Dissertation, Archival Paper Submission, and Final Oral Defense

Research conducted by students in the PhD program culminates in a dissertation that must be defended orally before the advisor and two other Dissertation Reading Committee members (“readers”). Unless there is a compelling reason (such as sabbatical, illness, etc.) the Dissertation Reading Committee will normally be drawn from the Candidacy Exam Committee. That is, two of the CE committee members in addition to the advisor will also be readers of the Dissertation.

When sufficient research has been completed, the student must submit a substantial paper based upon the dissertation to a refereed archival journal. The paper may be sole authored but will usually be coauthored with the advisor. The Submission of Paper form is then submitted to the ECE Graduate Program office. The intent of this requirement is to give the student experience in reporting on research at this level in a clear and concise form suitable for publication. It is also expected that the work is of a quality level and originality suitable for such publication. Typically, advisors require two or more journal submissions from their PhD students before approving the Application to Graduate.