Students finish doctoral study by researching and writing a dissertation.  Ideally, students should have a topic in hand before the examinations and might even have begun writing a prospectus.  If possible, students should be aware of what manuscript and archival resources are available for a dissertation project and what grants and fellowships might be available to assist their research.  Whatever the topic, it must be one that the advisor has special competence to direct and has agreed to supervise.

• Some guidelines for the dissertation include:
• The dissertation should be based upon primary research.
• The dissertation should be an original contribution to a larger debate or field of study.
• The dissertation should demonstrate the student’s ability to carry out historical research.
• The dissertation should be written in clear prose and organized in a coherent manner.
• Dissertations are about 200 to 400 pages in length.  They can be shorter or longer, but this is a general guide.
• Ideally, the dissertation should be a project that will be the basis of either a publishable book or a set of publishable scholarly articles.

The Prospectus – After deciding on a dissertation topic with the graduate advisor, the first step is to write and defend a dissertation prospectus.  This should be presented to the advisory committee for its approval no more than two months after successful completion of the Qualifying Examination.

The prospectus should define the topic, explain the contribution of the dissertation to historical knowledge, and propose a strategy for research.  It should include the following:

• Brief description of the project
• Research questions and problems the dissertation will examine.
• Relationship of the project to the present state of knowledge in the field.
• Contribution the work will make and its significance.
• Intended outline of work planned.
• Methodology (analytical and interpretative strategies).
• Bibliography divided into primary and secondary sources. 

In the early stages of drafting a prospectus, students are encouraged to peruse the outstanding examples on file in the assistant’s office.

The prospectus is preliminary, and its approval does not preclude alterations of topic or research design during the course of the research and writing.

A copy of the approved prospectus is to be placed on file in the History Department, with the date of approval initialed by the Director of Graduate Studies. 

Dissertation Seminar - The department holds a regular seminar for students working on the dissertation to discuss their research, the prospectus, chapters in progress, and other aspects of the dissertation.  Students in residence are expected to take part.

Time to Degree – The Graduate School stipulates that a dissertation must be defended and completed within five years of the qualifying exam.  Students who fail to complete the dissertation within the five-year period are required to re-take the qualifying examination.

Change of Status or Scholarly Leave - If the advisor retires or leaves the university, Graduate School rules stipulate that he or she “may continue .service on previously-established doctoral advisory committees, but may not be appointed to new committees. Continued service requires the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School.”  It is the practice of the History Department that faculty members who have left the university may not serve as chair of the advisory committee for students who have not yet passed their qualifying exams.

Dissertation Approval – The following steps and regulations govern the final stages of the preparation of the dissertation and the oral defense.

• Students should work closely with at least their dissertation advisor in drafting the dissertation.  Some advisors prefer to see each individual chapter. Others like to see a completed draft of the entire dissertation. Still others like to see a few chapters at time. Whatever the case, students should present the advisor with clearly written chapters that are paginated and that contain the necessary scholarly apparatus. A bibliography is not necessary for early drafts, but no student should turn in a chapter without complete citations.
• The dissertation advisor may ask for extensive revisions of these chapters and for additional research.
• The dissertation advisor decides when the draft should be read by other members of the committee. It may be the case that these members of the committee will recommend revisions as well.
• An oral can be scheduled only after the advisor and two members of the advisory committee have read a completed draft of the dissertation and have approved it as an acceptable dissertation. At this point, the graduate staff assistant will schedule a defense and the Graduate School will appoint a sixth member of the committee to act as its representative at the defense.
• At the dissertation defense, the advisory committee may accept or reject the dissertation. It may also ask for revisions to be completed within 60 days. The final draft must be approved by the committee members, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Graduate School. This version must conform to Graduate School instructions, which are available in the guide “Instructions for the Preparation of Dissertations and Doctors of Musical Arts Projects” or at http://www.rgs.uky.edu/gs/thesdissprep.html.
• If the student plans to graduate the semester in which the final examination is taken, the dissertation deadline for that semester must be met.