Dissertation Defense
The dissertation defense is scheduled when the doctoral candidate has successfully completed all aspects of the research study - all four chapters have been submitted to, and approved by, committee members - and all committee members agree that the candidate is prepared to defend the dissertation.
After the candidate has completed all data collection, he/she will draft chapters four. Upon completion of chapters four the candidate will review and prepare chapters one, two and three for final revisions. The chair will work with the candidate throughout the dissertation writing process. During that time the chair will consult with committee members and share chapter drafts to request feedback as appropriate. Committee members are expected to review and submit all feedback to the chair in a timely fashion.
When all four chapter drafts are complete and have been forwarded to committee members for feedback, the chair will consult with committee members to determine whether they agree that the candidate is ready to defend the dissertation. If a committee member(s) indicates the dissertation is not ready for defense, the chair will work with the candidate to provide appropriate feedback to improve the dissertation. This process will continue until all committee members agree that the dissertation is ready for final defense.
The dissertation defense will be delivered in a public forum in the presence of the candidate’s full dissertation committee and a moderator. During the defense the candidate will have approximately 45 minutes to present their dissertation research. At the conclusion of their presentation the moderator and audience will have the opportunity to ask questions of the candidate. The question and answer session will take approximately 15-30 minutes.