1

Policies and Procedures for Doctoral Programs 1

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School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine 3

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Tulane University 5

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New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 7

Approved by Executive Faculty and General Faculty May, 2008 8

Updated and Approved October 2008 and January 2009 9 10 11 The General Faculty of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine holds responsibility for and 12 jurisdiction over the School's doctoral programs, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Public Health 13 (DrPH) and Doctor of Science (ScD). This document sets forth the policies and procedures that are 14 common to these programs, including minimum criteria and standards. The Doctoral Programs 15 Committee monitors, on behalf of the general faculty, adherence of the doctoral programs to these 16 policies. See Section VIII below for details concerning the membership and procedures of this committee. 17 18 19 I. ADMISSION AS A DOCTORAL STUDENT 20 21 Applications for admission to the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine are submitted to the 22 Office of Admissions and Student Affairs. 23 24 Each applicant must be admitted to a specific program within the School. All applications must be 25 approved by the faculty of the department in which the student intends to study. After approval by the 26 departmental faculty, the application is returned to the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs, which 27 in turn forwards the application to the Doctoral Programs Committee of the School for consideration. If 28 an applicant is approved by departmental faculty but rejected by the Doctoral Programs Committee, then 29 the departmental faculty may appeal the case to the Executive Committee of the School for a final 30 decision. 31 32 Admissions requirements listed below represent the standards set by the School. Additional requirements 33 are stipulated by some programs. 34 35

A. Admission requirements. 36 37

1. A complete SOPHAS application must be submitted by all applicants, including students 38 that are reapplying after completing their master’s degree at Tulane. 39

2. Programs generally require completion of the requirements for a master's degree or 30 40 graduate-level credits in a field related to the doctoral area of study. Exceptions are made 41 for outstanding students holding only baccalaureate degrees. The MPH, MSPH, or an 42 equivalent degree is required to enter the DrPH program. 43

3. Official transcripts of all baccalaureate and graduate coursework should be forwarded 44 directly from each college or university to SOPHAS, the online application that verifies 45 the transcripts of Tulane applicants. 46

4. For students with a master's degree, a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale for 47 graduate coursework is preferred. 48

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5. A combined verbal and quantitative score of 1200 or greater is preferred on the Graduate 1 Record Examination (GRE). Official test scores (GRE, MCAT or GMAT, as specified by 2 the applicant’s department) are required of all doctoral applicants. For applicants from 3 non-English speaking nations, a minimum Test Of English as a Foreign Language 4 (TOEFL) score of 88 for the Internet Based Test (IBT), 230 for the computer based test 5 (CBT), or 570 for paper based test (PBT) is required. Under rare circumstances, 6 exceptions to these minimum criteria will be considered by the Doctoral Programs 7 Committee upon the written request of the chair of the department to which the applicant 8 is seeking admission. 9

6. Written recommendations are required from three individuals who are familiar with the 10 applicant's academic and/or professional performance. At least one of the 11 recommendations must be from a person with an earned doctorate and preferably at least 12 one from outside Tulane University. 13

7. A written statement of career goals and objectives is required, and should not exceed 14 1500 words. 15

16 17

B. Each department must have in place a process by which departmental faculty review each 18 application. The appropriate departmental faculty and the departmental representative to the 19 Doctoral Programs Committee must approve the admission of the student before the 20 application is considered by the Doctoral Programs Committee. 21

22 23 C. Under special circumstances, students may be admitted provisionally as an advanced 24

graduate special student for a limited period. Acceptance as an advanced graduate special 25 student in no way guarantees admittance to the doctoral program. An advanced graduate 26 special student may apply for admission as a doctoral student but must meet all admission 27 requirements. See Section II A9-11 below for limitations on the number of credits earned as 28 an advanced graduate special student that may be applied toward a doctoral degree. 29

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II. DOCTORAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS 32 33

A. Program Requirements 34 35

1. For the PhD degree: A minimum of 60 total credits of didactic coursework beyond the 36 baccalaureate degree is required. At least 30 credits beyond the master’s degree must be 37 completed at Tulane University. 38

39 2. For the DrPH and ScD degrees: A minimum of 72 hours of didactic coursework beyond 40

the baccalaureate degree is required. At least 30 credit hours beyond the master’s must be 41 completed at Tulane University. 42

43 3. All doctoral students must register for and participate in the Interdisciplinary Doctoral 44

Seminar series (1 credit/semester). A minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 4 credits 45 must be applied to the degree. Students must register and attend for 2 semesters and are 46 encouraged to attend every semester. 47

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4. All doctoral students are required to complete at least one course in research methods and 1 one course in statistical methods beyond the introductory Public Health Core Courses in 2 biostatistics or epidemiology. 3

4 5. Additional specific requirements for the PhD degree: PhD students must have had, or 5

must take, the introductory Public Health Core Courses in biostatistics and epidemiology 6 (or equivalent). If taken at TUSPHTM, these courses may count toward the 60 credits 7 needed for the PhD degree. 8

9 6. Additional specific requirements for the DrPH degree: 10

11 6a) The MPH, MSPH, or an equivalent degree is required to enter the program. Note that 12 applicants lacking one or more of the introductory Public Health Core Courses (or 13 equivalent) will be required to successfully complete these courses. Credit for an 14 introductory Public Health Core Course will be applied toward the 72 credits of didactic 15 coursework required beyond the baccalaureate degree, but will not apply to the 30 credits 16 of required post-masters coursework. 17 18 6b) Students must take at least 9 credits in advanced Public Health Core Courses (beyond 19 the introductory Public Health Core Courses) that are outside the doctoral student’s area 20 of study. 21

22 6c) A 300 hour advanced field experience (practicum) that allows students to develop 23 competencies in advanced practice skills, under the direction of a qualified preceptor in 24 the practice setting, is required. This practicum should focus on developing advanced 25 leadership skills in public health disciplines. 26

27 7. Additional specific requirements for the ScD degree: ScD candidates must have a 28

MPH, MSPH, or equivalent degree prior to admission. Students are required to 29 successfully complete any of the introductory Public Health Core Courses they lack. 30 These course credits may be applied toward the 72 credits of didactic coursework 31 required beyond the baccalaureate degree, but will not be applied to the 30 credits of 32 required post-masters coursework. 33

34 8. Departmental faculty will evaluate the applicant’s prior graduate-level coursework and 35

will state specifically which previous courses will be accepted toward degree 36 prerequisites. The departmental faculty will stipulate the minimum number of credits and 37 courses that must be taken to complete the specific doctoral program. 38

39 9. No more than 12 credits of special studies may be applied toward the doctoral degree. 40

Such courses must have clearly defined and written learning objectives developed 41 together by the student and course instructor. A written report of the work done in special 42 studies must be on file in the department for review by the student's dissertation 43 committee. 44

45 10. No more than 12 credits earned as an advanced graduate special student may be applied 46

toward the doctoral degree. 47 48

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11. Didactic coursework must be completed prior to taking the comprehensive examination, 1 which is required (see below). 2

3 12. A dissertation is required (see below). 4

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B. Academic performance, residency and registration requirements 7 8

1. Any student whose semester or cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0 will be 9 placed on academic probation. Conditions for continued enrollment will be established by 10 the departmental faculty and approved by the Doctoral Programs Committee. All degree 11 candidates must have an overall grade point average of 3.0 or greater to graduate. 12

13 2. The residency requirement for the doctoral degree consists of one full academic year after 14

admission as a doctoral student during which the student devotes full-time to graduate 15 study and earns a minimum of nine credits for each of the two semesters. Departments 16 may waive a candidate's residency requirement subject to approval of the Doctoral 17 Programs Committee and the Executive Committee. 18

19 3. After completion of the required hours of academic coursework and residency, the 20

student must be registered each semester for at least two credits of Doctoral Studies until 21 the comprehensive examination and prospectus have been successfully completed and the 22 student's status has been changed to doctoral candidate. The prospectus defense cannot be 23 arranged until the semester in which the required 60 or 72 hours of academic credits 24 (depending on degree type above) is obtained. 25

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4. The student may register for 997: Dissertation after his/her status has been changed to 28 doctoral candidate (see Section III below). Students must be registered in each semester 29 (Fall and Spring) until the degree is awarded and pay the required fee for continued 30 registration. 31

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C. Time limitations 34 35

1. Degree requirements must be completed within seven years after the student first enrolls 36 as a doctoral student. In special circumstances, the Executive Committee may extend this 37 time upon written request of the chair of the student’s doctoral committee accompanied 38 by a letter from the chair of the department. The request should detail how the student 39 expects to complete the degree requirements within the requested extension time frame 40 and the reasons why an extension is warranted. Extension of the time limit may result in a 41 requirement of additional courses or work. Leaves of absence do not constitute extension 42 of the doctoral clock. 43

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D. Comprehensive examination 46 47

1. There will be a written comprehensive examination administered by the department upon 48 completion of the required amount of coursework. Individual departments also may 49

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require an oral examination. A minimum of three faculty members will be selected by 1 the department to conduct and collaboratively evaluate the required examinations. 2

3 2. The student shall take the comprehensive examination within one year of completion of 4

the required amount of course work; the student has a maximum of two attempts to pass 5 this examination. 6

7 3. The chair of the department will give written notification to the Office of Admissions and 8

Student Affairs when the student has passed this examination. 9 10

11 E. The Dissertation Committee 12

13 1. In some doctoral programs, a student's dissertation committee is formed before he/she 14

passes the comprehensive exam; in other programs, the committee is formed only after 15 successful completion of the exam. 16

17 The dissertation committee shall have a majority of its members of professorial rank. 18

Additionally: 19 20

a. The chair of the committee must be a member of the sponsoring department, 21 hold an earned doctorate, and be an independent researcher. The chair may hold 22 an appointment on the tenure, research or clinical tracks. An adjunct faculty 23 member may serve as a co-chair of the committee, but not chair. 24

b. In addition to the chair, the Committee must include at least two additional 25 members, one from the sponsoring department and one from another department 26 within the University. A total of more than three members, including one from 27 outside the School, is encouraged. At least half, and preferably a majority of the 28 members, should be from the sponsoring department. 29

30 Appointments to the dissertation committee are made upon agreement of the dissertation 31 chair and the sponsoring department, with the limitation that a majority of the committee 32 should consist of non-adjunct School faculty. 33 34

2. A representative of the Doctoral Programs Committee may review and attend 35 examinations, prospectus defense, and dissertation defense to ensure compliance with 36 School policies and procedures, and act as liaison between the Doctoral Programs 37 Committee and the student's dissertation committee. 38

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F. Research Prospectus 41 42

1. After the comprehensive examinations have been successfully completed, the 43 student will prepare a prospectus for original research that will contribute to the scope of 44 knowledge in the field of public health. Recommended guidelines for the format of the 45 prospectus are attached (Appendix 1). 46

47 2. A copy of the abstract and a list of the members of the student’s dissertation committee 48

including members’ affiliations will be submitted to the Office of the Dean and also to 49 the Doctoral Programs Committee at least two weeks prior to the date of the defense. 50

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Announcement of the prospectus defense will be sent to members of the School faculty 1 and the student body by the Office of the Dean. (See Appendix 2). 2

3 3. The prospectus shall be presented orally and in writing to the student's dissertation 4

committee. The presentation will be open to other members of the faculty and student 5 body. 6

7 4. Upon approval of the prospectus by the dissertation committee, a copy of the prospectus 8

approval (Appendix 3) will be presented to the Dean for Academic Affairs to notify the 9 Executive Committee. 10

11 5. Within two weeks of the prospectus defense, a copy of the prospectus will be presented to 12

the Dean for Academic Affairs. 13 14 15 III. DOCTORAL CANDIDACY 16

17 A. Upon the recommendation of the department and the approval of the prospectus by the 18

Executive Committee, the student's status will be changed to that of doctoral candidate. The 19 Dean for Academic Affairs will notify the student of the change of status, with a copy to the 20 Department Chair. 21 22

B. The student must be admitted to candidacy not later than the end of the semester prior to the 23 one in which the student expects to graduate. 24

25 C. The student's dissertation committee and department shall review periodically the candidate's 26

progress toward completion of the research within the established time limits. 27 28 29 IV. THE DISSERTATION 30

31 A. Upon completion of the research, the candidate will write a dissertation that meets the 32

accepted criteria for excellence in the presentation of written work in the professional 33 community. 34 35

B. The dissertation can be compiled in one or other of two formats: (1) the traditional dissertation 36 format, or (2) the three-manuscripts-model format, this latter format being a compilation of a 37 minimum of three manuscripts publishable in peer-reviewed journals. Guidelines for these 38 dissertation formats are provided in Appendix 1. 39

40 C. A copy (draft or bound) of the dissertation shall be placed in the office of the Dean for 41

Academic Affairs two weeks prior to the formal presentation and defense (see Appendix 4). 42 This shall be made available to any member of the faculty. The Dean for Academic Affairs 43 will notify the members of the faculty that the dissertation is available for review and will 44 announce the date, time and place of the dissertation presentation and defense. 45

46 D. The formal presentation and defense of the dissertation shall be open to the public. The 47

dissertation committee will deliberate and vote in private, and the majority of the committee 48 members should be in attendance with not more than a third of the committee included by 49 teleconference. 50

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E. The decision of the committee shall be indicated on the form shown in Appendix 5, with no 1 more than one dissenting vote. There are four possible outcomes of the dissertation defense: 2 (1) successful completion of the defense, (2) acceptance with minor revisions, (3) acceptance 3 with significant revisions, (4) failure; the student can no longer continue in the doctoral 4 program. 5 6

F. The chair of the candidate's dissertation committee will certify to the departmental chair that 7 all degree requirements have been met, including final editorial changes. 8

9 G. The original and one copy of the completed dissertation, signed by each assenting member of 10

the dissertation committee, must be delivered to the Office of the Dean not later than 30 days 11 prior to graduation. (See Appendix 6 for an example of the Dissertation cover page.) The final 12 dates for submission of dissertations are published in the calendar of the School of Public 13 Health and Tropical Medicine. 14

15 16 V. AWARD OF DEGREE 17

18 A. The departmental chair will report the final recommendation of the dissertation 19 committee to the Executive Committee through the Dean for Academic Affairs for final 20 approval. Recommendation for the awarding of the degree will be made by the 21 Executive Committee to the Dean of the School. 22 23 B. The degree cannot be conferred until the original and copies of the dissertation have been 24 accepted by the Office of the Dean. 25 26 27

VI. LIMITATIONS ON FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND TROPICAL 28 MEDICINE. 29

30 Members of the faculty of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine cannot become 31 doctoral students or candidates for a doctoral degree in the School of Public Health and 32 Tropical Medicine. 33 34 35

VII. TRANSFERRING BETWEEN DOCTORAL PROGRAMS 36 37

Before taking the doctoral comprehensive exams, a student may apply to transfer between 38 School-based degree programs in accord with the policies of the sponsoring department and 39 School. After this point, transfers shall be prohibited. 40 41 42

VIII. THE DOCTORAL PROGRAMS COMMITTEE 43 44

The Doctoral Programs Committee is a standing committee of the General Faculty concerned 45 with educational policy, as provided for by Article VII, Section 2a. of the document 46 "Constitution of the Faculty" (2001). It is responsible for monitoring, on behalf of the 47 General Faculty, the doctoral programs of the School. Policies for the School's doctoral 48 programs are established by the General Faculty of the School, in consultation with the Dean 49 and Executive Committee. 50

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The Dean, in consultation with the officers of the General Faculty and departmental chairs, 1 appoints committee members, consisting of one representative from each department. 2 Committee members are appointed for a three-year term; appointments are made on a rotating 3 basis among the departments so that two/three new appointments are made each year. The 4 Dean appoints one member of the committee to serve as chair. Members shall be full-time 5 faculty holding earned doctorates. 6 7 The Committee reviews applicants to the School's doctoral programs for adherence to 8 established policies. It reviews requests from departments concerning exceptions to these 9 policies and makes recommendations to the Dean concerning these requests. Officers of the 10 General Faculty may attend meetings of the Committee as ex-officio members. The 11 Committee considers changes to the doctoral program policies and procedures. Such changes 12 must be approved by the General Faculty. 13 14 15

IX. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENTS 16 17

Departments are responsible for the doctoral programs based in their disciplines. This 18 includes monitoring these programs for adherence to quality standards, consistency with the 19 School's doctoral programs' policies, students' progress and adherence to enrollment 20 requirements and established timetables. The course requirements for each specific doctoral 21 program need to be clearly outlined and available for students and faculty. The department 22 curricula for the doctoral program need to approved by the School Curriculum committee and 23 updated on a regular basis. 24 25 Each department should have procedures in place for regular review of each student's 26 progress and adherence to all requirements. Each department will report annually to the 27 Doctoral Programs Committee concerning the status of each student enrolled in the School's 28 doctoral programs. A form for this annual report is provided in the Appendix 7. 29

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Appendices 1 2 3 Appendix 1. Guidelines for Preparation of the Prospectus and the Dissertation 4 5 Appendix 2. Request for Prospectus Defense 6 7 Appendix 3. Results of Prospectus Defense 8 9 Appendix 4. Request for Dissertation Defense 10 11 Appendix 5. Results of Dissertation Defense 12 13 Appendix 6. Sample Dissertation Cover Page 14 15 Appendix 7. Doctoral Student Annual Progress and Tracking Form 16

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Appendix 1 1 2 Guidelines for Preparation of the Prospectus and the Dissertation 3

4 The Doctoral Studies Committee (SPHTM) provides these guidelines for preparation of the 5

Prospectus and the Dissertation for PhD, DrPH and ScD degrees. 6

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Style 8

Write the Prospectus and the Dissertation in English, preferably using Microsoft Word or similar 9

software, format the documents for U.S. letter (8 1/2 x 11 inches or 21.8 x 28.2 centimeters [cm]), and 10 avoid right-hand justification of the text. 11

The Committee encourages candidates to use the metric system for all measurements. Where US 12 measurements must be used, metric equivalents could be given in parentheses. 13

References: The document (Prospectus and Dissertation) should include references to the 14 scholarly literature, with these citations following the format of a respected peer-reviewed academic 15 journal that often deals with the candidate’s area of interest, for example American Journal of Public 16 Health, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Environmental Health Perspectives, New 17 England Journal of Medicine, Emerging Infectious Diseases, American Journal of Epidemiology, 18 American Journal of Human Genetics, or Journal of the National Cancer Institute, etc. In general, 19 however, for each periodical article, provide author(s), title, journal, year, volume, and first and last page 20 numbers. If an article has more than six authors, list the first three only and add "et al." For a book 21 chapter or section, name author(s) and title of the pertinent part, the book's editor(s), the book's title, the 22 publisher and location, the year, and the relevant page numbers. If abbreviations of journal names are 23 used, these should be abbreviated according to the List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus (published 24 by the National Library of Medicine). 25

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Prospectus outline 27

This document should be of sufficient length to provide a scholarly outline of the proposed 28 research. A length of ~25 pages of double spaced text, with margins of 2.5 cm (one inch) and 12 point 29 font, would be appropriate in most situations. Single-spaced text may be suitable for Tables. 30

Format 31 The prospectus is a presentation of the intended research, and should include: 32

33 I Abstract 34

A brief (200 to 300 words) presentation of the background and rationale for the proposed research 35 including a brief presentation of the methods and study population. 36 37 II Background and Significance 38

Brief background description and literature relevant to the research problem. The significance of 39 the study and the research problems should be stated. 40

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III Literature Review 1 Include relevant literature published to date on the research topic including statistics with 2

subsections when needed. Include the theoretical basis or framework for the propose study if applicable. 3 List definitions and explanations of terminology when needed. 4 5 IV Hypothesis and/or Research Question(s) 6

One main research hypothesis would usually be suitable with potentially one or more secondary 7 hypotheses. When appropriate, research questions might be presented in place of hypotheses. 8 9 V Methods and Materials 10

As appropriate, include basic research design, subjects or participants, limitations of the research, 11 sampling plan, pilot testing, laboratory techniques, reagents, instruments, data collection procedures, 12 evaluation theory and/or strategy, statistical analysis, tentative plan of analysis, power calculations, 13 timeline, delineation of research variables, test of validity and reliability of data collection instruments. 14 15 (The use of Roman Numerals in these Guidelines is not meant to be taken as required for use in the production of the Prospectus 16 and Dissertation. Arabic Numerals might work just as well.) 17 18 19 Dissertation outline 20 21

As stated in the Policies and Procedures for Doctoral Programs, the dissertation can be compiled 22 in one or other of two formats: (1) the traditional dissertation format, or (2) the three-manuscripts-model 23 format, this latter format being a compilation of a minimum of three manuscripts publishable in peer-24 reviewed journals. 25 26

Since the dissertation will be bound, it is advisable to employ a wider left hand margin of ~ 4 cm 27 (1 ½ inches). 28

29 For either dissertation format, sections II, III, IV and part of V as appropriate below could 30

remain essentially the same in the final edition as they were in the Prospectus. However, as 31 appropriate, for example, if fundamental or important new information has become available in the 32 candidate’s sphere of academic endeavor, these sections should be updated. 33

34 35 Dissertation Employing the Three-Manuscripts-Model 36 37 I Abstract 38

This should be a succinct (no more than 300 words) stand-alone summary of the project, which 39 includes key points in relation to the background and significance of the conducted research, the methods, 40 the results and main conclusion. 41 42 II Background and Significance 43

A brief background description and literature relevant to the research problem should be given. 44 The significance of the study and the research problems should be stated. 45 46 III Literature Review 47

This section includes relevant literature published to date on the research topic including statistics 48 with subsections when needed. Include the theoretical basis or framework for the proposed study if 49 applicable. List definitions and explanation of terminology when needed. 50 51

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IV Hypothesis and/or Research Question(s) 1 One main research hypothesis would usually be suitable with potentially one or more secondary 2

hypotheses. When appropriate, research questions might be presented in place of hypotheses. 3 4 V Methods and Materials 5

As appropriate, include basic research design, subjects or participants, limitations of the research, 6 sampling plan, pilot testing, laboratory techniques, reagents, instruments, data collection procedures, 7 evaluation theory and/or strategy, statistical analysis, tentative plan of analysis, power calculations, 8 timeline, delineation of research variables, test of validity and reliability of data collection instruments. 9 10 VI Main Result Summary 11

A summary of the results presented in the inserted three or more papers or manuscripts as well as 12 a summary of any unpublished results relevant for the discussion should be included in this section. 13 Lengthy listing of all data available is not accepted. 14 15 VII Discussion 16

A general discussion of the results where main findings are highlighted should introduce this 17 chapter. Any new relevant literature published on the issue since the prospectus was defended and chapter 18 II or III were written should be included. Limitations, validity, bias should be addressed. The discussion 19 should integrate the research findings from the different results components of the dissertation. Further it 20 should address the implications of the dissertation study in the wider context of the published literature. 21

22 VIII Conclusions and Recommendations 23

Conclusions typically include statements about the critical findings that have flowed from the 24 study. This would be a suitable place to address “generalizability” and implications of the research 25 results to provide recommendations for future research and address the implications of the study for 26 public health policy or practice. 27

Where appropriate, Chapters VII and VIII may be combined. 28 29 Appendices 30

The main results should be presented in papers ready for submission to peer-reviewed 31 journals (or indeed as reprints of published articles). A minimum of three such papers is required. 32 Students are encouraged to have attempted to publish some or all these papers during their 33 doctoral studies or if this cannot be achieved, aim for soon after the completion of their doctorate. 34

All questionnaires or other materials developed for the project should be included as appendices, 35 as might lists of data that might not be deemed suitable because of their length in draft papers. 36

37 38 Dissertation Employing the Traditional Format 39 40 I Abstract 41

This should be a succinct (no more than 300 words) stand-alone summary of the project, 42 which includes key points in relation to the background and significance of the conducted 43 research, the methods, the results and main conclusion. 44

45 II Background and Significance 46

A brief background description and literature relevant to the research problem should be given. 47 The significance of the study and the research problems should be stated. 48 49 III Literature Review 50

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This section includes relevant literature published to date on the research topic including statistics 1 with subsections when needed. Include the theoretical basis or framework for the propose study if 2 applicable. List definitions and explanation of terminology when needed. 3 4 IV Hypothesis and/or Research Question(s) 5

One main research hypothesis would usually be suitable with potentially one or a few secondary 6 hypotheses. When appropriate, research questions might be presented in place of hypotheses. 7 8 V Methods and Materials 9

As appropriate, include basic research design, subjects or participants, limitations of the research, 10 sampling plan, pilot testing, laboratory techniques, reagents, instruments, data collection procedures, 11 evaluation theory and/or strategy, statistical analysis, tentative plan of analysis, power calculations, 12 timeline, delineation of research variables, test of validity and reliability of data collection instruments. 13 14 VI-VIII Specific Findings/ Results 15

This section of the Dissertation will be comprised of several chapters (generally, at least three 16 chapters) that detail the findings or results, each of which includes specific discussion of the chapter’s 17 specific findings. Chapters might also include, as appropriate, additional specific methods that 18 supplement those provided in section V. 19 20 IX Discussion 21

A general discussion of the results where main findings are highlighted should introduce this 22 chapter. Any new relevant literature published on the issue since the prospectus was defended and chapter 23 II or III were written should be included. Limitations, validity, bias should be addressed. The discussion 24 should integrate the research findings from the different results components of the dissertation. Further it 25 should address the implications of the dissertation study in the wider context of the published literature at 26 large. 27 28 X Conclusions and Recommendations 29

Conclusions typically include statements about the critical findings that have flowed from the 30 study. This would be a suitable place to address “generalizability” and implications of the research 31 results to provide recommendations for future research and address the implications of the study for 32 public health policy or practice. 33

Where appropriate, Chapters IX and X may be combined. 34 35

36 Appendices 37 All questionnaires or other materials developed for the project should be included as appendices, 38 including lists of data that might not be deemed suitable because of their length in Results specific 39 chapters (VI, VII, etc). 40

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Appendix 2 1 2

TULANE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND TROPICAL MEDICINE 3

4

REQUEST FOR PROSPECTUS DEFENSE 5 6

Student’s Name __________________________________________________________ 7

8

Sponsoring Department __________________Degree Program: PhD DrPH ScD 9

10

Title of the Prospectus _________________________________________________________ 11

12

Date of Presentation ___________________ Venue and Room # __________________ 13

14

Name and Affiliation of Committee Chair: 15

16

________________________________ ___________________________________ 17

18

Committee Members: 19

Name Affiliation 20

21

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 22

23

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 24

25

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 26

27

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 28

29

NOTE: - THIS FORM IS TO BE PRESENTED TO THE DEAN’S OFFICE AT LEAST 30

TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE PROSPECTUS DEFENSE TOGETHER WITH A 31

COPY OF THE ABSTRACT. 32

- IN THE EVENT OF POSTPONEMENT OR CANCELLATION OF THE 33

DEFENSE, THE DEAN’S OFFICE MUST BE NOTIFIED IN WRITING. 34

35 Committee Chair’s Approval ________________________________ Date ___________ 36

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Dept. Doctoral Committee Member___________________________ Date____________ 38

39

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41 FOR DEAN’S OFFICE USE 42 43

Date announcement sent to all SPHTM Departmental Chairs __________________ 44

45

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Appendix 3 1 2

TULANE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND TROPICAL MEDICINE 3

4

RESULTS OF PROSPECTUS DEFENSE 5 6

Student’s Name __________________________________________________________ 7

8

Sponsoring Department ___________________ Degree Program: PhD DrPH ScD 9

10

Title of the Prospectus _________________________________________________________ 11

12

___________________________________________________________________________ 13

14

Date of Presentation _______________________Venue and Room # ________________ 15

16

The undersigned committee members have: 17

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1. Approved the prospectus as presented and recommends to the Executive Faculty that the 19

student’s status be changed to that of doctoral candidate. 20

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2. Not approved the prospectus as presented. 22

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Names and Signatures of Committee Members: 25

26

Committee Chair: ________________________________________________________ 27

28

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 29

30

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 31

32

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 33

34

NOTE: THIS FORM IS TO BE PRESENTED TO THE DEAN’S OFFICE 35

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE PROSPECTUS DEFENSE. WITHIN TWO 36

WEEKS FOLLOWING THE PROSPECTUS DEFENSE, A COPY OF THE 37

PROSPECTUS IS TO BE PRESENTED TO THE DEAN’S OFFICE 38 39 40 41 FOR DEAN’S OFFICE USE 42 43

Date Approved by the Executive Faculty_______________________________________ 44

45

Signature of the Dean _______________________________ Date __________________ 46

Date Announcement Sent to Faculty __________________________________________ 47

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Appendix 4 1 2

TULANE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND TROPICAL MEDICINE 3

4

REQUEST FOR DISSERTATION DEFENSE 5 6

Student’s Name __________________________________________________________ 7

8

Sponsoring Department ___________________Degree Program: PhD DrPH ScD 9

10

Title of the Dissertation _________________________________________________________ 11

12

____________________________________________________________________________ 13

14

Date of Presentation _____________________ Venue and Room # _________________ 15

16

Name and Affiliation of Committee Chair: 17

18

________________________________ ___________________________________ 19

20

Committee Members: 21

22

Name Affiliation 23

24

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 25

26

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 27

28

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 29

30

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 31

32

NOTE: - THIS FORM IS TO BE FILED WITH THE DEAN’S OFFICE AT LEAST TWO 33

WEEKS PRIOR TO THE DISSERTATION DEFENSE, TOGETHER WITH A 34

COPY OF THE DISSERTATION AND ABSTRACT. 35

- IN THE EVENT OF POSTPONEMENT OR CANCELLATION OF THE 36

DEFENSE, THE DEAN’S OFFICE MUST BE NOTIFIED IN WRITING. 37

38 Committee Chair’s Approval ________________________________ Date ___________ 39

40

Dept. Doctoral Committee Member___________________________ Date____________ 41 42 43 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 44 FOR DEAN’S OFFICE USE 45 46

Date announcement sent to all SPHTM Departmental Chairs ____________________ 47 48

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Appendix 5 1 2

TULANE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND TROPICAL MEDICINE 3

4

RESULTS OF DISSERTATION DEFENSE 5 6

Student’s Name __________________________________________________________ 7

8

Sponsoring Department ___________________Degree Program: PhD DrPH ScD 9

10

Title of the Dissertation _________________________________________________________ 11

12

___________________________________________________________________________ 13

14

Date of Presentation ____________________ Venue and Room # _________________ 15

16

The undersigned committee members have: 17

18

1. Approved the dissertation as presented. 19

20

2. Approved the dissertation with minor changes only. 21

22

3. Approved the dissertation with significant revisions. 23

24

4. Not approved the dissertation; the student can no longer continue in the doctoral program. 25

26

27

Names and Signatures of Committee Members: 28

29

Committee Chair: ________________________________________________________ 30

31

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 32

33

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 34

35

_________________________________ ____________________________________ 36

37

NOTE: THIS FORM IS TO BE PRESENTED TO THE DEAN’S OFFICE 38

IMMEDIATELY (OR 48 HOURS) FOLLOWING THE DISSERTATION 39

DEFENSE. NO MORE THAN ONE THIRD OF THE SIGNATURE MAY BE 40

FAXED/ ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES. 41 42 43 FOR DEAN’S OFFICE USE 44

Date Approved by the Executive Faculty_______________________________________ 45

Signature of the Dean _________________________________ Date ________________ 46

Date final copies for printing received in Dean’s office ___________________________ 47

18

Appendix 6. (SAMPLE COVER PAGE) 1

MIGRATORY PELICANS IN LOUISIANA AND THE SPREAD OF EMERGING 2

AND ZOONOTIC ARBOVIRUSES 3

4

A DISSERTATION 5

SUBMITTED ON THE TWENTY NINTH DAY OF FEBRUARY 200X 6

TO THE DEPARTMENT OF XXXXXXX 7

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS 8

OF THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND TROPICAL MEDICINE 9

OF TULANE UNIVERSITY 10

FOR THE DEGREE 11

OF 12

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY/ PUBLIC HEALTH/ SCIENCE 13

BY 14

15

(Type name of candidate below line for signature) 16

17

APPROVED:________________________ 18

Type name here, ScD; date 19

20

Type name here, MD, PhD; date 21

22

Type name here, PhD; date 23

24

Type name here, DrPH; date 25

26

Etc 27 28