Thesis Completion Schedule
Term 1 | Year 1 (July - August)
- Orientation
- Five-day intensive program beginning session
- Discuss doctoral thesis topic with faculty director and members of the faculty team
- Content on introduction to doctoral studies and academic writing in introductory course
Term 2 | Year 1 (September - December)
- Continue periodic meetings with faculty director and members of the faculty team, including discussion of doctoral thesis
- Content each month for 3–4 hours on applied research within research design and data analysis course
- Refine topic and begin to develop research questions, including discussion within applied research sequence course
- Précis due at the end of the term as assignment in applied research course
Term 3 | Year 1 (January - March)
- Within applied research course on design and analysis, refine research questions and develop literature review and outline conceptual framework
- Course content each month on research design and data analysis
- Begin research design
- Doctoral thesis committees formed, coordinated by faculty director
- Continue regular meetings with faculty director and begin meetings with doctoral thesis chair
Term 4 | Year 1 (April - June)
- Complete qualifying paper on topic related to doctoral thesis (April)
- Complete research design within applied research course and consulting with doctoral thesis chair; circulate completed design to doctoral thesis committee
- Begin data collection
- Doctoral thesis proposal hearing (June)
Term 5 | Year 2 (July - August)
- Complete comprehensive examinations in all foundational domain areas (law and policy, theoretical perspectives, economics, and methods)
- Complete data collection; begin analysis of either qualitative or quantitative evidence and data
- Complete human subjects forms (July)
Term 6 | Year 2 (September - December)
- Continue analysis of either qualitative or quantitative evidence and data
- Course content each month on policy analysis and program evaluation
- Working with chair, complete first draft of the findings section of doctoral thesis
December Term 7 | Year 2 (January - March)
- Complete data collection; begin analysis of either qualitative or quantitative evidence and data
- Complete final draft of doctoral thesis (February), working with chair
- Circulate doctoral thesis to committee members
Term 8 | Year 2 (April - June)
Degree Conferral and Doctoral Hooding (August)
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