SpecialEducationDoctoralProgram Handbook

CollegeofEducation

SchoolofSpecialEducation,SchoolPsychology,&EarlyChildhoodStudiesP.O.Box117050/1403NormanHallGainesville,FL32611---7050

(352)273---4275/(352)392---2655Faxhttp://education.ufl.edu/special---education/

SpecialEducationDoctoralProgramattheUniversityofFlorida

ThemissionoftheSpecialEducationprogramareaistopromotethesuccessfulinclusionofindividualswithdisabilitiesandtheirfamiliesinsocietythroughexcellenceintheeducationofteachersandleaders,thegenerationofnewknowledge,andtheapplicationofexistingknowledge.

TheUniversityofFloridadoctoralprograminSpecialEducationisconsistentlyrankedamongthetopfiveprogramsinthenation.Thehighqualityoftheprogramprovidesawealthofopportunitiesforgraduatestudents.Mentoringinresearch,workongrants,teachingundergraduatecourses,writingforpublication,andpresentingatnationalconferencesarejustafewoftheexperiencesourstudentsenjoy.Thishandbookisdesignedtoprovideareadyreferenceforstudentsandtheiradvisorsontherequirementsandpoliciesassociatedwiththespecialeducationdoctoralprogram.ForinformationaboutUniversityofFloridarequirements,pleaseconsulttheGraduateStudentHandbook(http://graduateschool.ufl.edu/media/graduate-school/pdf-files/handbook.pdf).Inthecaseofanydiscrepancy,theGraduateSchoolHandbooksupersedesthishandbook.

Program Philosophy

DoctorofPhilosophy(Ph.D.)andDoctorofEducation(Ed.D.)programsintheSpecialEducationprogramareaaredesignedtopreparegraduatesforteaching,research,andadministrativepositionsincollegesanduniversities,aswellasforleadershippositionsinothereducationalagencies.Alldoctoralstudentsareexpectedtodemonstratecompetenceinreadingofresearchandindependentlydesigningandconductingresearchinspecialeducation.AdmissiontoPh.D.andEd.D.Programs

TheSpecialEducationprogramiscommittedtorecruitinggraduatestudentsthatreflectthediversityofthefieldofspecialeducationandthecountry.Wewanttofurtherdeveloparesearchcommunitywhoseworkwillcontributetotheadvancementandbettermentofstudentswithdisabilitiesalongwiththeirparentsandteachers.Toidentifysuchpersonscapableofandcommittedtotransformingandimprovingthefieldofspecialeducation,anumberofcriteriaareused.

Successfulapplicantsmustmeetminimumrequirementsrelatedtogradepointaverage(GPA)andapplicabletestscores(e.g.,GRE,TOEFL).Applicantsmustalsoprovideadditionaldocumentation,includinglettersofrecommendation,curriculumvitae,astatementofprofessionalgoals,andanacademicwritingsample.Finally,applicantsmustparticipateinanadmissioninterview,whichmaybeheldinpersonorviateleconference.Anadmissionscommitteereviewsallapplicationmaterialstodeterminewhethertheapplicantisagoodmatchfortheprogram.DoctoralProgramOverview

UponadmissiontotheSpecialEducationdoctoralprogramapplicantsaregiventhestatusofdoctoralstudent.Themainresponsibilityofadoctoralstudentistocompletecourseworkwhiledevelopingcompetenciesinresearch,teaching,andservicetothefield.Followingthecompletionofcoursework,doctoralstudentsmustcompletewrittenandoralexamstoqualifyfordoctoralcandidacy.Adoctoralcandidatecompletesadissertationtodemonstratethecapacitytoconducthighqualityindependentresearch.Eachoftheseprogramelementsisdescribedindetailinsubsequentsectionsofthishandbook.

DoctoralCompetencies

ThefacultyintheSpecialEducationprogramhavedevelopedasetofcompetenciesthatdoctoralstudentsareexpectedtomeetpriortoprogramcompletion(seetheAppendixforalistofthesecompetencies).Thesecompetenciesareaddressedduringrequiredcoursesandotherexperiences(e.g.,dissertation,graduateassistantships)duringthedoctoralprogram.Itistheresponsibilityofthestudent’sadvisorandsupervisorycommitteetoensurethatallcompetenciesaremetpriortograduation.

AdvisorandSupervisoryCommittee

Afterbeingadmittedtothedoctoralprogramatemporaryadvisorwillbeassignedtoprovideassistanceinplanningthefirstsemesterofstudyandguidanceinpreparingforsubsequentterms.Theadvisorservesasthestudent’sprimarymentorthroughtheprogram.

Duringthefirstyearintheprogram,studentsworkwiththeiradvisorstoformasupervisorycommittee.Thepermanentcommitteeshouldbeformedassoonaspossibleafterthestudenthasbegundoctoralwork.Generally,thecommitteeshouldbefinalizednolaterthantheendofthesecondsemesterofequivalentfull---timestudy.

Thesupervisorycommitteeconsistsofatleastfourmembers.Atleasttwoofthemembers,includingthecommitteechair,mustbefromthespecialeducationprogramareaandholdgraduatefacultystatusinSESPECS(seeAppendixforalistofspecialeducationfacultymemberswithgraduatefacultystatus).AtleastonemembermustbeselectedfromoutsidetheSpecialEducationprogramarea.ThisexternalcommitteemembermaybefromanotherschoolwithintheCollegeofEducationorfromanothercollegewithintheuniversity.Oncethecommitteehasbeenestablished,thestudentmustrequestthattheGraduateCoordinatorrecordthecommitteemembersontheGraduateSchoolInformationManagementSystem(GIMS).MoreinformationregardingthedutiesandresponsibilitiesofsupervisorycommitteesisavailableintheGraduateCatalog.

ProgramMilestones

Mostspecialeducationdoctoralstudentscompletetheirdegreeinapproximatelyfouryears,althoughprogramsofshorterorlongerdurationarenotuncommon.Thefollowingisatypicalprogramprogression,withthekeymilestonesthatoccureachyear:

Year1:

• Begincoursework• Selectprogramchair• Formsupervisorycommittee• Developprogramplanfor

committeeapproval• Undergofirst---yearreview

Years2/3:

• Completecoursework• Completequalifyingexamination• Applyforadmissiontocandidacy• Undergoannualevaluations

Years3/4:

• Developdissertationproposal• Conductdissertationstudy• Defenddissertation(final

examination)• Graduate

ProgramPlan

Programplansaredevelopedcollaborativelybythedoctoralstudentandadvisorandmustbeapprovedbythesupervisorycommittee.Theprogramofstudyconsistsofaminimumof90semesterhoursbeyondthebaccalaureatedegree.Theprogramplanmustincludethefiverequiredspecialeducationcourses,therequiredresearchmethodologycourses(minimumof12credithours),andcourseworkinthestudent’sarea(s)ofspecializationand,ifapplicable,thestudent’sminor.

AllEd.D.andPh.D.programplansmustcontainthefollowingsectionswhenpresentedtothesupervisorycommitteeforapproval.

• BiographicalSketchandCareerGoals• ProfessionalPreparationandExperience(i.e.,CV)• ProposedCourseofStudyandTimeline• ProposedCompetencyExperiences

Thesupervisorycommitteemayaddoraltercomponentsoftheprogramplantoensurethattheplannedcourseworkandexperienceswillbesufficientforthestudenttomastertheprogramcompetenciesandachievetheoutlinedcareergoals.AcademicMajorandMinor

Allstudentsadmittedtothedoctoralprogramwillmajorinspecialeducation.Themajorincludescompletionofallrequiredspecialeducationcoursework(i.e.,fiveseminars),requiredresearchcoursework,andatleast20creditsofdissertationwork.

Withtheapprovalofthesupervisorycommittee,oneormoreminorfieldsmaybechosenandincludedintheprogramofstudy(aminorisnotrequired).MinorworkmaybecompletedinanyUFschoolordepartmentotherthanspecialeducationthatisapprovedformaster'sordoctoraldegreeprogramsaslistedintheGraduateCatalog.Ifaminorischosen,thesupervisorycommitteemustincludeatleastonepersonfromtheschoolordepartmentrepresentingtheminorfield.

Studentstypicallyalsoselectatleastoneareaofspecialization.Aspecializationmaybebuiltoncourseswithinthespecialeducationprogramarea(e.g.,autism,learningdisabilities),incombinationwithcoursesfromotherdepartments(e.g.,teachereducation,readingdisabilities),orfullycomposedofcoursesoutsidethespecialeducationprogramarea(e.g.,neuroscience,poverty).Althoughitisnotarequirement,moststudentsselectsupervisorycommitteememberswhoseresearchinterestsalignwiththeirselectedarea(s)ofspecialization.

Whendevelopingtheprogramplan,studentsshouldclearlyindicatethearea(s)ofspecializationandtheminor,ifany.

RequiredSpecialEducationCoursesCompletionofasequenceoffivedoctoralseminarsisrequiredofalldoctoralstudentsintheSpecialEducationprogramarea.Thesecoursesaredesignedtoprovidethefoundationalknowledgerequiredofleadersinthefield.Thecoursedescriptionforeachrequiredseminarislistedbelow.

• HistoricalandTheoreticalFoundationsofDisabilityinEducation(EEX6936*;

Trends1):Thiscourseaddressestheevolutionofpublicpolicy,theoreticalperspectives,andprofessionalpracticeintheeducationofindividualswithdisabilities.Topicsincludeinfluentialindividuals,historicalevents,socialsystems,andpoliticalmovements.

• TrendsinSpecialEducation(EEX7934;Trends2):Thiscourseaddressescurrent

trendsandissuesinspecialeducation,includingresearch,policy,andpracticeprioritiesatlocal,state,andfederallevels.

• IntroductiontoFieldofInquiryinSpecialEducation(EEX7304;Research1):This

courseprovidesanintroductiontoresearchmethodscommonlyusedinthefieldofspecialeducation,theconditionsunderwhichparticulardesignsareemployed,andapproachestotheinterpretationofdata.

• InquiryinSpecialEducation:AnalysisoftheLiterature(EEX7303;Research2):This

courseaddressesmethodsforreviewingandcritiquingspecialeducationresearchliteratureusingrigoroussystematicreviewmethods.Topicsincludedevelopingandrefiningaresearchquestion,searchresourcesandtechniques,screeningandselectingprimarystudiesusingexplicitandreproduciblecriteria,informationmanagement,choosingasynthesisapproach,andinterpretingandcommunicatingfindings.

• InquiryinSpecialEducation:ProposalDevelopment(EEX6936*;Research3):This

coursepreparesthestudenttodevelopasoundresearchproposal.Topicsincludeuseofresearchliteratureandtheoreticalframeworkstogenerateresearchquestionsandhypotheses,developmentofaconceptualframework,anddesignofthestudy.

*EEX6936isatemporarycoursenumberassignedtothesecourses.

Therequiredspecialeducationcoursesareofferedonaregularrotation.Thefollowingisthetypicalsequenceinwhichthesecoursesaretaken:

Fall Spring

Year1 Trends1Research1

Trends2

Year2 Research2 Research3*

*maybetakeninSpringofYear3

AgradeofBorhighermustbeearnedinallrequiredcoursework.AnoverallGPAof3.0orhigherinallworkattemptedmustalsobemaintained.SeetheGraduateStudentHandbookformoreinformationabouttheserequirements.

CollegeofEducationPh.D.andEd.D.ResearchRequirements

AlldoctoralstudentsintheCollegeofEducationmustcompleteaminimumof12credithoursofresearchmethodologycourseworktomeetthecollege---widerequirementforpreparationinresearchmethodology.Thecourseswillbeselectedfromthetwolistsofcoursesbelow,withtheprovisothattheAssociateDeanforGraduateStudieshastheauthoritytoapprovesubstituteandalternativecourses.

Programsandsupervisorycommitteeshavethediscretiontorequiremorethan12hoursofresearchmethodologycourses.ThecoursesusedtomeettheseadditionalrequirementsarenotsubjecttoreviewbytheAssociateDeanforGraduateStudies.Generally,studentsinthespecialeducationdoctoralprogramtakefarmorethanthe12---hourminimum.

AnystudentwhowishestominorinresearchmethodologymusthaveamemberoftheREMfacultyserveonhisorhersupervisorycommittee.Thestudentshouldconsultthisfacultymembertoselectanappropriatesetandsequenceofcourses.

Qualitativemethods.Thefollowingcoursesinqualitativeresearchmethodologiesareavailableonaregularbasis.Occasionally,additionalspecialtopicscoursesarealsooffered.

• EDF6475—QualitativeFoundationsofEducationalResearch(4)• EDF6938—Qualitativedatacollection(3)Prereq:EDF6475• EDF6938—Qualitativedataanalysis(3)Prereq:EDF6475• EDF7639—ResearchinEducationalSociology(3)Prereq:EDF6475

Quantitativemethods.Thefollowingcoursesinquantitativeresearchmethodologiesareavailableonaregularbasis.Occasionally,additionalspecialtopicscoursesareoffered,aswell.Consultthepublishedsequenceofcourses(http://education.ufl.edu/research-evaluation-methods/files/2013/10/Sequence_of_Quantitative_classes.pdf)todeterminewhentotakeeachcourse.

• EDF6403—QuantitativeFoundationsofEducationalResearch(6)OREDF6400(3)&EDF6402(3)Prereq:Acoursethatincludesdescriptivestatisticsincludingmeasuresoflocation,dispersion,andcorrelationandinferentialstatisticsthroughttestsonmeans(e.g.,EDF6401).

• EDF6436—TheoryofMeasurement(4)Prereq:EDF6403• EDF6471—SurveyDesignandAnalysisinEducationalResearch(3)Prereq:EDF6403• EDF6481—QuantitativeResearchMethodsinEducation(4)Prereq:EDF6403• EDF7405—AdvancedQuantitativeFoundationsofEducationalResearch(4)Prereq:EDF

6403• EDF7412—StructuralEquationModels(3)Prereq:EDF7405• EDF7432—AdvancedPsychometricTheory(3)Prereq:EDF6436

• EDF7435—RatingScaleDesignandAnalysisinEducationalResearch(3)Prereq:EDF6403and6434or6436

• EDF7439—ItemResponseTheory(3)Prereq:EDF6436• EDF7474—MultilevelModels(3)Prereq:EDF6403or6481and7405• EDF7491—EvaluationofEducationalProductsandSystems(3)Prereq:EDF6403• EDF7932—MultivariateAnalysisinEducationalResearch(3)Prereq:EDF6403or6481

and7405AlternativeandSubstituteResearchCourses

Asubstitutecourseisacoursethatcoversthesamemethodologiesasarecoveredinalistedcourseandcoversthemethodologiesatthesamelevelofdifficultyasinthelistedcourse.Coursesthatcoverthematerialatalowerlevelofdifficultyarenotappropriatesubstitutecourses.

Analternativecourseisacoursethatcoversdifferentmethodologiesthanarecoveredinanyofthelistedcourses.Proposinganalternativecoursepresumesthatthemethodologycoveredinthealternativecourseisnotcoveredinanyofthelistedcourses.AnexampleofanalternativequantitativemethodscourseisSTA5507—AppliedNonparametricMethods.Noneofthelistedquantitativemethodscoursescovernonparametricmethods.AnexampleofanalternativequalitativemethodscourseisHIS6060—HistoricalMethod.Noneofthelistedqualitativemethodscoursescovermethodsofhistoricalresearch.

Procedures

Torequestasubstituteoralternativecourse(s)submitacompleted“Substituteand/orAlternativeCourseForm”(availableinthedepartmentalofficesandtheOfficeofGraduateEducation)totheCollegeofEducationOfficeofGraduateEducation.Thechairofthestudent’ssupervisorycommittee,onbehalfofthesupervisorycommittee,shalltransmittherequest.ApprovaloftheRequestbytheAssociateDeanforGraduateStudiesandTechnologyauthorizesthesubstituteand/oralternativecourse(s).Requestsforsubstituteoralternativecoursesshouldbesubmittedbythesecondsemesterofgraduatestudyorassoonthereafteraspossible.

ProposedsubstituteoralternativecoursestakenbeforeadmissionfordoctoralstudytotheUFGraduateSchoolmusthavebeencompletedwithinfouryearsofadmission.ProposedsubstituteoralternativecoursestakenafteradmissionfordoctoralstudytotheUFGraduateSchoolmustbeapprovedbeforeenrollingintherequestedcoursesProspectiverequestsmustincludethemostrecentsyllabusfortheproposedcourse.Retrospectiverequestsmustincludethesyllabusforthesemesterinwhichtheproposedcoursewastaken.

Requestsforasubstitutecoursemustidentifythecourseforwhichsubstitutionisrequestedandincludeanexplanationaboutwhyasubstitutionisnecessary.Whenacoursesubstitutionisrequested,theAssociateDeanwillsolicitadvicefromtheDirectoroftheProgramforResearchandEvaluationMethodologyabouttheequivalenceofthelistedandsubstitutedcourse.Intheeventanalternativecourse,withcontentsimilartothatofa

listedcourse,isproposed,theAssociateDeanwillsolicitadvicefromtheDirectoroftheProgramforResearchandEvaluationMethodologyabouttheequivalenceofthelisted.IntheeventofsubstantialsimilaritytheAssociateDeanwilltreatthealternativecourseasasubstitutecourse.

FirstYear Review

Thefirstyearreviewofdoctoralstudentstakesplaceattheendofthesecondsemesteroffull---timestudy.Forpart---timestudents,thereviewisconductedaftertheycomplete12to18hoursofcoursework.Thereviewisdesignedtoassessthestudent’sstrengths,motivation,professionalism,andpotentialforachievinganin---depthknowledgeofspecialeducationissuesandahighlevelofcompetenceinconductingresearch,professionalwriting,andpublicspeaking.Thegoalofthisreviewistoassiststudentsinmakingwisecareerdecisionsandtorecommendspecificcoursesorexperiences,ifany,thatthestudentmustundertaketocontinueintheUFspecialeducationdoctoralprogram.

Thestudent’ssupervisorycommitteeconductsthereview.Ifacommitteehasnotbeenformalized,theSchoolDirectorwillselectanadhoccommitteeconsistingofatenuredfacultymemberintheprogramareatoserveasthereviewcommitteechair(possiblythestudent’stemporaryadvisor)andthreeadditionalfacultymembers.

Thestudentwillsubmitthefollowingitemstothereviewcommittee:

• Anupdatedstatementofcareergoals• Curriculumvitaeorotherdocumentationofprofessionalaccomplishments• Anacademicpaperof10to2---pages(plusreferences),typicallyproducedinadoctoral

seminarandaddressinganareaofspecialeducationresearch• Evaluationsbyfacultyorotherswhohavehadcontactwiththestudentduring

courseworkoremploymentOnthebasisofitsassessmentofthestudent'sperformanceinthefirstyearreview,thereviewcommitteemayindicateoneofthefollowingoptions:

• Thestudenthascompletedthereviewsuccessfully,andthestudentmaycontinueinthedoctoralprogramwithoutspecialcontingencies.

• Thestudenthascompletedthereviewsuccessfully,butwithspecialcontingencies(whichwillbespecifiedinwritingtothestudentbythereviewcommitteechair),suchassuccessfulcompletionofspecificcourseworkotherprofessionalexperiencesdeemednecessarytoaddressconcerns.

• Thereviewcommitteedeterminesaneedforsignificantcontingenciesthatwouldrequireawrittencourseofremediationacknowledgedbythestudentandcommitteemembers.Thestudenthasanothermeetingwiththecommittee(orchair)atanagreedupondatetoevaluateprogresstowardcompletionofthewrittenremediationplan.

• Thereviewcommitteedeterminesamismatchbetweenthestudent'scareergoalsandtheprogramofferingsinspecialeducation,althoughthestudentshowedgoodpotentialfordoctoralstudyinanotherfield,andthestudentisencouragedtoapplyforadmissiontoadifferentdegreeprogram.

• Thereviewcommitteeidentifiessubstantialconcernsinthestudent’spreparationfordoctoralstudyandthecommitteediscontinuesthestudentfromtheprogram.

Annual EvaluationEachspecialeducationdoctoralstudentparticipatesinanannualevaluationprocesstomeasureongoingprogresstowardprogramcompletion.Thefirst---yearreviewservesastheannualevaluationforYear1,andanabbreviatedevaluationprocesswilloccurduringeachsubsequentyearoftheprogram.Towardtheendofeachspringsemester,thestudentwillsubmitevidenceofsatisfactorycompletionofprogramcourseworkandexperiences.Facultymemberswhohaveworkedwiththestudentviacourseworkoremploymentmayalsocontributeevidencefortheevaluationprocess.Thesupervisorycommitteechairevaluatesthisevidence,withconsultationfromthestudent’scommitteeasneeded.

Followingthisreviewofevidence,thesupervisorycommitteechairwillwritealetterofannualevaluationthatwillbekeptinthestudent’srecords.Theletterwill(a)indicatewhethersatisfactoryprogresstowardthedegreehasbeenmadeand(b)containanyrequirementsthatthestudentmustmeetinordertocontinueintheprogram.Thestudent’ssignatureisrequiredtoindicatereceiptoftheletter.Anystudentwhowishestocontesttheannualevaluationlettermaysubmitawrittenstatementoutlininganydisagreementorconcerns.Thestudent’sdissentstatementiskeptinthestudent’srecords,aswell.Doctoral Candidacy

Adoctoralstudentdoesnotbecomeacandidateforthedoctoraldegreeuntilgrantedformaladmissiontocandidacy.Suchadmissionrequirestheapprovalofthestudent’ssupervisorycommittee,theschooldirector,thecollegedean,andtheDeanoftheGraduateSchool.Theapprovalmustbebasedonthefollowing:(1)theacademicrecordofthestudent,(2)theopinionofthesupervisorycommitteeconcerningoverallfitnessforcandidacy,(3)anapproveddissertationtopic,and(4)successfulcompletionofaqualifyingexamination.

Adoctoralstudentiseligibletotakethequalifyingexamafterallrequiredcourseworkhasbeencompletedandallcompetenciesspecifiedbythecommitteehavebeenmet.Allgradesof

“incomplete”mustberemovedbeforethestudentiseligibletotaketheexam.Theexaminationconsistsofawrittenexamandanoralexamconductedbythestudent’scommittee.

Writtenqualifyingexam.Thewrittenexaminationwillbedesignedbythestudent’ssupervisorycommitteetoaddressthespecialeducationprogramcompetenciesandthestudent’sprofessionalgoals.Generally,theexamconsistsoffourorfivewrittenproductsthatdemonstratethestudent’squalificationsfordoctoralcandidacy.Thefollowingareexamplesofsuchproducts:

• Majorareapaper(i.e.,acomprehensiveliteraturereviewonaspecifictopic)• Paperforpublicationinaresearch---orientedjournal*• Paperforpublicationinapractitioner---orientedjournal*• Openpresentationtofacultyanddoctoralstudentsofapaperonatopicrelevanttothe

student’sareaofstudy• Planforteacherprofessionaldevelopmentonatopicrelevanttothestudent’sareaof

study• Responsestotime---limited(e.g.,1---2weeks)take---homeexamquestions• Responsestotime---limited(e.g.,3hours)on---campusexamquestions

*Forpublicationsthatareco---authored,thestudent’srolemustbesubstantive.

Oralqualifyingexam.Theentirewrittenexaminationissubmittedtothesupervisorycommitteeforreview.Atleasttwoweeksafterthewrittenexamissubmittedtothecommitteeforevaluation,theoralportionofthequalifyingexaminationtakesplace.Studentsmaybeaskedtoprepareanoralpresentationoftheirwrittenproductsfortheoralexamination.

Theoralexaminationmaybeconductedusingvideoand/ortelecommunications.AccordingtoUFGraduateCouncilpolicy,itisrequiredthatthestudentandchairorco---chairmustbeinthesamephysicallocation.Allothermembersmayparticipatefromremotesitesviatechnologicalmeans.

Thesupervisorycommitteehastheresponsibilityatthetimeoftheoralexaminationtodecidewhetherthestudentisqualifiedtocontinueworktowardthedoctoraldegreeandshouldbeadmittedtodoctoralcandidacy.Atthediscretionofthesupervisorycommittee,astudentwhodoesnotpassthequalifyingexaminationmaybeofferedanopportunitytoretakeallorpartoftheexam.

Applicationforadmissiontocandidacyshouldbemadeimmediatelyafterthedoctoralstudentpassesthequalifyingexaminationandhasadissertationtopicapprovedbythestudent’ssupervisorycommittee.AstudentmayregisterforEEX7980(ResearchforDissertation)onlyafterheorsheisadmittedtocandidacyforadoctoraldegree.

Dissertation

Everycandidateforadoctoraldegreeinspecialeducationisrequiredtoprepareandpresentadissertation,whichisanoriginal,scholarlycontributiontotheliteratureinthefield.ThedissertationrequiresthatthedoctoralcandidatedesignandimplementastudythatisacceptableinformandcontenttothesupervisorycommitteeandtotheGraduateSchool.Thefinaldissertationistypicallycomposedoffivechapters,including(1)anintroduction,(2)reviewofliterature,(3)methodology,(4)results,and(5)discussion.DissertationsmustbewritteninEnglish.

Adissertationproposaltypicallyconsistsofthefirstthreechaptersofthedissertationandpresentsadetailedaccountoftheplannedstudy.Theproposalmustbeapprovedbythesupervisorycommitteebeforethestudentbeginsthestudy.Ifthestudyinvolveshumansubjects,theproposalmustalsobeapprovedbytheInstitutionalReviewBoard(IRB)beforeanydatacollectionwithhumansubjectsmaybegin.

Thedoctoralcandidatewillpresentthecompleteddissertationtothecommitteeatthedissertationdefense.Thesupervisorycommitteewilldeterminewhetherthedissertationmeetstheprogram’sstandardsofscholarship.Thecommitteemayrequirerevisionstothedissertationbeforefinalapproval.

Studentsarerequiredtosubmittheirfinaldissertationselectronicallyusingtheofficialtemplate.MoreinformationonsubmissionrequirementsisavailablefromtheGraduateSchoolEditorialOffice.

Whilecompletingworkforthedissertation,thestudentshouldbeenrolledinEEX7980.Thestudentmustregisterforaminimumof3credithoursofEEX7080duringthesemesterinwhichheorsheplanstograduate.Allworkforthedoctorate,includingthedissertation,mustbecompletedwithinfivecalendaryearsafterthequalifyingexamination,orthisexaminationmustberepeated.Deadlines

Eachsemester,theGraduateSchoolpublishesthesubmissiondeadlinesfordegreeapplication,firstsubmissionofthedissertation,finalsubmissionofthedissertation,andfinalclearanceofallrequirements.Itisthestudent’sresponsibilitytoensurethatalldeadlinesaremetforthegraduationsemester.