A dissertation and its defense are the final
requirements for the Ph.D. degree. Conventionally understood to
be an original and substantive contribution to its field, a dissertation
is the result of sustained thought, research, consultation, and
writing. As such, it can take many months, even years, of effort.
In the Marquette English Department, students
are encouraged to begin to think about their dissertations as
early as possible, even while completing course work. Courses
and paper topics might be selected in part as ways to explore
dissertation topics. Faculty members who might assist with the
preparation of the dissertation—especially the field advisor—may
be consulted as well. Because the dissertation is the student's
original contribution to scholarship, however, the student is
ultimately responsible for each stage of its completion.
The initial stage in this process requires that
the student secure a dissertation director. This may be the same
person who served as the student's field advisor. The director
should be knowledgeable in the field in which the student proposes
to work and a person with whom the student can have a comfortable
and productive working relationship. The director, in consultation
with the student, sets up a dissertation committee consisting
of the director and two readers. Committee members read the final
version of the dissertation and participate in the oral defense.
While the committee is being set up, the student
should prepare a dissertation outline according to guidelines
available from the Graduate School . Some students prepare the
outline while studying for the doctoral qualifying examination.
The outline, which frequently undergoes revision in response to
suggestions from the dissertation committee, should be submitted
no later than a few months after the qualifying exam has been
passed. Dissertations often diverge from particulars in the outline.
However, the student should begin with a clear statement of purpose
and procedure that can serve as a reference for all subsequent
efforts on the dissertation.
Because the dissertation is an individual undertaking,
its preparation varies from student to student. Successful and
timely completion of the dissertation none the less depends on
sustained work. The student should therefore remain in close consultation
with the director. At least one formal communication per month
is recommended, and more frequent meetings, phone calls, and email
exchanges are helpful.
In these communications, the director and the
student discuss the student's reading, writing, and general progress.
The director may suggest or require certain avenues of inquiry;
may set deadlines; and will read the initial drafts of dissertation
chapters. These are drafts in the sense that they represent the
student's best current efforts but are not yet approved by the
dissertation committee. They are not hasty, casual rough copies
but crafted pieces of writing with complete citations. Directors
read these drafts in a timely fashion and return them to students
with suggestions for revision. The director may seek the advice
of the two readers at this stage of the process or wait until
early drafts have been revised. Although readers typically communicate
their formal responses to the student through the director, students
should feel free to call on the expertise of the other readers
at any time.
Once the drafts of dissertation chapters have
been read and revised and the committee decides that they form
a unified and complete argument, a public defense of the dissertation
is scheduled. At least four weeks before the defense, the student
prepares a Dissertation Defense Program for the Graduate School
, together with an Announcement for Public Defense of the Dissertation.
Members of the dissertation committee must sign the Announcement,
indicating that they agree to the defense date. Following the
defense, members of the committee vote on whether to accept the
dissertation. To pass, a dissertation must receive a vote of 3-0
or 2-1. The committee may require minor revision of an otherwise
acceptable dissertation before the student submits the final draft
to the Graduate School. Directions for submitting the final draft
are available from the Graduate School.
Both students and readers have clear responsibilities
in the preparation of a dissertation. Although readers offer advice
and encouragement, students ultimately write their own dissertations.
Consequently, primary responsibility rests with them. Students
should be aware that faculty members have many responsibilities
and cannot read chapters, much less entire dissertations, on short
notice.
Students should be aware that they have six years
beyond the M.A. in which to complete their course work and dissertations.
The annual Graduate School Bulletin announces the dates
by which a defense must be held and a dissertation submitted.
In general, the defense must be scheduled no less than one month
before graduation and must be publicly announced a month in advance.
Since the committee must read a polished version before it can
assent to announcement of a defense, such a version needs to be
available not less than three months prior to the date of anticipated
graduation.
Many students require three years before they
are admitted to candidacy and therefore have less than three years
in which to complete their dissertations. Consequently, students
cannot allow months to pass without verifiable progress. Those
who do so risk not getting the Ph.D., which is never guaranteed
them. In such situations, or at any time when a dissertation does
not seem to be progressing adequately, the Director of Graduate
Studies or the Chair of the Department may be called upon for
consultation.
