Steps for the Dissertation

OVERVIEW

As the culminating scholarly experience, the dissertation serves as a performance assessment of the doctoral candidate’s ability to conduct original scholarship on an important question in education, and to present and interpret the findings in a clear, logical, and appropriate form. A dissertation makes an important contribution to the professional body of knowledge in the area of study. The dissertation document describes the research conducted, reports the results obtained, shows the relationship of the research to the scholarly work that preceded it, and shows the significance the research has in furthering understanding of the issues under investigation.

A dissertation can take different formats. The most common format is to conduct a single study to address the stated research questions. An alternative is an article-based format, which includes producing separate articles for publication (three articles are common). The article-based dissertation is highly recommended for students who foresee research and publishing as a major part of their career and/or those who seek full-time employment as a professor. Students should discuss the options with their advisor.

DISSERTATION CREDITS (EDU 693)

Following Admission to Candidacy (see the Comp Exam & Candidacy page), a candidate may register for dissertation credit; one should consult with the dissertation committee chair to determine the how many credits should be taken in a given term. Students in the Ed.D. C&I program are required to complete at least nine (9) credits of EDU 693. No matter how many 693 credits a student has earned, s/he must be enrolled in at least one credit hour of 693 in the dissertation defense semester.

Once initially registered for dissertation credit, the student must be in continuous enrollment (fall and spring semesters) until the dissertation is completed. A student will receive a grade of “IP” (in progress) each semester until the dissertation is completed. Upon successful completion of the dissertation, the advisor will enter a grade of “P” (passing) for EDU 693 credit(s) one is taking that semester, and then the Registrar’s Office will convert all previous 693 credits graded as IP to P. If an unexpected emergency arises, the candidate may request a leave of absence.

Be sure to read about the role of the Dissertation Chair and the Supervisory Committee

STEPS TOWARD THE DISSERTATION

The Beginning

In some ways, your dissertation actually starts at the time of admission to the program. All the learning that happens in the courses, and as you complete assignments, should help build in some way toward your eventual study. This does not mean that you’re building pieces of a puzzle that must all fit together at the end. Rather, think of what you’re doing, as you go along, as assembling a set of tools. We hope you find usefulness in all of those tools you collect. Many of them (not all) will help you build your study and dissertation.

The Comp Exam the first time you’ll use those tools for a major project. What you build for the Comp Exam, no matter its format, IS a piece that you’ll use in large part as one aspect of your dissertation.

The Prospectus

Following the Comp Exam, you will create a small pre-proposal (aka “prospectus”) for your advisor and committee. In a portfolio-based Comp Exam, the prospectus is included, but for other formats, the prospectus may be separate. The prospectus is a relatively small document (perhaps 5-10 pages) that outlines your research questions, why you are asking them (a review of literature that you probably completed as part of the Comp Exam), the theoretical basis upon which the questions are built, what kind of data you will collect (methods/procedures), your thoughts on analysis, and any limiting or delimiting factors you will contend with. You will also create a timeline for completion. Your supervisory committee (your advisor + two other faculty) will look at that document, provide feedback, and then you are cleared to create your larger research proposal. An meeting can be scheduled, but one is not required. Again, this description is primarily applicable to a traditional, chapter-based dissertation. Article-based dissertations (or design-based dissertations) may look different with respect to the content, format, and timing of the pre-proposal and proposal.

The Dissertation Proposal

Following the prospectus, and in consultation with the dissertation advisor and committee, a candidate develops a full dissertation proposal. It must follow guidelines of the latest Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. A template for the proposal will be shared with students at the time they need it, but it generally has three chapters (which are all used as part of the dissertation, even though they will be redacted to some degree):

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature Review
• Chapter 3: Methodology

With permission of the dissertation advisor, the candidate disseminates the proposal to the dissertation committee. It is the committee’s responsibility to ensure that the candidate is prepared and that there is agreement among committee members regarding each aspect of the proposal before the presentation meeting is held. Upon agreement between the candidate and committee members, a date for a proposal defense is selected and the candidate notifies the program coordinator of the scheduled date. The “defense” should really be more of a conversation between the student and the committee, as the goal is to help the student refine their research ideas and methods, not to “test” them on it. The proposal meeting is not public.

The candidate is responsible for providing the program coordinator with an electronic copy of the committee-approved proposal (including a 100 word abstract) at least two weeks in advance of the proposed meeting. The program coordinator will apprise all graduate faculty of the meeting, post the time and site, and disseminate the abstract electronically. Once agreement is reached and the committee approves the proposal, a Dissertation Contract is signed and added to the student file.

Dissertation Style and Format

The candidate has the responsibility of assuring that all elements of the dissertation conform to appropriate standards as specified in the Graduate College Standards for Preparation of Theses and Dissertations, and in the current edition of The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Guidelines and formatting recommendations can be found through the Graduate College website.

Because the doctoral program emphasizes educational innovation, variations to traditional dissertation styles and formats will be considered. However, innovative dissertation formats and styles, as with all dissertations, must be approved by the candidate’s committee and the Graduate College.

Although there may be exceptions, many dissertations are structured in a five-chapter format, commonly appearing as:

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature Review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion

The Dissertation Defense

The purpose of the dissertation defense is to provide an opportunity for the educational community to engage with candidates in thoughtful dialogue and discussion regarding issues raised from the research. The defense is a public event (for the first 30 to 50 minutes), and all graduate faculty in the university will be invited to attend.

Following approval by the Dissertation Advisor, the dissertation committee must receive the completed dissertation at least two weeks prior to the scheduled date of the defense.

The oral defense:

• The program coordination time will ensure that a Graduate Faculty Representative will attend the defense. The GFR is a non-voting attendee who begins the proceedings and oversees the entire defense process to ensure that Graduate College policies are followed and that the student has recourse for any disputes that may arise (which is exceedingly uncommon).
• The dissertation advisor chairs the defense
• The candidate presents a ~20 minute presentation to all in attendance. It should include:
  • Background of study
  • Brief review of relevant literature
  • Research question(s)
  • Methodology
  • Findings
  • Discussion
  • Implications and Recommendations
• The oral defense includes a 20 to 50 minute question & answer session with attendees.
• A private portion of the defense includes more in-depth questioning of the candidate (the GFR attends)

At the conclusion of the discussion, the student will exit the room (physical or virtual) and the committee will decide whether the dissertation is (a) approved as is, (b) approved with minor revisions—to be reviewed by the Dissertation Chair, (c) approved with major revisions—to be reviewed by the entire committee, or (d) not approved. The GFR will transmit the decision to the Graduate College.

Upon final revisions, it is the responsibility of the dissertation chair to read and sign an approval sheet indicating that the dissertation meets the standard of the program.
The final copy of the dissertation is then submitted to the Graduate College.

IMPORTANT NOTE!

The candidate is responsible for completing the College of Education’s Dissertation Defense Scheduling Form. The program coordination team will complete a similar form for the Graduate College once we have your information at least three weeks in advance of the oral defense (earlier if the information is available). A member of the program coordination team will then notify the graduate faculty and students in the doctoral programs of the time, date, and location of the oral defense.