The dissertation is the product of a thorough investigation of a basic and significant problem or question within the major area of study. An appropriate plan of research must be developed and executed by the student under the general guidance of the chair and the dissertation committee. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is required for research involving human subjects prior to acceptance of a dissertation based on such research. The same holds true for dissertations involving animals.

The dissertation requirement is designed to develop the capacities of originality and generalization in the candidate. It should foster and attest to the development in the candidate of ability in scientific inquiry, understanding and proficiency in the techniques of scholarship, and the art of exposition within the field of specialization.

The dissertation committee, with such other professors as may be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, shall examine the dissertation. No dissertation shall be accepted unless it secures unanimous approval of the dissertation committee.

It is expected that the dissertation will serve to demonstrate the student's ability to contribute to the development of research or scholarship within the discipline. As such, a successful defense certifies that the dissertation is a demonstration of the student's ability to identify a problem, develop a methodology, carry out the necessary steps to gather data, analyze the findings, and form a defensible conclusion.

In the case of non-traditional dissertations that may contain chapters or sections with multiple authors, it is necessary to clarify the contribution of the dissertating student and others who may contribute to the dissertation. (See Dissertation Proposal Approval under Milestones for Doctoral Programs.)

It is expected that the dissertating student will be identified as the primary author of each of the chapters. The introduction to the dissertation must be solely authored by the dissertating student and must contain the theoretical framework that unifies the chapters that follow. The dissertating student also must be the sole author of the concluding chapter in which the significance of the various articles is explained. It is also expected that within the dissertation, appropriate attribution will be given to the other authors who contribute to the chapters.