Ph.D. Research Proposal and Dissertation Defense

  1. Each Ph. D. student shall, after consultation with his/her dissertation advisor, ask three faculty members to serve as a dissertation committee. The committee should be constituted no later than the beginning of the fourth year of study. A form listing the committee members, with their signatures, must be filed in the Department office by this time. The composition of the committee may be changed at any time if the student or faculty so choose; however, it must include the student's dissertation advisor and at least two regular faculty members from the Department of Statistics.

  2. A proposal presentation for Ph. D. research must be made no later than the fourth week of the Fall term of the student's fourth year of study. The presentation will consist of a 30 minute talk to an audience consisting of the student's dissertation committee and other interested faculty and students, followed by a closed question-and-answer session limited to the committee members and the student. The talk must be advertised at least one week in advance. In the presentation, the student should make a strong case for the importance and novelty of the proposed research, and should demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the relevant literature. Acceptance by the Dissertation Committee of the proposed subject is a formal requirement of the Department's Ph. D. program.

  3. A draft of the dissertation should be distributed to the members of the dissertation committee no later than five weeks before the dissertation defense. At least four weeks before the defense, the student must file a form in the Department office, signed by all members of the dissertation committee, indicating that the student can reasonably expect to defend the thesis within four weeks. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that this form is signed and submitted at least four weeks in advance of the defense.

  4. Two final drafts of the dissertation must be made available to the entire faculty 8 days before the dissertation presentation.

These rules delineate the minimum level of involvement of the dissertation committee. We strongly recommend that students set up their committees early, and that they interact regularly with the members of their committees once they are established.

Last update: 7/08