College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences 2015-2016 Catalog

42 Dissertation Dissertation Chairs and Committees A dissertation committee for all doctoral students will be composed of at least three members, one of whom will serve as the dissertation chair. The dissertation chair must be a full-time DCRS faculty member. At least one other committee member must be a full-time CAHSS faculty member. A student may have one or more outside members on the committee if methodological or a substantive topical issue make such membership advisable and is approved by the dissertation chair. All members who are not DCRS faculty must have an earned doctorate degree and must provide copies of their credentials to the department. Dissertation committee members may not be from among the student’s family members or personal friends, nor have graduated from CAHSS within the past three academic years. After students are registered for the qualifying exam by the department, they should register themselves for CARD 7901 Dissertation Preparation. Upon passing the qualifying exam, students are considered to be at the dissertation status. Towards the end of CARD 7901, students must select their dissertation chair and complete the appropriate form, which is available online on the DCRS Students Resources page. Registering for Dissertation Students are required to complete 12 credits of dissertation. Dissertation students register for three credits per term, beginning with CARD 7901, the Dissertation Preparation course. If a student is still in progress after 12 credits, the student registers for 1 credit per term until the dissertation defense is approved. If a student receives a NP (No Progress) grade while registered for Dissertation, that term will not count toward the required 12 credits of dissertation. If, for some reason, the student cannot continue working on their dissertation, they must apply in writing for a leave of absence. If they request a leave for longer than a term, it may not be possible, upon their return, to continue with their original dissertation chair. Dissertation Proposal The dissertation proposal will be defended by the doctoral candidate before their full dissertation committee. All committee members must agree that the proposal is ready for defense before the defense can be scheduled. Proposal defenses may be performed using any appropriate and relevant technology, depending on the location of committee members, and the student. The student is permitted to defend their proposal by being present at CAHSS in person, or via telephone or video conferencing. Please see the Dissertation Proposal Guidelines and related forms at http://CAHSS.nova.edu/Downloads/car.htm Final Dissertation Final dissertation defenses may take place during each of the three academic terms. The final day a student may hold the final dissertation defense within each term is the Friday after the last day of the term. In order to take part in the June commencement ceremony, a student must have their final dissertation defense notice sent out by May 1. After the student has passed the final defense and completed all required revisions to the satisfaction of the dissertation chair, the student must submit the document to the Doctoral Director for a format review. Upon passing the format review, the student will be provided with information regarding how to obtain bound copies of the dissertation. Prior to degree conferral, the student must submit one bound copy of the dissertation and one pdf file of the final dissertation, both of which must include the signed approval page.