The term PH.D. HURDLE refers to the two major milestones that a doctoral student must complete in order to earn their degree. The first milestone is the dissertation, or DISS, which is an extensive research paper that must be written and defended in front of a panel of experts. The second milestone is the oral examination, or ORALS, which is a series of questions posed by the panel of experts to test the student's knowledge and understanding of their research. Once both of these milestones have been completed, the student is awarded their doctoral degree.