Each candidate for the doctorate pursues, under faculty direction,
an original investigation of a problem or problems in a field of
concentration and presents the results of the investigation in a
dissertation. The dissertation must be approved by a minimum of three
members of a faculty committee of four members. The member of the
program faculty who supervises the student's investigation becomes
chair of the committee. The panel also includes two members or
associate members of the program faculty and an "outside" member, who
is appointed by the program director in consultation with the student's
adviser. Whenever possible, "outside" shall be "outside the
university," but in all cases this person must come from outside the
program. The outside member is expected to be a recognized
authority on the subject of the dissertation. For appointments of
committee members who are not members of the graduate faculty, the
program director will forward to the Office of the Graduate School a
letter appointing the individual to the committee. This letter should
explain the basis for the appointment and must include the address of
the appointee.
For committees having more than four members,
only one nonapproval is permitted. Substitutions in committee
membership, once it has been determined, are the responsibility of the
program director. Replacements will occur only if a member is unable to
serve or if a student's dissertation topic changes, requiring a new
dissertation director and/or modification in the committee. In cases
other than these, approval for changes in committee membership rests
with the dean of the Graduate School–New Brunswick.
The
committee will meet to discuss the candidate's dissertation proposal
once the candidate has developed some preliminary guidelines with the
advice of the dissertation supervisor. Whenever possible, the outside
member of the committee will be at this initial meeting. Subsequently,
the committee must be kept informed of the student's progress and must
agree to follow the candidate's work and assist in its development. The
committee also shall agree to give ample and early warning of any
reservations concerning the student's progress and must specify in
writing the changes required for dissertation acceptance. The final
copy of the dissertation should be prepared in strict accordance with
the instructions given in the pamphlet Style Guide for Thesis and
Dissertation Preparation, available at the Office of the Graduate
School. After the dissertation has been accepted by the committee, it
should be submitted to the Office of the Graduate School no later than
the announced deadlines for completion of degree requirements. With the
dissertation, the candidate is required to submit an abstract, not
exceeding 350 words, that embodies the principal findings of his or her
research. As with the dissertation, the abstract must be approved by
the professor in charge of the work for the dissertation and accepted
by the other members of the student's committee.
