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 remain enrolled in a 718 course each fall and spring semester until the dissertation is completed. Students must be enrolled in a summer 718 course if she or he holds a defense, submits a proposal or final document for approval, or receives any other university services during the summer semester. 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/chair) from your department and one member from outside of your department; the out-of-department member must have applicable knowledge and/or expertise in the area of your study. Students with an approved minor must have a minor advisor serve on the committee as well. 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 11.99.99.R0.19.

Once the committee is agreed upon, 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 for Graduate School approval. When your committee is approved, 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.

FORM:

Dissertation Committee Selection Form

GUIDES:

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide

POLICIES:

University Procedure 11.99.99.R0.19 Doctoral Dissertations and Committees

University Procedure 11.99.99.R0.10 Course Requirements for the Doctoral Degree

Work with your committee to prepare for your proposal for defense. Dissertation students are required to schedule the proposal defense through the Graduate School, so as soon as you and your advisor determine 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 for the Dissertation Proposal Defense and submit the form with a copy of your current proposal document. A copy of your proposal is required in order to provide the Graduate Representative assigned to attend your proposal defense.

Once the form is submitted, it will route automatically to your advisor/committee members and the department head before being received by 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 3-5 days prior to the deadline.  For example, for a defense in March, submit the form no less than five days before February 20^th. 

Regarding data collection:

If you and your advisor determine your study requires research committee approval (i.e., IRB, IACUC, or IBC approval), do not begin data collection until your advisor receives the applicable approval letter from the appropriate research compliance reviewing body. The research compliance approval letter is not the same as Graduate School proposal approval.

If you and your advisor determine your study does not require research committee approval (i.e., IRB, IACUC, or IBC approval), you may, with your advisor's permission, begin data collection. However, all dissertation students are required to complete research compliance training through CITI first. 

If you are unsure about whether your study requires approval from IRB, IACUC, or IBC,  review the research compliance websites noted below and check with your advisor.

You do not need Graduate School's proposal approval to begin data collection.

FORM:

Schedule Form for the Proposal Defense

RESEARCH COMPLIANCE TRAINING AND INFORMATION:

Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) Training

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC)

Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

HELPFUL LINKS:

Zoom Etiquette (for students and faculty)

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

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 and upload the required documents. 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 proposal submission are as follows:

1. Dissertation proposal in Word format
2. Current iThenticate report (your advisor will provide you with a copy)
3. CITI training reports (RCR plus additional trainings as required by the Office of Sponsored Programs' Research Compliance division)
4. IRB, IACUC, or IBC approval letter (as applicable; a copy to be provided to you by your advisor)*

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

An email from TDS will be sent to your LeoMail email confirming receipt and verifying completeness of your submission. Proposals submitted past the deadline will be processed for the following semester.

NOTE: Deadlines that say “Last day for Graduate School to receive” require that the document make it to the Graduate School queue by the deadline. This means that the form must be submitted by the student and have routed through all required approvals in order to be received by the Grad School. Please allow adequate time for approval when submitting this document.

For questions regarding the submission process, please see the Graduate School's Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide. 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 submit your final dissertation in the same semester in which you receive proposal approval.

The TDS Review:

TDS conducts a one-time review of your proposal document. It is reviewed for conformity to the applicable Graduate School's 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/Graduate School 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.

FORM:

Dissertation Proposal Submission Form

TEMPLATES AND GUIDES:

TDS/Resources for Writing

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide

RELEVANT LINKS:

Deadlines for Submission

Following proposal approval, continue to collect data, analyze your data, and write your final dissertation chapters. Please work closely with your advisor to ensure you are progressing with your dissertation in a timely manner. Also, stay aware of all Graduate School 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 determine 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 form Final Dissertation Defense Schedule Form. The form will route automatically to your advisor/committee members and the department head before being received by the Graduate School. The schedule 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 3-5 days prior to the deadline.  For example, for a defense in March, submit the form no less than five days before February 20^th. 

FORM:

Final Dissertation Defense Schedule Form

RELEVANT LINKS:

Zoom Etiquette (for students and faculty)

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

Deadlines for Submission

At least one semester after receiving Graduate School approval of your proposal document and after successfully defending your final dissertation, you may move forward with the dissertation process.  With your advisor's permission, you will complete and submit the Final Dissertation Submission Form and upload the required documents. 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:

1. Final dissertation in Word format
2. Current iThenticate report (your advisor will provide you with a copy)
3. Dissertation Information Sheet (provided in an informational email from the Graduate School after scheduling your final defense)
4. Survey of Earned Doctorates (for PhD students; a link will be provided in an informational email from the Graduate School after scheduling your final defense)

Once your submission is received by TDS, you and your advisor will receive an email from TDS confirming receipt and verifying completeness of your submission. Final submissions received past the deadline will be processed for the following semester.

NOTE: Deadlines that say “Last day for Graduate School to receive” require that the document make it to the Graduate School queue by the deadline. This means that the form must be submitted by the student and have routed through all required approvals in order to be received by the Grad School. Please allow adequate time for approval when submitting this document.

For questions regarding the submission process, please see the Graduate School's Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure all materials are received by the appropriate deadline. 

The TDS Review:

TDS will conduct format-only reviews of your final document until your document conforms to the Graduate School's formatting requirements as set forth in the applicable template and further detailed in the Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide.  Keep in mind that dissertations that do not adhere to Graduate School formatting requirements 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 with a Reviewer's Checklist with final corrections to make to your document. When your final document has been approved by TDS and it has been converted to a PDF, TDS will provide you with instructions for uploading your PDF to ProQuest. Please keep a copy of all emails concerning your submissions and the related approvals for your records. 

To be cleared for graduation, you must have uploaded your document to ProQuest and paid all Graduate School fees ($40 graduation fee and $73 thesis/dissertation processing fee).

FORM:

Final Dissertation Submission Form

TEMPLATE AND GUIDES:

TDS/Resources for Writing

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide

RELEVANT LINKS:

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 School student fees are requirements for graduation. The Graduate School charges a thesis/dissertation processing fee of $73, and the total ProQuest fees are $75 copyright fee and $30 for one copy of dissertation for your advisor.  If you order a personal copy(ies), the ProQuest 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 School student fee balance. 

Make sure these steps are completed prior to the graduation ceremony. As the graduation ceremony approaches, the Graduate School will be in contact with you with information related to the graduation ceremony. 

CONGRATULATIONS!