Dissertation

718 is the three semester credit hour dissertation course students take to receive credit for their dissertation. Students must be registered in 718 to receive dissertation-related services, such as those provided by the doctoral advisory committee and by OTDS. Students must be registered in 718 when they submit their proposal and they must continuously enroll in 718 each fall and spring semester until the dissertation is completed. If the student holds a defense or receives services from his or her committee during the summer semester, he or she must enroll in 718 for one of the two summer sessions. The minimum number of semester credit hours of 718 the student is required to take will vary by program, so students are encouraged to review their degree plans to ensure all requirements are met.

After registering for your first 718 course, work with your dissertation advisor to form your doctoral advisory committee. Your committee must have at least two members (including your dissertation advisor) from your department and one member (who has the applicable knowledge and/or expertise) from outside of your department. Students with an approved minor must have a minor advisor serve on the committee. If the minor advisor is from outside of your department, he or she may count as your out-of-department committee member. For all University requirements regarding doctoral advisory committees please see University Procedure 11.04.99.R0.23. Once the committee is formed, fill out the Dissertation Committee Selection form, acquire the signatures of your committee members and your department head, and submit the form to OTDS@tamuc.edu. Once you have received an email from OTDS stating the committee has been approved, you may move forward in the process.

Work with your committee to prepare your proposal for defense. All proposals must follow the formatting shown in the dissertation template. Dissertation students are required to schedule the proposal defense through the Graduate School, so as soon as you and your advisor feel you are ready, work with your committee to schedule a date, time, and location to hold the proposal defense. Once a date is agreed upon, complete the Schedule Form of the Dissertation Proposal Defense and submit the form to the Doctoral Program Coordinator by the 20^th of the month prior to your defense (e.g., for a defense in March, submit the form by February 20^th). Include a copy of your proposal as an attachment to your submission email. Make sure to bring the Dissertation Proposal Approval Form (found in the Dissertation Proposal Packet) to the defense so you can obtain the signatures of your committee members if they approve your proposal. After receiving approval from your committee, submit the form and the proposal to your Department Head and your College Dean for their review and approval. After both the Department Head and College Dean have read and approved the proposal, keep the form for use in Step 3. Make all changes suggested by your committee, Department Head, and College Dean.

Regarding data collection:

Students conducting studies that do not require IRB, IACUC, or IBC approval may begin data collection after completing RCR training through CITI and after receiving approval from their advisor to do so. Students do not need proposal approval from OTDS to begin data collection.

Students conducting studies that require IRB, IACUC, or IBC approval may begin data collection after receiving approval from the appropriate reviewing body. Students do not need proposal approval from OTDS to begin data collection.

If you are unsure about whether or not your study requires approval from IRB, IACUC, or IBC, please visit their websites.

After making all changes suggested by your committee, Department Head, and College Dean, provide a copy of the revised proposal to your advisor for review. If your advisor agrees that all necessary changes were made, he or she will need to sign the Advisor’s Approval to Submit Dissertation Proposal form (located in the Dissertation Proposal Packet). You will need to sign the form as well. After the form is signed, prepare your proposal submission packet. The Advisor’s Approval to Submit Dissertation Proposal form has a list of items that must be included as attachments in your submission email. All items must be submitted electronically to OTDS@tamuc.edu. Hard copies of the submission materials will not be accepted. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure all materials are received by the appropriate deadline. Approvals for proposals submitted past the deadline will be processed for the following semester. Keep in mind that students are required to receive proposal approval from OTDS at least one semester prior to the semester in which they graduate. You cannot defend your final dissertation in the same semester in which you received proposal approval from OTDS.

The OTDS Review:

During the review, OTDS will check your paper for conformity to the dissertation template and to the guidelines as specified in your chosen style manual (APA or MLA). OTDS will send you an approval email when your proposal is approved. Please keep a copy of the approval emails for your records.

Register for your final three hours of 718. Following proposal approval, continue to collect data, analyze data, and write your final dissertation chapters. Make sure you remain in contact with your advisor regarding your progress on your dissertation. Also, be aware of the deadlines that are relevant to you.

Once you and your advisor feel you are ready, work with your committee to schedule a date, time, and location to hold the final defense. Once a date is set, fill out the Schedule Form for the Final Defense and submit to the Doctoral Program Coordinator by the 20^th of the month prior to your defense. Make sure bring the Final Examination/Dissertation Defense Report form (sent to you by the Doctoral Program Coordinator) to your final defense so you can obtain the signatures of your committee members if they approve your dissertation. After receiving approval from your committee, submit the form and the dissertation to your Department Head and your College Dean for their review and proposal. After both the Department Head and College Dean have read and approved the dissertation, keep the form for use in Step 5. Make all changes suggested by your committee, Department Head, and College Dean.

RELEVANT LINKS: Schedule Form for the Final Defense Deadlines for Submission

After making all changes suggested by your committee, Department Head, and College Dean, provide a copy of the revised dissertation to your advisor for review. If your advisor agrees that all necessary changes were made, he or she will need to sign the Advisor’s Approval to Submit Dissertation form. You will need to sign the form as well. After the form is signed, prepare your dissertation submission packet. The Advisor’s Approval to Submit Dissertation form has a list of items that must be included as attachments in your submission email. All items must be submitted electronically to OTDS@tamuc.edu. Hard copies of the submission materials will not be accepted. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure all materials are received by the appropriate deadline. Approvals for dissertations submitted past the deadline will be processed for the following semester. Keep in mind that dissertations that do not follow the dissertation template and do not follow the guidelines specified in the relevant style guide will require more revisions and therefore may take longer to receive approval. If the needed revisions are not made in a timely manner, your graduation eligibility may be impacted. If revisions are needed prior to approval, OTDS will notify your advisor. It is imperative that you read all feedback provided to you by OTDS and make all recommended changes. If your dissertation is approved, you will be notified via email. The approval email will include instructions for uploading the approved dissertation to ProQuest. Make sure you follow the instructions exactly to ensure your dissertation is processed successfully. At this time you will be asked to pay the binding fees (you will pay through ProQuest at the time the thesis is uploaded) and the dissertation processing fee (this will be applied to your student account). Your approval will not show up in DegreeWorks until all fees are paid and the dissertation is uploaded to ProQuest.

The graduation application opens in myLeo at the start of the semester. After submitting your application, the Graduate School will be in communication with you throughout the semester regarding your graduation eligibility. Uploading to ProQuest and paying the related fees are requirements for graduation, so make sure those steps are completed prior to the graduation ceremony. After you receive confirmation from OTDS that all dissertation-related requirements have been met, you are free to prepare for the graduation ceremony (assuming all program-related requirements have also been met).

The Graduate School hosts a reception each semester for all doctoral students who are graduating. Attendance is not mandatory, but we encourage students and their families to attend so you can celebrate your achievements and be recognized for them. As the graduation ceremony approaches, the Doctoral Program Coordinator will be in contact with all graduating doctoral students with information related to the reception and the graduation ceremony.