Culminating
Events:
Culminating event for the degree program
Dissertation
Dissertation Advising Committee Information
Students work with the Major Adviser (with or without the assistance of ME699) to prepare a proposal. With the knowledge of the Major Adviser, the student may consult other faculty members. During that time the student may want to ask faculty to consider serving on the DAC, pending a later reading of the complete proposal. When the student, in consultation with the Major Adviser, has identified a tentative advisory committee, the Major Adviser gives those names to the Director of Graduate Studies for consideration. The Director of Graduate Studies officially appoints the DAC. The DAC consists of no fewer than three persons: the student’s Major Adviser, a second person from the department, and a third person from outside the department.
Dissertation Examining Committee Information
When the Dissertation is complete, the major adviser of the DAC asks the Director of Graduate Studies to appoint an outside reader. The DAC plus the outside reader comprise the Doctoral Examining Committee (DEC) for the oral defense.
Advisor/Committee Information
Changes in the membership of a Doctoral Advisory Committee or a Doctoral Examining Committee must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. The change also must be communicated to the Associate Dean and to the Graduate School.
Preliminary Exam Description
The written preliminary examinations are administered several times each calendar year, and span two consecutive days of six hours of examination each day.
Subject Areas/Major Components of the Preliminary Examination
Subject areas are in the major field, as well in the minor field areas (typically music history and music theory).
At what point in the program is the student expected to take the preliminary examination
Written examinations should be taken no later than the end of the fifth year.
Writing the Questions for the Preliminary Examination
Faculty members within the student's major and minor subject areas are involved in preparing the examination questions.
Evaluating the Preliminary Examination
At least two graduate faculty members read each section of the written preliminary examinations.
Criterion for Passing the Preliminary Examination.
Students are typically graded "Pass" or "Fail," based on a consensus of the examination readers.
Administering, Scheduling, and Proctoring the Preliminary Examination
Students planning to take the written examinations should request a list of dates from the graduate secretary and submit a written request to the Associate Dean one month prior to the administration date. Students are notified in writing of the specific dates and administration times of the preliminary examinations for which they have been scheduled.
Dissertation/Monograph Philosophy
The completed dissertation demonstrates the capability to integrate course work, identify a viable research topic, develop an appropriate research design, systematically gain evidence toward resolving the stated problem, and to write, defend, and publicize the results in a professional manner.
Philosophy of the Proposal
After a proposal for the dissertation has been developed by the student, in consultation with the DAC, the student prepares a final copy for approval. Each member of the DAC must sign the final proposal. Once all DAC members have signed the title page, the student copies the final proposal and delivers, within thirty days, one copy to each member of the DAC, the Department Chair, the Associate Dean, and the Graduate School.
Criterion for Passing the Dissertation and the Defense.
All members of the Doctoral Examining Committee attend the oral defense, and vote to pass or fail the dissertation and its defense after the conclusion of the public presentation.
Dissertation Defense Scheduling
Early in the semester in which a defense is anticipated, the dissertation major advisor notifies the Director of Graduate Studies and requests from the Director that the Doctoral Examining Committee (that is, the dissertation defense committee) be appointed. The Doctoral Examining Committee consists of the Doctoral Advisory Committee plus at least one additional graduate faculty member from Temple or another university, but not from the faculty of the student's home department. One month prior to the requested defense date, the "Permission to Schedule Dissertation/Monograph Defense" form bearing all appropriate signatures must be submitted to the Associate Dean. This form is available in the Main Office. Two weeks prior to the oral defense, the student submits individual copies of the abstract and the completed dissertation/monograph to (1) the Associate Dean, (2) the Director of Graduate Studies, and (3) each member of the Doctoral Examining Committee.
Announcing the Dissertation Defense
The graduate secretary notifies the Graduate School and posts notices of the impending defense on bulletin boards located within the Boyer College.
