The term "residency" is used in two separate ways. First, the University of Nebraska has a well-defined policy regarding residency within the State of Nebraska for the purpose of establishing tuition rates. To see if you qualify as a Nebraska resident, view residency requirements. If you wish to apply, submit the completed residency application and supporting materials to the Office of Graduate Studies.
"Residency" also refers to the number of credit hours a student must complete in regularly scheduled campus courses at UNL. While some graduate credits may be transferred from other institutions, students seeking an MS with Thesis must complete 10-12 semester hours of UNL campus courses, excluding credit in thesis research. Student seeking an MS without Thesis must complete at least 18 hours in regularly scheduled campus courses. At least one-half of the work for a masters degree must be in the department or area constituting the student's major.
For a student beginning a doctoral program at UNL with a bachelor's degree, the residency requirement for the PhD is 27 hours of graduate work within a consecutive 18-month period or less, with the further provision that 15 of these 27 hours must be taken after receiving the masters degree. For a student who transfers to UNL with a masters degree from another institution, or who takes a break in their graduate work at Nebraska between the time the masters degree is awarded and the time they start work on a doctoral program, the residency requirement for the PhD is 27 hours of graduate coursework (excluding dissertation hours) within a consecutive 18-month period or less. The work required for a masters degree must be completed within ten consecutive years.
The time limit on granting the doctoral degree is eight years from the time of filing the student's program of study in the Office of Graduate Studies.