Dissertation

The final requirement of the Ph.D. program is a research thesis. Preliminary work on defining the research topic should begin in the student's third year, leading to a written proposal and formal presentation in a Friday afternoon seminar early in the fall semester of the fourth year in the program. Following completion of the comprehensive examinations, the student's Ph.D. Program Committee may be reconstituted to select appropriate faculty given the dissertation topic. An oral defense is required upon completion of the dissertation.