Graduate Catalog Colleges C.T. Bauer College of Business Degrees Offered Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements DissertationDissertation: C.T. Bauer College of Business
The dissertation consists of significant scholarly research in the major area of study and represents the culmination of the doctoral studies. After successful completion of the comprehensive examination, students are allowed four years to complete the dissertation. If this requirement is not met, students must retake the comprehensive examination.
| Designation of a Dissertation Chair |
| Dissertation Committee |
| Changes in Committee Membership |
| Registration for Dissertation Credit |
| Proposal Defense |
| Final Defense |
| Certification of Form |
Designation of a Dissertation Chair
It is the student's responsibility to form a dissertation committee composed of faculty agreeing to supervise the student's work. No faculty member is obliged to serve. The selection of a dissertation chair will occur only after a student successfully completes the comprehensive examination. Students shall nominate as chair a faculty member having a tenure track appointment in the student's major field. The nominated faculty member will then prepare a brief description of his or her own research accomplishments demonstrating competence in research and scholarship and adequate qualifications to direct doctoral dissertations. Students must then petition the associate dean for academic and research programs to have the nomination approved. An approved dissertation chair must be selected within two months of the completion of the comprehensive examination.
Students select the remaining committee members in consultation with the dissertation chair. The committee must be composed of at least four tenure track faculty members, at least two of whom must be from the major field, including the dissertation chair. An outside member may, under some circumstances, be a faculty member affiliated with another college or university.
Members of the dissertation committee must also be approved by the associate dean for academic and research programs. This approval may occur at the same time the chair is approved; however, concurrent approvals are not a requirement. Approval must precede the scheduling of a dissertation proposal defense.
Changes in Committee Membership
Any changes in the composition of a dissertation committee must be approved by the associate dean for academic and research programs.
A member of a dissertation committee who leaves the active employment of the University of Houston must be replaced if
(1) the member is the dissertation chair,
(2) the member does not agree to further advise the student,
(3) the member cannot attend either the proposal or the dissertation defenses, or
(4) the dissertation is not successfully defended within the next long (i.e., fall or spring) semester of the member's termination of active employment at the University of Houston.
The last condition does not apply if the member can qualify as an outside member of the committee.
Registration for Dissertation Credit
A minimum of 18 hours of academic credit is required for completion of the doctoral dissertation. Dissertation hours acquired before candidacy (i.e., before successful completion of the comprehensive examination) cannot be applied to this total.
Candidates will defend the dissertation proposal at an open meeting. The Ph.D. program coordinator of the major field will distribute abstracts of the proposal to all faculty members in the college two weeks before the defense; a copy of the completed proposal will, at that time, be placed in the departmental office for inspection. All C.T. Bauer College of Business faculty and doctoral students will be invited to the defense. The formal conduct of the defense is the responsibility of the dissertation committee. The final decision to approve the proposal rests solely with the committee. While the committee may wish to take into consideration input from other members of the graduate faculty, they are under no obligation to do so. For students to pass the proposal defense, the committee must approve the proposal unanimously. A record of substantive criticisms and/or required modifications must be provided to students in writing.
Candidates must successfully pass the proposal defense within one year of completing the comprehensive examination. Failure to do so will require students to repeat the comprehensive examination process.
Candidates will defend the dissertation at an open meeting. The Ph.D. program coordinator of the major field will distribute abstracts of the dissertation to all faculty members in the college two weeks before the defense; a final draft of the completed dissertation will, at that time, be placed in the departmental office for inspection. All C.T. Bauer College of Business faculty and doctoral students will be invited to the defense. The formal conduct of the defense is the responsibility of the dissertation committee. The final decision to approve the dissertation rests solely with the committee. While the committee may wish to take into consideration input from other members of the faculty, they are under no obligation to do so. For candidates to pass the final defense, the committee must approve the dissertation unanimously. A record of substantive criticism and/or required modifications must be provided to students in writing. Minor changes to the dissertation may be stipulated by the committee without requiring an additional dissertation defense.
Written certification that the dissertation is complete and meets all the college requirements of format and style must accompany the dissertation at the time of its submission for binding. (See "Instructions for the Preparation and Submission of the Ph.D. Dissertation, C.T. Bauer College of Business." This document is available in the Office of Student Services.) Certification is obtained from the Office of Student Services and must be requested at least two working days before the university dissertation filing deadline. Failure to meet this deadline will cause graduation to be delayed one semester.
Catalog Publish Date: January 14, 2013
This Page Last Updated: November 29, 2012