Dissertation

After passing your comprehensive examinations complete the Doctoral Committee Appointment Form and send to Laura Ballard at lballard@bamaed.ua.edu. You are required to maintain continuous registration for a minimum of 3 hours per term (fall and spring) in dissertation research until graduation.

The Dissertation has three parts:

The Prospectus: An 12-18 page outline of the dissertation project including a statement of the problem, brief literature review, and outline.

When your dissertation chair agrees to a prospectus meeting notify Laura Ballard and she will help reserve a room.

The Proposal: This typically constitutes the first three chapters of the dissertation study.

When your dissertation chair agrees to a proposal meeting notify Laura Ballard and she will help reserve a room.

On successful defense of the proposal, submit the application for admission to candidacy form to Laura Ballard.

For IRB information, please visit the following link: http://osp.ua.edu/IRB.html

The Final Defense: The committee meets to review your dissertation.

The Application for Degree form must be submitted in the first week of the semester that you plan to graduate.

When your dissertation chair agrees to a defense date, notify Laura Ballard, and she will help reserve a room and make an announcement to the College of Education and the College of Nursing.

The approved dissertation should be submitted to Graduate School Office by the Graduate School deadline. See Graduate School Calendar. Each disseration must be submitted in APA form in addition to meeting the Graduate School requirements. See Graduate School's Manual for Students Preparing Theses and Dissertations.

An electronic copy of the manuscript must be presented to the department chair. The dissertation chair may also request a personal bound copy of the final work.