The dissertation proposal and the specialty exam serve different purposes and should be viewed as separate activities, even though often executed concurrently. The dissertation proposal marks the ...

Proposal must be at least one year before the final defense, since this shows the feasibility of the project and the committee’s buy in. Needs to be addressed in the yearly meeting with student.

A doctoral thesis should be based on extensive research in primary sources, make an original contribution to knowledge, and be presented in acceptable scholarly form. Students entering the program ...

Fifth semester exam to assess a Ph.D. student’s knowledge of their research area and to specifically evaluate the research proposal. During the semester in which a student plans to defend the ...