PhD Students

Defense Hearing Guidelines

Requirements:

The student must be admitted to candidacy at least one year before the defense hearing.

Scheduling:

Students are responsible for contacting their faculty committee and arranging a date and time for the defense hearing. The date and time must also be cleared with the Coordinator of the PhD Program.

Procedure:

Two weeks before the hearing, submit the following to the Coordinator of the PhD Program:

• Defense approval sheet signed by at least three thesis committee members (including two current members of the Harris School faculty).
• One copy of a 100 – 250 word abstract.
• One copy of a 10 – 15 page summary, c.v., and table of contents (in addition to those given to the thesis committee).
• One final copy of the dissertation (in addition to those given to the thesis committee) in PDF format and one hard copy for binding.

After the defense hearing, consult the Coordinator of the PhD Program for instructions regarding final procedures for the dissertation and degree. Students might also want to consult the Dissertation Secretary (JRL 100B) prior to the defense so as to begin formatting the dissertation according to University standards.

Students who successfully complete this step are awarded the PhD degree.