Eligibility

Students are eligible for the dissertation defense examination when they have:

• Completed the required and recommended coursework,
• Presented the required seminars
• Met the teaching requirement
• Obtained the approval of their Research Advisory Committee
• Completed the comprehensive exam and a minimum of 5 months has lapsed following the exam.

General guidelines

• Students should consult the Office of Graduate Studies Graduation Information site to ensure all Graduate School requirements are met. This site includes a Graduation Checklist, a helpful resource for a student's final semester.
• Students should consult the Graduate Studies Calendar and Academic Calendar for important deadlines and dates regarding Application for Degree, Thesis upload, etc.
• Further information about the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation process, Application for Degree, Commencement, Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, and Doctoral Completion survey can be found on the Office of Graduate Studies Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) web page.
• The student must enroll in ANAT 999 the semester in which he/she plans to defend (1-6 h).
• The student will present their second of two research seminars to the department no later than the semester just prior to the one in which he/she plans to defend.

Defense Examination Committee

The Defense Examination Committee may be the same as the Research Advisory Committee/Comprehensive Exam Committee or may be modified (as allowed) after the student has passed the Comprehensive Examination.  Committee composition requirements are the same for all committees.

The Chair of the Defense Examination Committee will be the primary research mentor, provided that the mentor has Dissertation graduate faculty status. In the event he/she does not, the research mentor will co-chair the Defense Examination Committee and an eligible member of the committee will be selected as Chair.

The Committee will meet with the student approximately every 6 months after the comprehensive examination to approve the research project and guide the progress towards completion.

Dissertation

The format of the dissertation must meet all KUMC guidelines as determined by the Office of Graduate Studies. Details of the format of the Dissertation can be found Office of Graduate Studies Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) web page

The student must hold a committee meeting 4 – 6 months before defending to update research progress and request permission to write the dissertation. It is expected that at this time the student’s research is at or near completion.  The Research Advisory Committee may request an outline of the dissertation at this time.

Substantial portions of the dissertation should be publishable and are expected to be submitted for publication to reputable, peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Dissertation Defense

Seminar.  On the day of the defense, the Student's Mentor will introduce the student prior to the defense seminar.  The student will deliver a seminar of approximately 40 minutes.  Following the seminar, the chair or co-chair of the defense committee will direct all questions from the floor to the student after the research material is presented.

Defense examination.  After all questions from the floor are answered, the chair or co-chair will ask all to leave the room except the student and the committee. The chair or co-chair, either of whom must have Regular or Dissertation Graduate Faculty Status, conducts the defense examination. The chair/co-chair may be the mentor of the student. A member of the Department Graduate Studies Committee will oversee the examination and see to it that all department policies are followed.

During the exam, the committee will ask any questions they have for the student.  Comments regarding the format or content of the dissertation will also be given at this time. When all questions are answered, the student is asked to leave the room and a vote is taken by the committee. If an approval is obtained from the majority of the members, the student passes the examination.  A discussion of honors will also be conducted at this time. View the current Dissertation Honors guidelines for more details.

The Dissertation Title Page will be signed by the committee members at the time the examination is passed.  The Acceptance Page will be signed by the chair of the defense committee only after the student has made changes to the Dissertation as suggested by the committee.

A bound copy of the Dissertation will be given to the department and the mentor. Until all copies are submitted, the student has not met the requirements for the Ph.D. and cannot officially graduate.

Timeline

The student is responsible for scheduling the defense date and the room(s) for the seminar and defense. The student may request assistance from the Departmental administrative staff for room scheduling. These should be done well in advance to ensure the availability of committee members and rooms.