Dissertation
The dissertation must represent novel research by the doctoral student that is carried out during their doctoral program and designed to advance knowledge in a topic area. It is organized around a series of manuscripts (a minimum of three) that have been submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication prior to the Dissertation Defense. The manuscripts do not have to be accepted for publication to be included in the dissertation. A complete version of the dissertation must be successfully presented and defended orally before a Dissertation Committee comprised of faculty with expertise in areas related to the dissertation topic. In some cases, the Research Mentor may petition the Executive Committee for a manuscript to not be submitted prior to the Dissertation Defense. In this case, the manuscript should be completed, and a strong rationale must be included in the petition.