| Dissertation Evaluation
The following rating system is used to evaluate the dissertation:
PASS
The dissertation is deemed acceptable subject to
minor revisions. The candidate makes recommended
changes, with revisions supervised
by the student’s sponsor. Upon completion of the
required revisions, the candidate is recommended
for the degree. All revisions must
be completed and the dissertation deposited no later
than six months from the date of the dissertation
defense. A unanimous vote or a
vote with only one dissent constitutes a pass. In
the case of three votes for pass and two for incomplete
or fail, the voting sheet
and dissertation must be submitted to the CUSSW Dean
for further review and a decision.
INCOMPLETE
The
dissertation is deemed acceptable subject to
major revisions. All revisions must be
completed no sooner than three months and no later
than one year from the date of the
defense. The Chair of the committee shall appoint
a subcommittee composed of one to three of the original
members of the committee.
Usually, the sponsor chairs this group, and the other
two are committee members who recommended the most
extensive revisions. Once all revisions
are completed, the student will submit them to each
committee member for review. If each member states
in writing that the new text is
satisfactory, the vote of incomplete is changed to
a pass.
FAIL
Because a dissertation approved for
defense by a sponsor and other readers will most
likely earn at least an INCOMPLETE rating, a failure
is extremely rare. If a student does
fail, they will not be recommended to receive the
Ph.D. degree.
Awards of distinction
After the committee has voted to accept
the dissertation, the question of awarding the
degree “with
distinction” may
be moved. A vote on this question is taken by secret
ballot. In order for a degree to be awarded “with
distinction” the ballots must be unanimous.
If
the committee votes to award distinction, a member
of the examining committee other than the sponsor
must prepare a letter to the GSAS Dean outlining
the qualities of the dissertation
that merit the award of distinction, including the
nature of its distinctive contribution to scholarship
in its field and its broader
significance to advancing knowledge. There can be
no rigid quota on the number of dissertations to
be awarded distinction, but the
standard of merit is that no more than ten percent of all dissertations (over time) should be awarded
with distinction.
The dissertation may be recommended
for distinction only by the original examining
committee.
A student whose degree is awarded “with distinction” shall,
upon final deposit of his/her dissertation, receive
a letter of commendation from the GSAS Dean;
the student’s permanent transcript
and the Ph.D. Convocation Program shall be annotated
accordingly.
Postscript to the evaluation process
- The Chair of the defense
summarizes the dissertation committee’s assessment
in a paragraph or two that
will be filed in the student’s folder.
- Finally,
following the deposit of the dissertation,
the sponsor prepares a brief summarization of
the student’s dissertation evaluation that will
serve as an addendum to the student’s reference
letters on file in the doctoral office.
Final Revisions
and Deposit of the Dissertation
When the dissertation
committee has certified that the student has passed
the defense, the candidate
must, in order to receive the degree, arrange with
the Dissertation Officer in
107 Low Memorial Library, for the deposit of the
dissertation in the University library.
The student
has two options regarding the form in which copies
of the work are acceptable—manuscript or commercial
publication.The student should obtain from the Dissertation
Officer the statement of the rules governing the
two options. Keep in mind
that, as with the dissertation at the defense stage,
the regulations for an admissible deposited dissertation
are rather stringent and
must be followed to the letter. Note, too, that
deposit of the dissertation requires a fee of $160.
Final deposit must be completed by 5:00
p.m. on the Friday preceding the degree date. |
