UB - University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Other Requirements

After successful completion of the qualifying examination, a Ph.D. program committee is formed consisting of three members and chaired by the dissertation advisor. The selection of the program committee members is primarily the responsibility of the candidates and their dissertation advisors.

The student shall prepare a presentation to his/her program committee which will include a literature review, research plan, and any preliminary results. This presentation will be given within 12 months after the student successfully passes the Qualifying Exam or within 2 years of being admitted to the Ph.D. program, whichever comes first.  The committee will offer written and/or oral comments on the presentation.

The Ph.D. program committee has formal responsibility for the program and guidance of the candidate. During the course of the student's program, one or more progress evaluations should be carried out by the program committee. In the progress evaluation the candidate's course performance will be considered as well as progress made on the candidate's dissertation research. If the committee finds the candidate's progress unsatisfactory, it may recommend corrective action. If the candidate's progress continues to be unsatisfactory, the committee may recommend withdrawal from the University to the Department Chair.

Within one year of passing the qualifying examination, before the completion of eight semesters of graduate study (beyond the B.S.) and no fewer than two semesters before the degree conferral date, the student's Ph.D. program must be approved by the program committee and submitted to the department for approval by the Director of Graduate Studies. The student's Application to Candidacy must include the dissertation title, a 300-400 word dissertation proposal abstract, evidence of full-time residency for at least two semesters, and itemization of at least 72 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate. Courses for transfer credit must be indicated as such on the Application for Candidacy.  The approved program is then filed for approval by the Executive Committee of the Graduate School.  Approval by the Executive Committee constitutes admission to candidacy. The student notifies the Graduate School by petition when minor changes in the program, such as changes in the dissertation title, or deletion/addition of one or two courses, occur. Major changes in the program, such as research abstract revision, adding or deleting more than two courses or change in major advisor require a petition to be filed through the department graduate office.

Dissertation

Each Ph.D. student is required to complete an original dissertation and orally defend his work before the program committee and any other interested parties.  Upon completion of the dissertation a draft is submitted to the advisor for comments, corrections, and approval. Graduate School approval of the selection of an outside reader must be obtained before a copy is provided to the outside reader for review. Upon the advisor's approval the student submits copies of the dissertation to the remaining two members of the program committee for their approval and also submits one copy to the outside reader for his/her approval. The outside reader (outside of the department) is selected by the student and his advisor. The outside reader is required to submit his/her approval in writing to the Dean of the Graduate School.

The oral defense consists of a presentation during which the candidates outline the highlights of their work, followed by questions from the program committee or any other interested persons present. Following a successful dissertation defense, the program committee certifies approval of the dissertation by signing the Graduate School M form. The M form must be signed by the Director of Graduate Studies or the Department Chair before being forwarded to the Graduate School.

After the student has made final corrections to the dissertation, the student submits one spiral-bound copy to the department and usually at least one bound copy to the advisor. . In addition, the dissertation is submitted electronically; see http://www.grad.buffalo.edu/etd/ for details. This must be done prior to your designated conferral date.  All materials must be in the Graduate School office on or before the degree conferral deadlines established each year by the Graduate School; see http://www.grad.buffalo.edu/policies/deadlines.php for details. 

The typing and arrangement of Ph.D. dissertations and M.S. theses must meet the requirements of the Graduate School.  The Graduate School will accept any self-consistent format which follows the conventions of a recognized discipline. Uniformity is desirable and will be required in the following details:

Pagination:  Pages should be numbered consecutively, including not only the principal text but also all plates, tables, figures, etc.

Typing and reproduction:  The original of the dissertation must be laser printed, double-spaced, on 8-1/2" x 11", 20-lb. plain white (unlined in any way) bond paper. To allow for binding, the left hand margin must be 1-1/2".  Other margins should be 1". Diagrams, photographs, or facsimiles in any form should be a standard page size, or, if large, folded so that a free left-hand margin of 1-1/2" remains and the folded sheet is not larger than the standard page.

The dissertation must conform to permanent record standards. The document submitted to the Graduate School can be either the original or a high quality photocopy. Please note:  it is illegal to duplicate the University logo/emblem, and therefore, it should not appear anywhere in your body of work.

The format of the title page (the first page) should be according to the Graduate School web page: http://www.grad.buffalo.edu/etd/etdguide.pdf , p.6. 

The dissertation must contain an Abstract, not to exceed 600 words, and a complete table of contents.  Bound copies should be bound in hard boards covered with black imitation leather.  The title and author's name should be imprinted on the front in gold.  The author's last name, his degree, and the year of conferral of the degree should be imprinted on the spine in gold.  The department can provide names of local companies which do satisfactory and economical binding.

Since theses and dissertations represent the joint effort of students and their advisors (if not also other members of the faculty), the student should make no arrangements for publication without consulting his/her advisor. Electronic submission of Ph.D. dissertations, as required by the Graduate School, does not preclude publication by other methods later.

                       

It should be noted that the primary responsibility for the quality of the presentation, organization, grammar and readability of the dissertation, thesis or project lies with the student. Extra effort and outside editorial assistance may be required when the student does not write fluently in the English language.