In some programs, students will be assigned a faculty advisor upon admission. At some point in all programs, students will invite a graduate faculty member in the Bagwell College of Education or in his/her content discipline to serve as dissertation chair. Students should request a chair based on the faculty member’s expertise in the area of research and based on an appropriate level of trust, collaboration, and mentorship between the faculty member and the student.
Process for Forming the Dissertation Committee. Prior to meeting with faculty, the doctoral student should:
- Write a concept paper of the tentative dissertation topic to provide (a) to the potential chair and, once committee members are collaboratively chosen and agreed upon with input from the chair, (b) the committee members.
- The concept paper may be written and revised throughout the student’s program. It may be created as a course assignment (e.g. EDRS 9300) and/or with the student’s advisor.
- The concept paper serves as an early communication and brainstorming tool between the candidate, dissertation chair and committee about the proposed dissertation research. The student should understand that the dissertation maybe quite different from what is explored initially in the concept paper as the chair and committee members work with the student to formalize the research into the final dissertation proposal.
Typically, the concept paper presents an early overview of the proposed research problem, its context, and initial thoughts on research design and methodology. Templates are available on the Doctoral Students’ Resource page. The student’s advisor or course instructor may also have templates. At minimum, the paper usually includes the following:
- Purpose and significance of the research;
- Conceptual framework and brief literature review;
- Overview of major studies, scholars, theorists and related literature that informs the research questions and design;
- Problem statement and/or research questions;
- Research design, including initial thoughts on data collection methods, participants, instruments, and data analysis procedures;
- References or works cited.
The process of dissertation committee formation begins when the student contacts the potential dissertation chair, forwarding the Concept Paper for consideration.
Next, the student meets with the potential chair to discuss the research topic and his/her service as chair. At this point, the faculty member may ask for more information or may agree or not agree to serve.
After consulting and reaching agreement with the dissertation chair, the student will then invite a minimum of two additional faculty members to serve on the dissertation committee. The student should forward the Concept Paper to each faculty member for his/her consideration prior to meeting.
Dissertation committees will consist of a minimum of three faculty with the chair’s option to invite an outside individual to serve as a fourth, non-voting member. The student, in conjunction with the Chair, may also ask a fourth voting KSU faculty member. The Chair of the committee must be a KSU faculty member with Full Graduate Faculty status and associated with the student’s program.
If the chair invites a committee member from outside the university to serve on a dissertation committee, the outside member may be a collaborating P-12 professional, state or accrediting agency employee, faculty member at another institution, or an individual who holds unique skills or expertise related to the dissertation; however, this individual may not serve as chair. Any outside individual invited to serve must meet criteria for Affiliate Graduate Faculty status as established in the Faculty Handbooksection 4.1.2. Once the committee is selected, the dissertation chair completes the Request for Approval of the Thesis/Dissertation Committee form and obtains appropriate signatures.
Note: Once the dissertation committee is finalized, it is highly irregular for the committee membership to change. Should there be extenuating circumstances that warrant a change in membership, however, a Request for Change in Dissertation Committee Membership form must be completed.
Registering for Dissertation Hours. Students may register for dissertation credit hours with the approval of their dissertation advisor and/or program coordinator. The number of credit hours is variable and should align with the amount of work that the student is expected to complete during the course. The student should work with their advisor to create a list of tasks to be completed. The student’s work will be evaluated using “S” for satisfactory or “U” for unsatisfactory.
Qualifying Examination. The qualifying examination provides doctoral students with the opportunity to demonstrate their level of knowledge in a selected area of study and to synthesize and/or apply that knowledge in the creation of a professionally written document. An oral defense of the qualifying exam is program dependent. When offered, these typically occur after the evaluation of the written exam. See the individual program’s addendum. Written qualifying examinations are taken after the completion of doctoral course work. Individual programs may allow students to take 1-2 courses in the same semester as qualifying exams, but all research courses must be complete. To schedule qualifying exams, the student must complete and submit (with faculty signatures) the Doctoral Qualifying Examination Request form.
Qualifying exams consist of 2-4 questions drafted by the student’s dissertation committee. These questions may be used to inform Chapters 1-3 of the students’ dissertation proposal. The dissertation chair may invite the student to assist in shaping these questions. At the chair’s discretion, questions may be answered on-site or in an off-campus setting:
On site: Students will compose their responses on campus in a secureenvironment and will not be permitted to use resource materials. Other guidelines for testing will be distributed well in advance of the examination sessions and established by the dissertation committee. Written responses to all questions must be completed during one eight-hour writing session.
Off campus: Responses may be written at home over a specified 4-6-week periodas determined by the student’s dissertation committee. Extensions may be given by permission of the dissertation chair. The exams must be completed within the semester that they are assigned per the individual program’s addendum. The off-campus format provides access to additional resources and implies a higher level of expectation for responses, including more thorough coverage of citations, greater depth and breadth of content coverage, and attention to the conventions that exemplify the characteristics of a high-quality, polished professional writing product.
All dissertation committee members will read the questions administered and will evaluate the responses by providing written feedback and/or comments. The responses will be deemed as “pass” or “fail.” Students must earn a minimum rate of “pass” from all committee members to proceed. If any section is deemed unsatisfactory, the student and committee members meet to identify areas of weakness and determine the next steps. The next steps could range from rewriting a response to one question to rewriting the entire qualifying exam. If rewriting a response to one or more questions is deemed an acceptable next step, the committee will determine a timeframe for the rewritten responses. On the second attempt, if the written exam is deemed unsatisfactory, the committee will make recommendations as outlined in the doctoral program’s addendum. After the second attempt of the qualifying exam, the student may appeal a violation of the exam process to an appeals committee made up of doctoral program coordinators and one additional KSU faculty expert in the student’s field of study.
Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination, students must complete and submit (with faculty signatures) the Doctoral Qualifying Examination Approval Ballot form. Students must then enroll in dissertation hours and prepare to write the dissertation proposal under the guidance of their dissertation chair and committee.
Dissertation Proposal. During the candidate’s first semester of dissertation hours, the candidate, under the direction of the dissertation committee chair, completes the written proposal, and later orally defends the proposal before the dissertation committee.
Under the direction of the dissertation chair, and in consultation with the committee, the candidate completes a dissertation proposal outlining in detail all aspects of the research project being proposed. The dissertation chair and committee have discretion regarding the format of the proposal. Typically, the proposal consists of Chapters 1-3:
Chapter One: Introduction (problem statement, purpose, research questions)
Chapter Two: Conceptual Framework and Literature Review
Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology
Once the proposal is completed, the candidate will meet with the chair to schedule an oral defense of the proposal. At the completion of the oral defense, the committee may render one of several decisions: (a) the proposal is accepted; (b) the proposal is accepted with stated qualifications; or (c) the proposal is rejected in its present form, but may be revised and resubmitted at a later date and another oral defense will be held.
When the dissertation committee members are satisfied with the proposal, the chair will sign and submit the Thesis/Dissertation Proposal Approval Form and the Application for Admissions to Candidacy Form, which designates the student’s advancement to Doctoral Candidacy.
Human Subjects Review Application. Prior to conducting research, students must have a certificate indicating that they completed the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Online Training for Students Conducting No More than Minimal Risk Research. This certificate should be secured prior to approval of the dissertation proposal, ensuring that the student is familiar with the Human Subjects Review process prior to the defense. For more information on CITI training consult the Institutional Review Board’s website: https://research.kennesaw.edu/irb/citi-training.php.
Concurrent with the dissertation proposal approval process, the doctoral candidate will use the Cayuse Research Suite to compose a human subjects research protocol forInstitutional Review Board (IRB) review and approval: https://research.kennesaw.edu/irb/cayuse-human-subjects.php. This application is subject to the committee’s approval of the student’s methods; therefore, the studentshould submit the IRB application immediately following the proposal defense. While the student may prepare the IRB application and supporting materials in Cayuse, the dissertation chair must review the application and certify it via Cayuse before submission. If the research involves individuals at a school site, review and approval of the research is also required from school district officials. Students should also visit the Kennesaw State University Human Subjects Review webpage and the IRB website for further details on this process: http://research.kennesaw.edu/irb/.
It is the policy of Kennesaw State University IRB that no data may be collected for the dissertation research prior to the approval of the Human Subjects Review application. Likewise, most school districts and/or private schools also require a separate Human Subjects Review process. It is the responsibility of the doctoral student to verify with the school and/or district in which research is to take place that the required IRB approval (at the school district level) has been secured prior to conducting any data collection for the dissertation research. The student, in consultation with the dissertation chair, will write and sign a letter to the district and/or school, stating that the proposed research is part of the doctoral student’s dissertation study. The doctoral student must provide to the dissertation chair proof (e.g., a certificate or official letter of permission) of district and/or school approval for the research to be conducted within the school and/or district. The doctoral student must also file the school district’s official IRB approval with Kennesaw State University’s IRB. If the district does not have an official IRB process in place, the student must complete and submit an IRB application through KSU.
Dissertation and Final Defense. All dissertations submitted by candidates for the Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in the Bagwell College of Education must comply with current American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines. Other requirements may be specified by the KSU Graduate College. Strict timelines are in place for the submission of all dissertation related documents. Doctoral candidates are required to adhere to these timelines. While the dissertation committee may offer suggestions for revision, the doctoral student is ultimately responsible for review of the dissertation manuscript for adherence to all APA guidelines.
| ANTICIPATED GRADUATION | PETITION TO GRADUATE DEADLINE | FINAL DISSERTATION DRAFT TO COMMITTEE | DISSERTATION DEFENSE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED | FINAL COPY WITH REVISIONS / EDITS TO COMMITTEE | FINAL PDF COPY SUBMITTED IN DIGITAL COMMONS |
| Spring | See KSU Registrar’s Deadline | March 1 | April 1 | May 1 | May 8 |
| Summer | See KSU Registrar’s Deadline | May 1 | June 1 | July 1 | July 8 |
| Fall | See KSU Registrar’s Deadline | October 1 | November 1 | December 1 | December 8 |
After each dissertation committee member agrees that the dissertation is ready to move to final defense, the student will consult with the chair and committee members to schedule a tentative date for the final defense and complete and submit the Agreement to Schedule a Final Defense form. The student will provide a final draft of the dissertation to each of the dissertation committee members at least 30 days before the defense. This final draft must be complete in all respects and editorially acceptable for final approval at the time of the defense. Failure to comply with this procedure will result in a delay of the defense. The defense is posted as a public hearing and may be attended by other members of the University community and, as reasonable in the judgment of the dissertation committee chair, by others from outside the University.
As arranged by the dissertation chair, the dissertation committee will meet before the scheduled defense to discuss the dissertation and procedures for the defense.Whenever possible, the defense should be scheduled in a room that will accommodate visitors comfortably. The dissertation chair establishes matters of protocol prior to the actual defense. Faculty and any others who sit in as an audience for the defense are required to defer to the dissertation chair’s judgment concerning matters of protocol.
The public defense provides a formal opportunity for the doctoral candidate to present his/her research questions, design, methods, findings, and conclusions to those in attendance. Generally, this presentation by the candidate will last from between 30-45minutes. The dissertation committee will formally question the doctoral candidate about the work he/she has completed.
Generally, the dissertation defense will not exceed two hours in duration. Once the candidate has completed his/her public presentation, the dissertation chair will dismiss the audience in order to conduct a private questioning of the candidate, followed by a final discussion of the dissertation work and vote on the quality of that work without the candidate present. That is, the dissertation committee’s final deliberations will take place in Executive Session, with only the dissertation committee members present. Only dissertation committee members may express opinions or vote on the outcome of the defense. The dissertation committee members will vote on whether the candidate passed or failed the final dissertation defense.
Once the vote is taken, the dissertation chair invites the candidate to return to the room. The candidate is the only person who returns to the room after the dissertation committee’s deliberations. The committee’s final decision and any additional feedback from the dissertation committee is presented to the candidate at this time.
Generally, immediately following the announcement to the candidate of the results of the dissertation committee’s deliberations, the candidate may expect the dissertation committee to make suggestions for revision and final edits. The doctoral student and dissertation committee should schedule their time to be available to discuss these revisions and edits at this time. It is the responsibility of the doctoral student to make personal written notes about the suggested revisions and, subsequently, to complete all edits.
The dissertation chair completes the Thesis/Dissertation Defense Outcome form signifying any additional edits or final changes that need to be made in the dissertation document. All committee members must sign the form after the dissertation defense.
In order for the student to fully participate in Commencement (including receiving guest tickets and name in commencement book), the Dissertation Defense Outcome form must be filed no later than 4 weeks prior to the first commencement ceremony. See the Commencement Ceremonies timeline for dates and times. Forms filed after this deadline will limit the student’s level of participation in commencement.
In the event a student does not successfully defend, he/she may re-defend within six (6) months of the initial defense. A candidate may have only one additional attempt to defend and to pass the defense of the dissertation. Failure to re-defend within six (6) months or failure to pass the second dissertation defense results in the candidate’s dismissal from the program without the awarding of the Ed.D. degree.
Copyright of Dissertation. Candidates may choose to copyright their dissertation when submitting their final copy to Digital Commons. Regardless of whether the doctoral student copyrights the dissertation, the candidate is responsible for complying with all current copyright laws and regulations governing inclusion of another's work in his or her work.
Submitting the Completed Dissertation to Digital Commons. All BCOE doctoral students are required to submit their completed dissertations to Digital Commons, the digital repository for scholarly work at Kennesaw State University. Final dissertations should be submitted to http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/etds.html.
Publishing Manuscripts from the Dissertation. Doctoral students frequently collaborate with faculty who have made substantive contributions to the dissertation. In all cases, however, the author of the dissertation should be listed as the first author on any paper and/or publication based primarily on the dissertation research that is submitted for publication (see APA Ethical Principles).
Dissertation Awards. Graduate students are also advised that numerous professional organizations present competitive awards for outstanding dissertation research, including the BCOE Outstanding Dissertation Award. Upon completion and approval of the dissertation, doctoral students should consult with their dissertation chair and/or committee members about requirements and submissions for such awards.
