Well, not exactly. Usually after 6 years and he department decision is only the first rung in the ladder. All universities have higher levels passing judgment on it, usually a committee making a recommendation to a dean of one’s college or school within the university, often it then goes higher to an Vice-President Academic or Provost. You can be approved at a lower level and be denied by the top echelon, rarely the other way around.
Houghton, thanks for the information, mine, sadly is 45 years
out of date.