Dissertation Process Proposal Guidelines

Committee Appointment:

1. To initiate research for the dissertation, the student chooses a professor who will agree to direct the dissertation. The Chair must be endorsed to Chair dissertation committees.
2. Once a faculty member agrees to serve as the Chair, the candidate should consult with the Chair about the composition of the committee. The candidate might also consult with their advisor and/or with the Doctoral Program Chair.
3. Candidates may informally approach faculty members to inquire about their availability and willingness to serve on their dissertation committees. Candidates should recognize that faculty members’ decision to accept an appointment will likely go beyond the faculty member’s interest in their topic as faculty must balance many competing demands on their time.
4. The department shall then recommend to the dean for approval a research committee composed of the chosen director, two or more additional faculty members from Social Work, and a representative of each minor. All members of a research committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty. At least half must be full members of the Graduate Faculty.

Development and Approval of the Proposal:

1. The dissertation chair provides primary oversight of all phases of the dissertation proposal development and approval.
2. Candidates are responsible for seeking input from individual committee members as they develop their proposal.
3. The chair is responsible for communicating with each committee member to determine at what point each judges that the proposal is sufficiently developed to be defensible.
4. Each committee member should have an opportunity to provide input on the proposal prior to the oral defense.
5. The candidate should submit the final proposal to each committee member at least two weeks before the proposal hearing date.
6. The Chair is responsible for scheduling the proposal hearing. The chair will set a time and date in cooperation with the candidate and all committee members. The Chair will then inform the PhD Program Director as soon as the proposal hearing is scheduled.
7. The Program Director and/or Administrative Assistant will facilitate scheduling a room for the proposal hearing, ordering equipment, and announcing the proposal hearing.
8. The format of the proposal hearing will be determined by the Chair in consultation with the candidate and other committee members. Formats for the hearing may range from a conference call to a face-to-face meeting with or without a formal presentation.
9. The Program Director will prepare the necessary paperwork and have it sent to the Graduate School upon successful defense of the proposal. A 1-to-2 page abstract of the dissertation proposal must be prepared by the candidate for submission to the Graduate School.
10. In the event that a committee member needs to be replaced, the Chair will consult with the candidate and with the PhD Program Director about appointing a replacement.

Approved by the PhD Committee, 4/9/04