(5 credits per term for a minimum of four terms until completion)
Doctoral students have the opportunity to integrate their program of study into a research study through which they explore a specific area of interest in this course. Students complete the dissertation with the guidance of a chair and committee members through a learning platform classroom in which weekly participation is required. Students work with their dissertation chair to write the prospectus, complete an approved proposal (the first three chapters of the dissertation), complete an application for Institutional Review Board approval, collect and analyze data, and complete the dissertation. During the final quarter, students prepare the dissertation for final review by the university and conclude with an oral defense of their dissertation. Once students register for COUN 8561, they are registered each term until the successful completion of the dissertation for a minimum of four terms.
Students take this course for a minimum of four quarters and are continuously enrolled until the completion of their dissertation with final chief academic officer (CAO) approval.
To complete a dissertation, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators, including their committee and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; gain approval at the oral defense stage; and gain final approval by the chief academic officer. Students must also publish their dissertations on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the dissertation process in the Dissertation Guidebook.