Your doctoral dissertation is your culminating work in your PhD program and reflects your ability to independently design, conduct, and disseminate research of high standard in a scholarly manner. As a Candidate, you will identify and develop the research question(s), design and conduct the study, and prepare the dissertation, consistent with the policies of the Graduate School of the University of Washington. You should consult the current Graduate School policies related to Dissertations and the doctoral degree.
While the timeline for completing a Dissertation is variable, the Dissertation Prospectus must be submitted to and approved by your Doctoral Supervisory Committee within one year of completing your General Examination.
Prior to or shortly after becoming a Candidate, if you are conducting early work towards your Dissertation such as work in a mentor’s lab that you hope to use for a Dissertation, or submitting grant or scholarship applications for a specific project, please communicate these plans early and clearly to your committee to reduce the risk that your committee would not approve your Dissertation after you have committed time and resources to the project.
Follow the links below for additional information about the dissertation:
Coordinating the dissertation prospectus with a grant application
Registering for Dissertation Credits
Dissertation Formats and Required Components
Submitting the Dissertation after Passing the Final Examination
After Submitting your Dissertation