Dissertation

1. Each candidate for the doctoral degree is required to complete a dissertation concerned with a well-defined problem lending itself to a study of reasonable scope. The dissertation should represent a significant contribution to learning in the discipline concerned.
2. A student actively engaged in work on a dissertation, as determined by the student’s major professor, must be officially enrolled for dissertation credit, whether the student is on or off campus. Dissertation credit will be scheduled and recorded as agreed upon by student and major professor in light of the anticipated time and effort to be devoted to the dissertation project.
3. The dissertation must be prepared according to the requirements specified in the publication, Guidelines for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations available at http://gradschool.louisiana.edu.
4. Prior to the final examination, the candidate must submit a copy or copies of the dissertation to the dissertation committee, in the form specified by the committee and according to a schedule set by the committee, to permit review by committee members.
5. The dissertation is officially accepted upon unanimous vote of the dissertation committee, unless the degree-granting department or program has specified in writing a different standard.
6. Four perfect copies of the dissertation in final, finished format must be presented to the Graduate School office for approval by the Graduate Dean before the date designated in the schedule of classes. The four required copies must conform to the requirements specified in the publication, Guidelines for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations. Students are reminded that “perfect copies” refers to both content and format. Dissertations not meeting these guidelines will be returned. Failure to meet deadlines may delay graduation.
7. When the final copies of the dissertation are presented to the Graduate School for the Dean’s approval, the student must also submit four original certificates of approval signed by each member of his/her committee, to be signed later by the Dean of the Graduate School and incorporated into each of the four required copies of the dissertation. Original signatures in black ink are required on each approval sheet; copies of the approval sheet with duplicated signatures are not acceptable.
8. In instances where the Dean of the Graduate School is an official member of a student’s dissertation committee, the approval sheet of the dissertation will contain the name, rank, and signature of the Chair of the Graduate Council in the space normally provided for the Dean of the Graduate School. In such instances, the Dean will sign only as a member of the dissertation committee.
9. A dissertation abstract, not to exceed 350 words, must accompany each of the four required copies of the dissertation. Two additional copies of the abstract must be furnished to the Graduate School office when the dissertation is presented.
10. A candidate must pay a binding charge of $10.00 per copy for each of the four required copies of the dissertation presented to the Graduate School office. In some cases where special binding expenses are incurred, the student may be required to pay additional fees. The Graduate School office makes the arrangements for binding. Two copies of the bound dissertation are sent to Dupré Library, one for deposit in the Louisiana Room and one for general circulation. One copy is kept by the candidate’s major department. The fourth copy goes to the dissertation advisor. Additional copies are to be prepared as specified by the candidate’s department or as desired by the candidate for personal use.
11. The University participates in the services provided by ProQuest Information and Learning for the reproduction of doctoral dissertations and the publication of abstracts in Dissertation Abstracts International. The doctoral candidate must meet the requirements specified by the Graduate School regarding these services, including the payment of the appropriate fees when the final copies of the dissertation are presented to the Graduate School Office. See the Graduate School Office for the current fee amounts.
12. The doctoral student is encouraged but not required to have the dissertation registered with the Library of Congress. The student will work with the Graduate School Office to arrange through ProQuest Information and Learning for copyright, if desired. Doctoral students are required to submit their doctoral dissertation to ProQuest for dissemination. The fee is $55.