The Dissertation should make a significant contribution to the scholarship of a specific field.

The student works with the dissertation director in establishing a procedure for completing the dissertation. Usually the work is first approved by the director, then by each member of the committee, chapter by chapter, but other procedures may be adopted if acceptable to the student and the committee.

Although the dissertation director is the primary source of guidance in the planning and preparation of the dissertation, other members of the Advisory Committee must be involved in the process, and it is the Committee's responsibility to make suggestions for revisions prior to the dissertation defense. A majority of the Committee must read the dissertation and indicate that the form and substance are adequate in order to justify the scheduling of the final examination.

The student should obtain "Instructions for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations" from the Graduate School; this document contains specific directions for preparing two final copies of the dissertation for presentation to the library.

The Graduate School is replacing the old residency and dissertation credit hours, ENG 769 (Dissertation Residency) and ENG 749 (Dissertation Research) with ENG 767. 

Students who enrolled in the phD program before Fall 2005 can choose between the old system of residency and dissertation research credit hours and the new.  Under the old system, the student signs up for ENG 769 for 18 hours of residence credit (generally two semesters of 9 hours each) immediately following the successful completion of the oral part of the Qualifying Examination. After these 18 hours, the DGS registers students for the appropriate credits through the Graduate School:  ENG 749 (Dissertation Research) if a student is deferring student loans, and ENG 769 (Residence Credit of Doctor's Degree) if not. Students are responsible for informing the DGS about their status during preregistration.  ENG 749 is zero credits (no tuition attached) and gives students full-time status. 

Under the new system, students who enrolled in the phD program Fall 2005 and after must enroll in ENG 767 after they pass their Qualifying Exam.  The student will enroll in ENG 767 until he/she graduates.  ENG 767 is two credit hours and gives students full-time status.