CSCR Dissertation

After attaining dissertator status, students must reach two remaining milestones to graduate: (1) successful defense of the dissertation proposal, and (2) successful defense of the dissertation.

Students should refer to elsewhere in the Handbook for information on the dissertation committee composition. Typically, the same committee members will oversee both the dissertation proposal process and dissertation oral defense.

Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal process will typically take 6 – 12 months to complete. The typical dissertation proposal (AKA prospectus) includes: literature review/background (5 pages max for lit review), research questions, methods (e.g., research design, data analysis strategy), and outline for the proposed dissertation including the proposed format of the dissertation (e.g., if 3-paper format, what will be done/addressed in each paper; if monograph format, how many chapters and what will be done/addressed in each chapter). CSCR students should also include a timeline for completion and a preliminary dissemination plan or description of where/how results might be published or shared.

Students may choose a 3-paper or monograph (chapter-based) format for the dissertation. Note that for a 3-paper format, it is expected that the papers be of publishable quality. However, it is not expected that the papers be published by the time of the dissertation oral defense. Regardless of the dissertation format, the prospectus should be 20-25 double spaced pages in length, Times New Roman Font 12, with 1-inch margins, excluding references, tables, figures, or appendices.

The CSCR empirical paper may not be used as one of the chapters or papers of the dissertation.

The committee reviews the written proposal. The committee may require revisions to the prospectus before it is deemed ready for an oral defense.  An oral defense of the dissertation proposal should be scheduled within 2-4 weeks of the submission of the final prospectus. The prospectus must be submitted for committee review a minimum of 30 days before the oral defense.

The possible outcomes of the prospectus oral defense are:

• Pass with no revisions
• Pass with minor revisions (revised prospectus will be assessed by the committee chair only)
• Pass with major revisions (revised prospectus will be assessed by the entire committee, but an additional oral defense is not required)
• Fail. A student who fails the prospectus oral defense will be given 1 attempt at redoing the prospectus, both written and oral defense components. Students who fail the second prospectus oral defense will be asked to leave the program.

A student who has successfully defended their dissertation proposal is approved to carry out the proposed plan of research for their dissertation.

Dissertation

The dissertation should be a unique and substantial contribution to the PhD candidate’s area of study. As discussed above (see: Dissertation Proposal), CSCR dissertators may opt for a multi-chapter monograph or 3-paper format of thematically related papers that includes a synthetic introduction and conclusion for the dissertation manuscript itself.  While students may build on prior research, the empirical paper is not eligible for inclusion as one of the dissertation papers or chapters.

Selection of the optimal format for a particular dissertation should be determined in consultation with a student’s chair and committee.

If pursuing the chapter-based monograph format, the dissertation will typically include an introduction, methods/literature review, 2-3 empirical chapters based on the research findings, and a conclusion.

If pursuing the three-paper format, the dissertation will typically include an introduction that presents the conceptual framework and unifying questions/thematic concerns across the three papers, 3 empirical papers, and a conclusion that summarizes the implications of the research. The time it takes to complete a dissertation and defend it depends on the scope of the research, format of the dissertation, and type of research performed. It is wise to work with your committee on establishing a timeline and benchmarks for completing your dissertation.

A dissertation writing group with graduate student peers can be helpful for making progress and adhering to your timeline. Students are encouraged to utilize campus-level resources for dissertation support, which include both organized dissertation support groups and dissertation writing camps.

Students should present at least one work-in-progress from their dissertation at the CSCR Colloquium and seek out other opportunities for intermediate deadlines and formative feedback. Dissertators are also encouraged to apply for conference travel funding from SoHE and the UW graduate school to present their dissertation research at relevant scholarly and/or professional conferences.

Once the dissertation is ready for review, the student should share it with their advisor. Contingent on receiving advisor approval, the student will circulate the dissertation to the rest of the committee for review. If the committee deems that the dissertation satisfies the quality and standards of the department, the advisor will coordinate with the rest of the committee and the student to schedule an oral defense. The student must submit the completed dissertation in the required format (see below for graduate school guidelines) a minimum of 30 days before the scheduled oral defense.

When scheduling the defense, students should remember that most faculty are not on contract over the summer. Some faculty are willing to schedule defenses over the summer; others are not and are within their rights to decline availability when off contract. If a student anticipates defending over the summer, they should receive approval to do so from their committee members by April 1.

It is the CSCR program culture to hold a public portion of the dissertation defense in which a brief oral presentation is shared. The exact format and length of the presentation should be established in collaboration with the students’ advisor.

The possible outcomes of the dissertation defense are:

• Pass with no revisions
• Pass with minor revisions (revised dissertation papers or chapters will be assessed by the committee chair only)
• Pass with major revisions (revised dissertation papers or chapters will be assessed by the entire committee, but an additional oral defense is not required). Timeline for the major revisions will be decided by the committee and student.
• Conditional pass with major revisions and oral defense (revised dissertation papers or chapters will be assessed by the entire committee and an oral defense is required). Timeline for the major revisions and the scheduling of the oral defense will be decided by the committee and student.
• Fail. A student who fails the dissertation defense will be given 1 attempt at redoing the dissertation, both written and oral defense components. The student will be given one year from the time of the failed defense to rewrite the dissertation and redo the oral defense. Dissertators who fail the second attempt will be asked to leave the program.

Note that dissertators are responsible for complying with all campus-level requirements outlined in the guidelines for formatting the dissertation. They must also complete the steps outlined by the graduate school at the appropriate time as described in the campus resource “Steps to Completing the Degree.” Please note that these steps are not insignificant and should be included in the overall timeline for dissertation completion.

It is common for the committee to require revisions to the dissertation before depositing to the graduate school. In some cases, the students may need to work with the advisor and/or additional committee members to address the requested revisions. The revision plan and timeline should be established and clearly communicated to the student at the oral defense.