Ed.D. Program Graduation
To graduate with an Ed.D. in Educational Technology at Boise State University requires the student to completed a number of requirements. Many of these are sequential, occurring at specific points in the program. All students can expect close coordination with the Department’s of Educational Technology’s Doctoral Program Management team, who can help students understand and navigate the various requirements.
The path to graduation is marked by certain program milestones; all of these milestones are explained in this EDTECH/Ed.D. handbook. To summarize:
1. All coursework and dissertation hours must be satisfactorily completed (or transfer hours have been recommended and approved to satisfy a portion of them).
2. The student has written a passing comprehensive examination.
3. The student has completed all required pre-dissertation paperwork.
4. The student has successfully defended her or his dissertation.
5. The student has completed post-dissertation dissertation-related requirements and obligations.
* these assume that no money is owed to the University for any charges/expenses
It is important to realize one can understand the term “graduation” in different ways. Here are three ways the term is sometimes understood:
A) The student has completed 1-4 above. The student can carry the title of “Dr.,” but this is not quite official yet.
B) The student has completed 1-4 above and participates in either the fall or spring commencement ceremony (this feels more like graduation as one has donned the doctoral paraphernalia, etc.)
C) The student has completed 1-5 above and the degree title appears on her/his Boise State University official transcript.
Notice that participation in the commencement ceremony is NOT a requirement. If the student can arrange travel to Boise for either the spring (early May) or fall (mid-December) event, it is a nice way to celebrate the completion of the degree (and faculty like to meet students as well), but one can graduate without going through the ceremony.
Technically, only “C” counts as true graduation. However, it’s important to note that the transcription of the degree only happens if Step 5 happens within a reasonable time before the end of the semester. The BEST way to ensure the degree is transcripted in at the end of the same semester that one defends the dissertation is to adhere to the dates published by the Thesis & Dissertation Office of the Graduate College.
TIMING OF DISSERTATION DEFENSE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO GRADUATION
Each semester the Graduate College sets a deadline for when students must defend their dissertation in order to graduate and attend commencement that semester [Grad College Deadlines]. This deadline is set in the middle of each semester (e.g., mid-October for the fall semester and mid-March for the spring semester).
However, the Graduate College tries to help students graduate (and if applicable “walk and be hooded” at commencement) even if they miss this deadline. Generally, if you defend within two weeks of the deadline (e.g., November 1st or April 1st), you will still be able to graduate and attend the Commencement ceremony if you so desire (note: Commencement ceremonies are only in May or December).
If you defend three to four weeks after the deadline, you still might be able to graduate that semester (assuming you quickly complete all post-defense paperwork) but you might not be able to attend commencement that semester.
If you defend during the last two weeks in a semester, you likely won’t be able to graduate that semester (you will graduate the following term), and depending on how fast you complete the post-course paperwork, you might have to still register and pay for a dissertation credit (EDTECH 693).
We recommend for students to strive to defend their dissertation by the established deadlines to ensure no issues with graduating in the semester they wish to have their degree appear on their transcript.
If you defend your dissertation late in the semester, but your degree does not appear on your transcript, we are willing to write a letter that states you have met all requirements by our program. In some cases and employer might accept this, but in other cases, a raise or promotion can only happen when the official transcript bears the degree.