Getting feedback about your Dissertation document as it evolves is important. You should work closely with your Committee Chair and are encouraged to share drafts of the Dissertation with the members of your Doctoral Supervisory Committee during the writing process, to the extent that they express they are available to provide feedback. Please be mindful that all committee members will not have time to read multiple drafts of the Dissertation, and it may be more productive to seek feedback from various members about targeted sections of the document or on specific questions that you have that are most relevant to their expertise. When you and your Committee Chair agree that you are ready, you may proceed to the Dissertation defense.
Scheduling the Dissertation Defense
When you are planning for your Dissertation defense, consult with your Committee Chair and members to identify possible dates. As with the General Examination, you should work with your committee far in advance to reserve a date for your Dissertation defense. Please schedule at least a two-hour block of time plus any additional set up time you may need. The Program Coordinator can assist you with scheduling a meeting room for the defense.
Dissertation Reading Committee
At least three members of your Doctoral Supervisory Committee who are members of the Graduate School Faculty, including the Chair, should be selected to form your Dissertation Reading Committee. The charge of this committee is to ensure that the Dissertation will make a significant contribution to Rehabilitation Science and is evidence of an appropriate level of scholarship. You should discuss who will be on your reading committee with the Chair of your committee. The composition of the committee will conform to the requirements of the Graduate School. Notify the Program Coordinator who will be the members of the reading committee. This should be done when you work with the Program Coordinator to schedule your defense, but must be done by the time you submit your Dissertation to your committee in preparation for your defense (at least 3 weeks before your defense).
Deadline to Submit Dissertation to Committee
No less than 3 weeks prior to your scheduled Dissertation defense, and after receiving approval from your Supervisory Committee Chair, a complete and final draft of your Dissertation should be forwarded to your entire Doctoral Supervisory Committee. Your Doctoral Reading Committee is responsible for making the recommendation to your Doctoral Supervisory Committee for moving forward with your Final Examination during this time period.
Requesting Final Examination
You may proceed to your Final Examination after the following conditions have been met: 1) you must be a Candidate, having passed the General Examination (in a previous quarter); 2) your Doctoral Reading Committee must have been officially established within the Graduate School; 3) all members of your Doctoral Supervisory Committee must be notified and approve moving forward with the exam. Submit a Request for the Final Examination to the Graduate School through MyGrad. Also, when you submit your Dissertation to your Doctoral Supervisory Committee, notify the Program Coordinator that you have done so, and the Program Coordinator will create the committee signature form (formerly called the warrant) for the Final Examination and will give that to your Doctoral Supervisory Committee Chair.
| ALERT
There are two important steps you must take pertaining to MyGrad to move forward to your Final Examination. These must both be completed no later than when you submit your Dissertation to your committee three weeks before your Final Examination. You may complete the following steps earlier than that (a good time to do it is when you work with the Program Coordinator to schedule your defense date). 1. To officially form your Dissertation Reading Committee, it is your responsibility to notify (e-mail or in writing) the Program Coordinator who can then make the changes in MyGrad to designate your reading committee. 2. You must go into MyGrad and request your Final Examination. This step is necessary for the Program Coordinator to then create the committee signature form for the examination which the Program Coordinator will give to your Committee Chair to bring to the Final Examination. |
Dissertation Final Examination Format
At least four members of a supervisory committee (including the Chair, Graduate School Representative, and one additional Graduate Faculty member) must be present at the examination. The Final Examination will take between 2 – 2 ½ hours. In the first portion of the Final Examination (45 minutes to one hour), you will make a formal presentation of your Dissertation research and then be asked to respond to open questioning from those in attendance. This is a formal presentation, including slides, and should be prepared and conducted as you would conduct a formal research presentation at a professional conference or similar venue. This presentation is open to the public. This is a good opportunity to invite colleagues and others who may be interested in your research to attend to hear about your work. Family and friends are welcome to attend this public presentation, keeping in mind the professional and formal tone of the event. Be sure you have practiced and timed your presentation so that it is no longer than 45 minutes, thus allowing about 15 minutes for public questions. It is important to stay within the timelines to respect the time of your audience, and to allow sufficient time for the closed-door meeting to follow.
After the public presentation and open question period, attendees who are not members of the Supervisory Committee will be asked to leave the room, and the questioning will continue in a closed session. After the closed questioning, you will be asked to leave the room and the Supervisory Committee will confer to determine whether or not the Final Examination is satisfactory. You will be asked to return to the room to meet with the Supervisory Committee and hear their determination.
| ALERT
There are TWO forms that must be signed by your committee members for you to successfully pass your Final Examination: 1. The committee signature form for the examination is generated by the UW Graduate School via MyGrad. The Program Coordinator will give the form to your Doctoral Supervisory Committee Chair to bring to the Final Examination. Committee members can sign at the end of your defense if you have successfully passed the examination, and your Committee Chair can return the form to the Program Coordinator. If your committee requests revisions before your will pass your Final Examination, the committee will wait to sign this form until revisions have been successfully completed. 2. The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee Approval Form must be completed by your reading committee. This form is online at: https://grad.uw.edu/for-faculty-and-staff/mygrad-faculty-view/. Members of your Reading Committee must log onto that site in their MyGrad Committee view and click on their approval of your Dissertation before the last day of the quarter in which you have your Final Examination. You can help your Reading Committee complete this task by emailing them a reminder with the link above. |
If you need to use videoconferencing for your dissertation defense, please read the requirements for that format here:
Using Videoconferencing for Final Examination (Dissertation Defense)
NOTE: If committee members must attend via videoconferencing, an email may be accepted in lieu of a signature on the hardcopy forms (check with your Program Coordinator).