Dissertation

The 718 course is a three semester credit hour dissertation course students take to receive credit for their dissertation. Students must be registered in 718 to receive dissertation-related services, such as those provided by the doctoral advisory committee and by Thesis and Dissertation Services (TDS) of the Graduate School. Students must be registered in 718 when they submit their proposal and remain enrolled in a 718 course each fall and spring semester until the dissertation is completed. If the student holds a defense or receives services from his or her committee during the summer semester, he or she must enroll in 718 for one of the two summer sessions. The minimum number of semester credit hours of 718 the student is required to take will vary by program, so students are encouraged to review their degree plans to ensure all requirements are met.

After registering for your first 718 course, work with your dissertation advisor to form your doctoral advisory committee. Your committee must have at least two members (including your dissertation advisor) from your department and one member from outside of your department; this person must have applicable knowledge and/or expertise. Students with an approved minor must have a minor advisor serve on the committee. If the minor advisor is from outside of your department, he or she may count as your out-of-department committee member. For all University requirements regarding doctoral advisory committees please see University Procedure 11.04.99.R0.23. Once the committee is formed, complete the digital Dissertation Committee Selection form. The form will automatically route to your advisor, committee members, and the department head before being received by TDS. When your committee is approved by the Dean of the Graduate School, you and your advisor will receive an email advising you of the approval and providing you and your advisor with a copy of the approved committee form. At this point, you may move forward in the dissertation process.

RELEVANT LINKS:

Dissertation Committee Selection Form

University Procedure

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide

Work with your committee to prepare your proposal for defense. Your proposal must follow the formatting shown in the thesis/dissertation template and further detailed in the Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide. Dissertation students are required to schedule the proposal defense through the Graduate School, so as soon as you and your advisor feel you are ready, work with your committee to schedule a date, time, and location (or mode, e.g., Zoom) to hold the proposal defense. Once a date is agreed upon, complete the digital Schedule Form of the Dissertation Proposal Defense and submit the form. The form will route automatically to your advisor, committee members, and the department head before being received by the Doctoral Program Coordinator in the Graduate School.  The form must be received in the Graduate School by the 20^th of the month prior to the month of your scheduled defense, so please submit the form in enough time to allow the form to move throught he approval process, no less than five days prior to the deadline.  For example, for a defense in March, submit the form no less than five days before February 20^th. The form requires that you include a copy of your proposal as an attachment. 

Regarding data collection:

If, with your advisor's guidance, your study is determined not to require IRB, IACUC, or IBC approval, you may, with your advisor's permission, begin data collection. However, you must first complete all required research compliance training through CITI. You do not need Graduate School proposal approval to begin data collection.

If, with your advisor's guidance, your study is determined to require IRB, IACUC, or IBC approval, do not begin data collection until you and your advisor receive an approval letter from the appropriate research compliance reviewing body. Again, you do not need Graduate School's proposal approval to begin data collection.

If you are unsure about whether your study requires approval from IRB, IACUC, or IBC, please check with your advisor. You may also want to review the research compliance websites noted below.

RELEVANT LINKS:

Drafting the document:

Thesis/Dissertation Template

3-Chapter Template (used by Department of Educational Leadership upon recommendation of student's advisor)

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide

The proposal defense:

Schedule Form for the Proposal Defense

Zoom Etiquette (for students and faculty)

How to Conduct a Defense via Zoom (for faculty/advisors)

Research compliance:

Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) Training

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC)

Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

After successfully defending your proposal, make all changes suggested by your committee. Once all changes have been made to your proposal document, with your advisor's permission, complete and submit the digital Dissertation Proposal Submission form with the required attachments. The form will route automatically to your advisor, committee members, the department head, and the dean of the college before being received by the TDS in the Graduate School. Documents to include with your proposal submission are as follows:

• Dissertation proposal in Word format
• iThenticate similarity report
• CITI training reports (RCR plus additional as required by the Office of Sponsored Programs' Research Compliance division)
• IRB, IACUC, or IBC approval letter (as applicable)*

* If your study requires research compliance committee approval, your advisor will receive the an approval letter from the applicable research compliance committee. Provide a copy of this approval letter with your proposal submission.

An email to  your LeoMail email will be sent to you by TDS confirming receipt and verifying completeness of your submission. Proposals submitted past the deadline will be processed for the following semester. Please see the Graduate School's Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide when preparing to submit your proposal documents. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure all materials are received by the appropriate deadline. 

You are required to receive proposal approval from the Graduate School/TDS at least one semester prior to the semester in which you plan to graduate. You cannot defend your final dissertation in the same semester in which you receive proposal approval from TDS.

The TDS Review:

TDS conducts a one-time review of your proposal document. It is reviewed for conformity to the Graduate School's thesis/dissertation template and to the Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide. With the help of your advisor, you will be responsible for adherence to your chosen style guide (APA, MLA, Turabian, etc.). Once the format review is complete, you and your advisor will receive an approval email from TDS containing a Reviewer's Checklist with formatting corrections to make and to apply when drafting your final document.  Please keep a copy of all emails concerning your submission and the related approval for your records.

RELEVANT LINKS:

Thesis/Dissertation Template

3-Chapter Template (used by Department of Educational Leadership upon recommendation of student's advisor)

Dissertation Proposal Submission Form

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide

iThenticate

Deadlines for Submission

Register for your final three hours of 718. Following proposal approval. Continue to collect data, analyze data, and write your final dissertation chapters. Make sure you remain in contact with your advisor regarding your progress on your dissertation. Also, be aware of the deadlines that are relevant to you and your plan for graduation.

You are required to schedule the final defense through the Graduate School, so as soon as you and your advisor feel you are ready, work with your committee to schedule a date, time, and location (or mode, e.g., Zoom) to hold the final defense. Once a date is agreed upon, complete and submit the digital Final Dissertation Defense Schedule Form. The form will route automatically to your advisor, committee members, and the department head before being received by the Doctoral Program Coordinator in the Graduate School.  The form must be received in the Graduate School by the 20^th of the month prior to the month of your scheduled defense, so please submit the form in enough time to allow the form to move through the approval process, no less than five days prior to the deadline.  For example, for a defense in March, submit the form no less than five days before February 20^th. 

RELEVANT LINKS:

Schedule Form for the Final Defense

Zoom Etiquette (for students and faculty)

How to Conduct a Defense via Zoom (for faculty/advisors)

Deadlines for Submission

After successfully defending your final dissertation and receiving approval from your advisor and committee to move forward in the dissertation process, complete and submit the Final Dissertation Submission Form with the required attachements. The form will route automatically to your advisor, committee members, the department head, and the dean of the college before being received by TDS in the Graduate School. Documents to include with your final dissertation submission are as follows:

• Final dissertation in Word format
• iThenticate similarity report
• Dissertation Information Sheet (provided in an informational email from the Doctoral Coordinator)
• Survey of Earned Doctorates (provided in an information email from the Doctoral Coordinator and only required if earning a PhD)

An email to  your LeoMail email will be sent to you by TDS confirming receipt and verifying completeness of your submission. Final submissions received past the deadline will be processed for the following semester. Please see the Graduate School's Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide for assistance when preparing to submit your final dissertation. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure all materials are received by the appropriate deadline. 

The TDS Review:

TDS will conduct reviews of your final document until your document conforms to the Graduate School's thesis/dissertation template and to the Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide.  Keep in mind that dissertations that do not follow the thesis/dissertation template and the Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide will require additional revisions and, therefore, may take longer to receive approval. If the needed revisions are not made in a timely manner, your graduation eligibility may be impacted.

When your final document receives Graduate School approval, you and your advisor will receive an approval email from TDS and a Reviewer's Checklist with final corrections to make to your document before finalizing.  Please keep a copy of all emails concerning your submission and the related approval for your records. 

After approval, TDS will provide you emails with instructions for uploading your approved dissertation to ProQuest. Make sure you follow the instructions exactly to ensure your thesis is processed successfully. At this time you will need to pay the ProQuest fees and any remaining Graduate student fees.

RELEVANT LINKS:

Final Dissertation Submission Form

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide

iThenticate

Deadlines for Submission

The graduation application opens in myLeo at the start of the semester. After submitting your application, the Graduate School will be in communication with you throughout the semester regarding your graduation eligibility. Uploading to ProQuest and paying all Graduate student fees are requirements for graduation. The Graduate School charges a thesis/dissertation processing fee of $73, and the total ProQuest fee is $105 ($75 copyright fee and $30 for one copy of dissertation for the advisor).  If you order a personal copy(ies), the amount will be more. After uploading to ProQuest, TDS will provide you with an email confirming upload to ProQuest and advising you if there is a Graduate student fee balance. 

Make sure these steps are completed prior to the graduation ceremony. As the graduation ceremony approaches, the Doctoral Program Coordinator will be in contact with all graduating doctoral students with information related to the graduation ceremony.