year.

[dr. t]

The program says it funds tuition for X number of years, a stipend for Y number of years, and Z number of years of teaching fellowships, etc... So, I am assuming that the tuition is guaranteed for X years irrespective of if you do teaching fellowships, etc., right?

That is not the way either of the funding packages offered to me would shake out. The fellowship years cover both and exist to facilitate travel and archival research, but you need to teach and be in residence for the TA years. Similarly, one of my friends in Harvard history dept. spent what should have been her TA year abroad, and to do so she had to suspend her candidacy. 

Are we talking Harvard? If so, I can be more specific.

Edited September 28, 2015 by telkanuru

[rising_star]

Frequently these sorts of exchange programs are for those who have advanced to candidacy, i.e. passed quals. I assume that's the case here, too.

I wouldn't assume that, actually. My PhD department (note: not the entire university in this case) had an exchange program with another PhD granting department. The most common time for people to do that program was during coursework because it allowed you to really benefit from the expertise in the other program. It was a 1-to-1 exchange but, you could take your funding with you if you were a TA (which then meant you were a TA in the other program).

Due to family reasons, I need to live in location X, but I am strongly considering a university in location Y (top tier program). I noted that the residency requirement is only 2 years. Moreover, the university has an Exchange Scholar program with Z university somewhat near X (where my family lives). Coursework done at Z university would count toward the PhD degree, and the website says it would reduce the residency requirement by one year.

Am I reading this right? Does this mean that I could be living on campus for only one year of the 6+ year PhD program, and spend the remaining years using the library/resources of a university closer to my family?

Honestly, even if it is technically possible, that doesn't make it a good idea. And I say this as someone who spent close to half of my PhD not in residence for various reasons. If you want to get good recommendation letters from the faculty, they're going to need to get to know you and your work. That is difficult if you only do a year of coursework there, show up for your exams, and then show up again to defend your dissertation. When I think about how I got to know my PhD supervisor, I think of our 1-on-1 meetings, our group meetings with all of his PhD students, conversations when I was his TA as we walked to/from the class, conversations in grad seminar, and conversations at happy hour or over dinner. If you read through that list, you'll see how few of those could have been (or were, speaking from experience) accomplished without physically being there. In fact, I can say that my relationship with my committee and my advisor was not as strong at the end of my PhD as it could have been precisely because I'd spent so much time away. Has that hurt me in my post-PhD career? Possibly. I mean, it's hard to say.

Are there any programs at all in/near location X which you could attend? That to me seems like a better option than trying to minimize your time spent in residence at the university in location Y. I mean, if you're considering spending a year at Z university that's near your family, could you do your entire degree there by any chance?   

 

[TMP]

Honestly, even if it is technically possible, that doesn't make it a good idea. And I say this as someone who spent close to half of my PhD not in residence for various reasons. If you want to get good recommendation letters from the faculty, they're going to need to get to know you and your work. That is difficult if you only do a year of coursework there, show up for your exams, and then show up again to defend your dissertation. When I think about how I got to know my PhD supervisor, I think of our 1-on-1 meetings, our group meetings with all of his PhD students, conversations when I was his TA as we walked to/from the class, conversations in grad seminar, and conversations at happy hour or over dinner. If you read through that list, you'll see how few of those could have been (or were, speaking from experience) accomplished without physically being there. In fact, I can say that my relationship with my committee and my advisor was not as strong at the end of my PhD as it could have been precisely because I'd spent so much time away. Has that hurt me in my post-PhD career? Possibly. I mean, it's hard to say.

It could depend what the OP actually wants to do after s/he finishes the PhD and whether or not s/he really need that kind of faculty support for his/her post-PhD career.  I do agree though that fostering relationships with advisers and other faculty members can help get through really tough spots during the program.

[kaykaykay]

Also what would the benefit be of attending  Y at all? You may get the name of your CV but you will not get the actual benefits: education, research guidance, professional guidance, professional network etc. With that effort you could just print a diploma, or put the university on your CV without actually attending it.

I agree with rising_star try to look around for options in your area. You would have a higher chance of benefiting from your education and a higher chance of getting a job if you actually did the program in a somewhat lower ranked university(or in a program that fits you a bit less).

[Averroes MD]

Also what would the benefit be of attending  Y at all? You may get the name of your CV but you will not get the actual benefits: education, research guidance, professional guidance, professional network etc. With that effort you could just print a diploma, or put the university on your CV without actually attending it.

I agree with rising_star try to look around for options in your area. You would have a higher chance of benefiting from your education and a higher chance of getting a job if you actually did the program in a somewhat lower ranked university(or in a program that fits you a bit less).

This is a good point.

Right now, I am just weighing my options. 

Thanks!