Doctoral Program Requirements

After admission to a doctoral program in the Patton College, you must complete the coursework listed in your program of study, a comprehensive exam, and a dissertation proposal to be formally admitted to doctoral candidacy (Figure 1). Specifically, the following Patton College criteria must be met:

1. Program of Study courses successfully completed, including all courses with a prior grade of PR.
2. Comprehensive Examination successfully completed.
3. Dissertation Committee Approval form was completed and submitted to The Patton College Office of Graduate Records.
4. The Dissertation Proposal was successfully defended and the Proposal Defense Report was completed and submitted to The Patton College Office of Graduate Records.
5. For dissertations that require IRB approval, the confirmation of IRB approval must be obtained and submitted to The Patton College Office of Graduate Records.

Forms indicating completion of the above steps are available from and filed in the Office of Student Affairs in the Patton College of Education. You are not permitted to schedule the oral examination of the dissertation until you have met all requirements for formal admission to candidacy. Formal notification of your admission to candidacy will be provided to you. A copy will be sent to your advisor as well as kept on file in the Office of Student Affairs in the Patton College of Education.

After formal admission to doctoral candidacy, all doctoral students must successfully complete a final dissertation defense followed by the Patton College dissertation submission process, and, to graduate, meet the TAD requirements for dissertation submission associated with the 10 academic terms in which graduation is intended. Enrollment in dissertation hours is reserved for students who have completed the comprehensive exam.

Program of Study

As mentioned previously, you will form a doctoral committee consisting of your advisor and at least 3 additional faculty members within your program or department. The doctoral committee will guide you to develop a program of study (POS) over the first two years of your program. It is expected that an approved program of study approved by your doctoral committee will be on file in The Patton College Office of Graduate Student Affairs no later than the end of the spring semester of your second year in the program. The official approved POS establishes the contractual agreement regarding required courses for the doctoral degree. It can only be changed by doctoral committee action. A form entitled "Request for Change in Approved Doctoral Program" is used for this purpose, and is available from the Office of Student Affairs in the Patton College of Education online at: www.ohio.edu/education/forms .

As you develop your POS, it is important to consider your anticipated dissertation research topic, questions, and research design because the courses listed in the POS will serve as the content of the comprehensive examination and the foundation for dissertation work. It is important to keep in mind that if the content area, research design, and/or methods selected for the dissertation proposal do not align with the completed POS courses, the dissertation committee is likely to require additional courses as a contingency to a successful proposal defense.

The total number of hours to be taken in a doctoral program varies according to many factors, but every student is required to complete at least 90 semester hours of coursework relevant to the program beyond the bachelor's degree and at least 60 semester hours of coursework beyond the master's degree.

The POS and corresponding approval page must be filed in the PCOE Graduate Records Office of Student Affairs. The approval page is available at: www.ohio.edu/education/forms .

For all courses required on the approved POS, no grade below B- will be accepted toward graduation. If you earn a grade below B-, you must repeat the course (noting that the grade for the first attempt remains on the permanent record and contributes to the GPA) or make a substitution subject to approval by your doctoral program committee.

You can only complete a course more than once for credit if the course is designated as repeatable. Repeatable courses are designed to be taken multiple times (e.g., dissertation, practicum, and special topics credits). You may not take a course a second or subsequent time if a prior attempt has met degree requirements.

Transfer of Credit

To be eligible for transfer, courses must be

1. Designated as graduate credit at the institution where taken,
2. Letter graded B or better,
3. Earned within the past five years,
4. Applicable toward a graduate degree at the institution where taken, and
5. Earned in courses taught by members of that institution’s graduate faculty.

OHIO and Patton College guidelines for credit transfer apply. There is no set limit to the number of credit hours that may be transferred for doctoral degrees; however, it is up to the discretion of the doctoral committee whether any credits (and how many) will be accepted as transfer credits.

Guidelines for Required Practicum Hours

All TE doctoral programs require 6 credit hours of EDTE 7920 Curriculum and Instruction Practicum. Decisions about the kind of experiences that doctoral students can pursue to satisfy practicum hours should be made based on the professional goals of the student and their area of specialization. Practicum experiences must be discussed at the time of the POS meeting. It is recommended that practicum hours be used to satisfy teaching and research purposes. To clarify the roles and responsibilities of faculty and students during practicum hours, it is recommended that instructors of record, with input from students, develop a syllabus that includes outcomes, topics, expectations, assignments and products, a calendar, and due dates. A few examples of potential practicum experiences are provided below. 

Teaching Practicum.Doctoral students can teach or co-teach undergraduate courses in the Department of Teacher Education under the supervision of a graduate faculty member who is the instructor of record for the EDTE 7920 course. Sample products for college teaching practicum hours include course planning documents, video-based analysis of practice papers, a practitioner article highlighting an innovative strategy or approach, an analysis of student learning paper, and an evidence-based reflective journal. Teaching practicum hours can also be used to develop curriculum materials or design other solutions for formal and informal educational agencies.

Depending on professional goals and with input and approval of the doctoral committee, students who have limited K-12 teaching experience can use practicum hours (up to 3 credits) to engage in a clinical experience in a K-12 classroom (e.g., observe, teach, and work with students, teachers, and administrators). Students and doctoral advisors are encouraged to contact the Patton College Office of Clinical Experiences to secure school placements and comply with stated requirements.

Research Practicum:Doctoral students can collaborate with TE graduate faculty on new or existing research. The purpose of the research practicum is to provide students with a mentored opportunity to conduct empirical research that potentially results in published manuscripts and/or presentations.

Checkpoints on Academic Progress

Graduate faculty of the Department of Teacher Education will periodically evaluate the academic progress of departmental doctoral Students. Evaluations will be based on core course writing assignments, survey responses about program experiences, and/or program faculty deliberations. The Doctoral Writing Rubric (Appendix A) will be used to evaluate all major writing assignments in the required, core Teacher Education courses. Course instructors will provide students with a completed rubric as well as written or audio-recorded feedback. At least three checkpoints will be conducted before the start of the comprehensive exam.

Checkpoint 1: 

At the end of the second semester of study, doctoral students will submit to their advisor (doctoral committee chair), with copy to the program coordinator:

• A major paper was written that semester to meet the requirements of a core Teacher Education course (EDTE 7150, EDTE 7160, EDTE 8000, and EDTE 8040).
• Associated, instructor-completed Doctoral Writing Rubric (Appendix A).

Checkpoint 2:

At the end of the fourth semester of study, doctoral students will submit to their advisor (doctoral committee chair), with copy to the program coordinator:

• A major paper was written that semester to meet the requirements of a core Teacher Education course (EDTE 7150, EDTE 7160, EDTE 8000, and EDTE 8040).
• Associated, instructor-completed Doctoral Writing Rubric (Appendix A).

If the doctoral advisor has concerns about the performance of the student at Checkpoint 1 and/or Checkpoint 2, they will share the student’s materials with the doctoral committee or the department Graduate Committee if the doctoral committee is not yet formed. The doctoral committee will identify areas of improvement and develop a plan of action (e.g., re-write, course, workshops) to support student growth and advance students’ academic writing skills. Appendix B lists examples of resources to support writing. If the plan of action requires the student to take courses not previously included in the POS, the student must submit a “Doctoral Change in Program of Study” form to the Patton College Office of Graduate Student Affairs.

Checkpoint 3:

Doctoral students will complete an online survey intended to assess their experience in the program (e.g., opportunities to engage in research and college teaching, writing needs). The survey may be distributed by the Doctoral Program Coordinator annually or at the time of the comprehensive exam. Survey responses will be used by the Doctoral Program Coordinator, the department Graduate Committee, and the department faculty to identify opportunities for programmatic improvements in support of students’ academic progress.

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination is the culmination of the coursework component of the doctoral degree. It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate broad and inclusive knowledge of the core content areas associated with courses in the program of study. The intent is for these courses to support the research to be undertaken for the dissertation.

Comprehensive examinations consist of two phases: written and oral. While both phases are considered to be one examination, each phase has distinct components and processes. Students must be enrolled in at least one graduate credit hour during any term in which either component of the comprehensive examination is underway. In extenuating or special circumstances, and only under the discretion of the committee, a student may have the opportunity to take the comprehensive exam a second time.

Written Portion:

The written portion may only be taken with the approval of the doctoral committee and after completion of the courses listed on the student’s approved POS. With the approval of the doctoral committee, the written portion of the comprehensive exam may be completed in the final semester of coursework. The Chair of the doctoral committee, in consultation with the student and committee members, determines the timeline for undertaking and completing the written portion of the examination. Doctoral committee members constitute the examination committee and recommend questions to represent all the content areas on the student’s POS. While comprehensive exam questions can ask students to design research studies, the examination is not intended to serve as a pre-proposal for the dissertation. With input from all doctoral committee members, the examination is prepared by the program committee chair and a deadline for completion is conveyed to the student. The deadline set by the committee is binding; failure to submit the written examination to the program committee chair by the deadline can be the reason to require a second examination or face dismissal from the program.

After the student submits the written portion of the examination, a date for the oral portion of the comprehensive exam is confirmed in consultation with the student and the committee members. The oral defense date must be set at least two weeks after the submission of the written 14 component. It is recommended that committee members use the TE Doctoral Writing Rubric (Appendix A) to evaluate the portions of the exam falling under their purview, identify oral examination questions, and provide verbal and written comments to the student (and the chair) during the oral defense. If the doctoral committee has significant concerns about the written portion of the comps, the doctoral committee chair will notify the student before the oral component of the comprehensive exam.

Oral Component:

The oral comprehensive examination consists of a formal evaluation where the student responds to questions posed by committee members.

Outcomes of the Comprehensive Exam:

After the oral examination is concluded, the committee chair is responsible for submitting the “Report of the Results of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination” to the Patton College Office of Graduate Student Records within one week. The form must be completed in its entirety, with the signatures of each examiner. The student also signs the form acknowledging any required conditions or plans for resolution. When the outcome of the comprehensive exam is unsatisfactory, feedback from all committee members must be used to determine conditions and a resolution plan. Conditions represent the criteria that committee members expect doctoral students to meet when they revise the current comprehensive exam or engage in a subsequent one. A plan for resolution consists of additional requirements (e.g., coursework, workshops, readings, etc.) that a student must take to prepare for a re-examination. Requirements on the resolution plan must be successfully completed before a comprehensive exam re-examination. There are four possible outcomes for the comprehensive evaluation:

1. Satisfactory; No Conditions. The Doctoral Committee is dissolved and a Dissertation Committee will need to be formed;
2. Unsatisfactory; Minor Conditions (these conditions must be delineated on the evaluation form). If conditions are not met to the satisfaction of the committee within 2-4 weeks of the date of the oral component of the comprehensive exam, the outcome of the comprehensive exam becomes Unsatisfactory: Opportunity for Re-examination or Unsatisfactory;
3. Unsatisfactory; Opportunity for Re-examination (resolution plan must be described on the form). A date for the re-examination is determined based on the resolution plan and should occur at least 1 semester after the first examination.
4. Unsatisfactory; No Opportunity for Re-examination. Referral to the Department for potential dismissal from the Program. The Doctoral Committee is dissolved.

Successful completion of the comprehensive examination is an important step in the pathway to admission to doctoral candidacy. Students can appeal the result of the comprehensive examination only in the case of an Unsatisfactory; No Opportunity for Re-examination outcome. In the Department of Teacher Education, students who wish to appeal the result of the comprehensive examination have 2 weeks from the date of the oral examination to submit a 15 letter to the Chair of the Department Graduate Committee with a copy to the chair of the student’s doctoral committee and the Chair of the Department of Teacher Education. The letter should provide a rationale for why the student believes the Unsatisfactory; No Opportunity for Reexamination outcome of the comprehensive exam should be reconsidered. The Graduate Committee, in consultation with the Department Chair, reviews the appeal and provides a written response to the student within one month of the submission of the appeal (excluding holidays, semester breaks, and summer break).

Students can enroll in dissertation credit hours after completion of the comprehensive exam. Before the completion of the comprehensive exam, students may register for independent research hours to meet requirements for full-time study or continuous registration. A student can sit for the dissertation proposal defense only after successfully completing the comprehensive examination.

Forming a Dissertation Committee

Dissertations, and the research leading to their completion, reflect a level of scholarly rigor representative of the candidate’s academic preparation and content mastery. Patton College dissertations are evaluated by the members of the committee and monitored at several distinct points throughout the process (e.g. proposal and final defense). Throughout the preparation of the dissertation, students should work closely with the committee chair and other committee members. Students are expected to enroll in dissertation credit hours for all terms in which Ohio University faculty guidance and participation are sought.

Faculty members who chair and sit on committees have the obligation to:

• Become familiar with the student’s topic
• Participate in setting a timeline for student work
• Review student work throughout the time of student’s dissertation process
• Provide feedback to the student promptly.

After a doctoral student has completed their comprehensive exams, they should discuss the appointment of a dissertation committee with their doctoral advisor. Four or five members usually make up this committee, including a Dean's representative, with the minimum being four. Once formed, the dissertation committee becomes the doctoral committee and is responsible for approving any changes to the POS that occur after the completion of the comprehensive exam.

Doctoral committee membership is determined by the student in consultation with proposed members of the committee, who must agree to serve. The first step is to identify a chair of the dissertation committee, who serves as the dissertation director. The chair of the dissertation committee should help the doctoral student select appropriate members. The role of the dissertation chair is to coordinate the work of the committee and to mentor the doctoral student in their chosen dissertation topic from a perspective of expertise. The dissertation chair must be a faculty member in the Department of Teacher Education and from the student's program area. It is possible to select a co-chair of the dissertation committee from another department if the faculty member has graduate faculty status in the Department of Teacher Education.

At least three of the committee members must meet the requirements for Graduate Faculty status in their respective departments, as verified by the Chair of the department. At least two members of the dissertation committee must be full-time faculty members in the Department of Teacher Education. When appropriate, one member of the dissertation committee may be from outside Ohio University. Such members must have earned a doctorate or the equivalent, must have expertise in the area of the dissertation, and must be approved by the Department Chair and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. The CV of proposed members from outside Ohio University must accompany the committee form.

The Dean's Representative must be a tenured Ohio University faculty member from outside the student’s department who holds full graduate faculty status in their home departments. It is recommended that a Dean’s Representative have previous experience as a dissertation committee member. Appointment of the Dean’s Representative is subject to approval by the Dean of the Patton College (or their designee, who is typically the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies). All members of the dissertation committee are subject to approval by the Department Chair. Upon the approval of the Dissertation Committee Information form, the dissertation chair automatically becomes the student's advisor.

The role of the Dean’s representative is to ensure an appropriate and rigorous standard for the evaluation of the dissertation. The Dean’s representative is expected to function as a contributing member of the dissertation committee in the same manner as the other members. The Dean’s representative also has the responsibility to objectively monitor the process and rigor of the dissertation development and defense. The general guideline for selecting the Dean's representative is to identify a member of the faculty from outside the student’s department whose research expertise fits with the dissertation topic and who is willing to be a contributing member of the committee. The student must identify an individual who is a tenured full member of the graduate faculty in their respective department, currently affiliated with Ohio University, and is not a member of the department in which the student seeks to obtain the degree.

Dissertation Proposal

The period after approval of the program of study, and while the student is taking coursework, provides an opportunity to begin consideration of the dissertation topic and the preparation of a dissertation proposal. Although a dissertation topic cannot be formally approved until after completion of the comprehensive examination, the student can save time by communicating directly with various faculty members and beginning to investigate the area in which the dissertation is planned. For this exploratory work, readings and research hours are appropriate, as approved by the committee chair. As a reminder, enrollment in dissertation hours is preferably reserved for students who have been admitted to formal doctoral candidacy but can commence during the semester the student is completing the comprehensive exam.

Before doctoral students begin their dissertation research, they must prepare a dissertation proposal following guidelines established by their dissertation committee. The student's official dissertation committee reviews and approves the dissertation proposal during a specially scheduled meeting in 17 which the student defends the proposal.

The purpose of the dissertation proposal is to hold a formal evaluation of the student’s plan for dissertation completion. Typically, committee members will expect that students (a) clearly articulate the purpose of their research, presenting hypotheses and/or research questions, (b) fully delineate their planned research design, and (c) present a comprehensive review of the literature supporting their rationale for embarking on the proposed research. Decisions about pursuing a traditional or alternative format for the dissertation must be made in conjunction with dissertation committee members who are ultimately responsible for approving the dissertation format. Additional information and considerations for the format of the dissertation are provided in Appendix C.

In the Patton College, the latest available edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) guides the citation and writing style. Students and their faculty committee members should make use of APA resources and give attention to preparing the dissertation proposal and final document in proper APA style.

The student should work closely with the committee chair and consult members of the committee as the proposal is developed. The committee chair has the authority to approve the scheduling of a formal proposal defense. With the committee chair’s approval, the student is responsible for determining a date on which all members are available and scheduling the defense. (See “Proposal Defense Room Reservation Request” at www.ohio.edu/education/forms  if you wish to use the Patton College Dissertation Room). As a best practice, students should ensure that committee members have the proposal document for review at least two weeks before the scheduled defense meeting.

After the proposal defense, a report titled “Proposal for Dissertation Report” is completed by the committee chair, with signatures of all committee members and the student, and then submitted to the Patton College Office of Graduate Student Records by the committee chair. This report must be submitted immediately after the proposal defense. If the results of the proposal defense warrant conditions or a resolution plan, these must be described in the evaluation report. Conditions represent the criteria that committee members expect doctoral students to meet when they revise the dissertation proposal. A plan for resolution consists of additional requirements (e.g., coursework, workshops, seminars, readings, etc.) that a student must take to prepare for dissertation research and the development of a new or revised dissertation proposal. Requirements on the resolution plan must be successfully completed before beginning the dissertation research.

There are four possible outcomes for the dissertation proposal evaluation, as delineated in the report:

1. Satisfactory; Proceed with Dissertation;
2. Satisfactory; with Conditions (Proceed with dissertation/thesis after Dissertation Chair approves changes);
3. Satisfactory; with Conditions (Proceed with dissertation/thesis after Dissertation Committee approves changes);
4. Unsatisfactory; with Potential Plan for Resolution (the student shall receive written feedback regarding additional courses/workshops/seminars to prepare for dissertation research); Timeline for setting a new Dissertation Proposal Defense is dependent on the nature of the resolution plan.

Upon successful completion of the proposal defense, if the research involves human subjects, Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training must be completed and Ohio University Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval of the research (with the student as the primary investigator) must be secured. IRB approval must occur before any participant recruitment or data collection. The IRB is responsible for reviewing and approving all research involving human subjects by students and faculty at Ohio University. For information about the IRB process, see www.ohio.edu/research/compliance/irb-forms .

The student is responsible for providing the Office of Student Affairs with a copy of the IRB approval upon receipt. The final dissertation defense cannot be scheduled without an approved IRB on file. The "Approval of Proposal for Dissertation" report is available at: www.ohio.edu/education/forms .

Dissertation

The process of completing a dissertation is comprehensive and necessarily requires substantial consultation with faculty mentors (dissertation chair, committee members, and sometimes others who offer additional guidance such as with statistics and other assessments). All students embarking on a dissertation should realize that this is a labor-intensive process and one with many checkpoints toward progress.

It is often advisable to hold meetings of the committee before the dissertation proposal and final dissertation defense. Holding one or more pre-proposal and pre-defense meetings is an advisable practice that can enhance the path to successful outcomes.

At the beginning of the dissertation writing process, all students should become familiar with the Ohio University Graduate College Thesis and Dissertation (TAD) website: www.ohio.edu/graduate/current-students/thesis-dissertation-services . Additionally, students must be sure to use the current Patton College template, found on the Thesis and Dissertation (TAD) website, to create and continue to write the dissertation. Students who write over several years must ensure that the current template has been implemented at the time of final defense and submission.

The TAD process has key required checkpoints with which all students need to become familiar. These include initial and post-defense document format reviews as well as specific deadlines for the oral defense and final document submission. Current requirements are presented on the TAD website, referenced above.

In the Patton College, the Office of Graduate Student Records maintains a “Procedures Checklist of Completing Thesis/Dissertation Requirements” for the degree. This checklist is published on the Patton College Current Students Forms website page.

Final Dissertation Defense

The student must notify the PCOE Office of Student Affairs, Graduate Records two weeks before the oral defense to supply information about the confirmed date, time, and location of the defense as well as the current dissertation title and committee membership. The PCOE Office of Student Affairs, Graduate Records, gives public notification of the defense.

Official notice of the defense will be sent to the student and dissertation committee, along with the required forms for the dissertation chair and the Dean's representative. In addition, Student Affairs will notify the student of the requirements and guidelines for completing the graduation process. At least two weeks before the oral exam, the student must distribute final draft copies of the dissertation to all members of the dissertation committee.

In the Patton College, the student presentation component of the final defense is open to PCOE faculty and the public for observation. PCOE faculty can remain for the examination portion of the defense. However, guests/observers must be asked to leave before the examination component unless all members of the committee agree to their presence before the defense.

After the oral examination, the Dissertation Committee deliberates privately to evaluate the dissertation and, when appropriate, determine necessary conditions or plans for resolution. If the results of the dissertation defense warrant conditions or a resolution plan, these must be delineated in detail (in writing) in the Dissertation Defense Report. Conditions represent the criteria that committee members expect doctoral students to meet when they revise the dissertation. A plan for resolution consists of additional requirements (e.g., coursework, workshops, seminars, readings, etc.) that a student must take to revise the dissertation.

There are five possible outcomes for the dissertation defense evaluation, as delineated in the report:

1. Satisfactory;
2. Satisfactory; with Conditions (Changes to be approved by the Dissertation Chair);
3. Satisfactory; with Conditions (Changes to be approved by the Dissertation Committee);
4. Unsatisfactory; with a potential plan for Resolution (Timeline for setting a new Dissertation Defense is dependent on the nature of the resolution plan); or
5. Unsatisfactory; No Conditions for Remediation Offered (Final decision).

After completing their deliberation, committee members vote to approve the dissertation. Up to one dissenting vote is allowed for a Satisfactory outcome. The result of the vote is reported on the Dissertation Defense Report along with the outcome of the evaluation. Once decisions are reached, the committee immediately notifies the student. The Final Defense Report is completed by the committee chair, with signatures of all committee members and the student, then submitted to the Patton College Office of Graduate Student Records by the committee chair. Students can appeal the result of the Dissertation Defense only in the case of an Unsatisfactory; No Conditions for Remediation Offered. In the Department of Teacher Education, students who wish to appeal the outcome of the Dissertation Defense have 2 weeks from the date of the dissertation's final defense to 20 submit a letter to the Chair of the Department Graduate Committee with a copy to the chair of the student’s dissertation committee and the Chair of the Department of Teacher Education. The letter should provide a rationale for why the student believes the Unsatisfactory; No Conditions for Remediation Offered outcome of the dissertation defense should be reconsidered. The Graduate Committee, in consultation with the Department Chair, reviews the appeal and provides a written response to the student within one month of the submission of the appeal (excluding holidays, semester breaks, and summer break).

It should be noted that the Dean's Representative can “veto” the outcome of the dissertation based on the appropriateness and rigor of the process, not content and methods. In that case, the Dean’s representative withholds their signature and justifies their “veto” recommendation in their report to the PCOE Office of Graduate Student Records. A “veto” recommendation initiates a meeting among the Dissertation Chair, Dean, and Dean’s representative.

The Patton College Dissertation Submission Process

The Patton College requires submission of the post-defense, committee-approved dissertation through plagiarism checking software (Turn-it-In) and final review by the Department Chair and the Senior Associate Dean. Due to the time required for this final submission process, an electronic copy of the document must be submitted by the committee chair to The Patton College (Research and Grants Development Coordinator) no less than two weeks before the TAD Final Clearance Deadline.

The first review of the PDF generated in the Turn-it-In software rests with the committee chair. The committee chair should identify any potential plagiarism issues and also ensure that APA style and grammatical issues are completely resolved. This level of review may result in the student needing to make additional post-defense revisions before the next step in the dissertation submission process, which is reviewed by the Department Chair and Senior Associate Dean. Following their review, the dissertation chair may either submit a second, revised document to the PCOE or report that the document is ready “as is” for the next levels of review.

The Plagiarism Review Tracking Sheet is signed by the dissertation chair when approved, and sent to the Department Chair who also reviews the document and signs as appropriate or requests additional changes in the dissertation. The final review is conducted by the Senior Associate Dean, who also reviews the document and provides feedback as appropriate. Once both the Department Chair and Senior Associate Dean sign the Plagiarism Review Tracking Sheet in approval, it is submitted to the Patton College Office of Graduate Records and filed. The submission of the approved Plagiarism Review Tracking Sheet triggers the Graduate Records manager to send the approved Final Dissertation Defense Report to TAD. TAD must have the approved Final Dissertation Defense Report for the student to be allowed to upload the dissertation and complete the submission process required for the degree.

Filing the Dissertation through TAD

Please refer to Theses and Dissertation Services (TAD), Graduate College, for deadlines, 21 checklists, guidelines, formatting assistance, filing procedures, and forms. A dissertation template for the College of Education can be found at: www.ohio.edu/graduate/current-students/thesis-dissertation-services .