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 Ph.D. dissertation committee must consist of a minimum
of four members, chaired by a full member of the graduate faculty. One of the
committee members must be from outside the program and should be chosen in
consultation with the graduate program director. If the outside committee
member is not a member of the graduate faculty, the director of the student's
program must immediately inform the Office of the Dean of the name and address
of the person appointed. If the outside member does not hold a doctoral degree
(i.e., the CEO of a company, a professional in the field, etc.), then a copy of
their C.V. must be submitted for dean's approval. Substitutions in the
committee membership, once it has been formed, are the responsibility of the
graduate program director and will be allowed only if a member is unable to
serve or if a student's dissertation topic changes, requiring a new
dissertation director and/or modification to the committee. In cases other than
these, approval for a change in committee membership rests with the dean of the
Graduate School-New Brunswick. If a member of the student's committee leaves
the university, he or she may continue to serve on the committee with the
approval of the graduate program director. 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. 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.
