The following policies and procedures are specific to the Lynch School. Please refer to University Academic Policies and Procedures for additional information.
Beginning a Doctoral Program
Admission to Doctoral Programs
Registration
Financial Support: Loans and Scholarships
Academic Programs and Requirements
Designing a Doctoral Program
Year of Residence
Comprehensive Examinations
Leave of Absence/Withdrawal
Continuation and Extension
Independent Study
Cross Registration/Boston-Area Consortia
Academic Policies
Academic Integrity
Academic Standing
Grievance Procedure
Dissertation Process
Pre-proposal
Dissertation Proposal
Completing a Human Subjects Review Application
Scheduling a Final Defense
Public Dissertation Defense
Summary of Faculty Roles and Responsibilities
Commencement
Awards and Robing
Graduation Procedures
At a Glance: Deadlines and Procedures for Students and Faculty
General
Dissertation
Process
Graduation
In addition to the information contained here, please consult the web pages for your particular program and the following Lynch School and University-wide websites for additional information.
Student
Start Page
BC
Office of Student Services
University
Academic Services
Beginning a Doctoral Program
Admission to the Doctoral Programs in the Lynch School
Formal admission to the doctoral program occurs only when the student receives a signed letter of acceptance to a doctoral program in the Lynch School from the Office of Graduate Student Services.
Non-degree (Special) Students
Students admitted as non-degree students who hope to become doctoral students
must complete the normal application process expected of all doctoral applicants.
Admission as a non-degree student implies nothing relative to the status of
an application for a degree program.
No more than 12 credit hours earned as a non-degree student may be applied to a degree program, and only if considered appropriate by the advisor, Program Coordinator, and/or Department Chair.
Admission to a Program vs. Candidacy for a Degree
Doctoral students are not formally admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D.
degree until they have been notified by the Lynch School that they have successfully
completed their coursework and passed their comprehensive examination. Students
must be doctoral candidates to present a doctoral dissertation proposal. This
proposal must be approved by the Dissertation Committee and the Institutional
Research Board (Human Subjects Review Committee) before a student can collect
data for their dissertation research.
Registration
Students can register for classes on the Agora
intranet system using their assigned PIN (information
on obtaining a PIN). Students can also register by phone at 617.552.8800
(seven days a week during registration period).
Financial Support: Loans and Scholarships
Financial Aid
Financial aid for Doctoral students at the Lynch School of Education is available
through a variety of both internal and external sources. The following are some
helpful links to information on sources of funding:
BC
Financial Aid main page—links students to their financial aid application
status, student loan information, and various financial and administrative graduate
student forms.
BC
Financial Aid page with links to individual graduate programs’ financial
support, student services loan-based aid, general graduate assistantships, and
non-Boston College based aid.
Assistantships and Fellowships (General Information)
Each year the Lynch School makes available a limited number of graduate assistantships
and teaching fellowships. Awards are given for one year and students seeking
continued funding must reapply on an annual basis.
Incoming Ph.D. Students
Letters of acceptance to the Ph.D. programs at the Lynch School include
information about an incoming student’s assistantship or scholarship. Accepted
students are asked to respond in a timely fashion in order to facilitate the
maximum support possible for all students. Department Chairs, Program Coordinators,
and the Office of Graduate Student Services are available to answer any questions
students might have about their offer of admission or assistantship.
Types of Assistantships
Graduate research assistants are typically involved in research activities
such as library searches, literature reviews, data collection, data entry and
analysis, and report writing. In addition, assistants may be asked to help faculty
in grading exams, keeping records, photocopying, helping with research for classes,
and other tasks.
Teaching assistants may teach or assist in large lecture courses. Opportunities are also available for advanced doctoral students to serve as teaching fellows, i.e., to teach courses in selected undergraduate or master’s programs. (Students should check with their specific department on graduate teaching assistant policies). One course each semester is the requirement for receiving half an assistantship (10hrs/week) and teaching two courses per semester is the requirement for receiving a full assistantship (20hrs/wk). In addition to planning class meetings, conducting classes, meeting with site supervisors and evaluating students, teaching fellows will keep regular posted office hours and have students evaluate the courses using the standardized university evaluation form.
Graduate office assistants provide administrative assistance to faculty who coordinate doctoral and masters programs, or to the master’s practicum coordinator. Graduate office assistants also work in the Office of Graduate Student Services, the Office of Undergraduate Student Services, the Office of the Dean, and the Office of the Associate Dean of Faculty and Academics. Responsibilities may include a variety of tasks such as helping to maintain program records, preparing newsletters, organizing admissions materials, meeting with students and engaging in a wide range of administrative tasks.
An award of a full-time graduate assistantship carries the expectation that the student will be available for 20 hours per week for nine months, that is, September through May. Half-time graduate assistants should be available 10 hours per week for the same period of time. The specific times that students work are negotiated with the supervising faculty member so as to not conflict with any courses that the student may be taking. Persons who have graduate assistantships should be aware that vacation days during the year follow the University employee calendar, not the student class calendar.
A limited number of graduate assistantships are available for the summer. Responsibilities, length of service, and stipends vary and should be clarified prior to accepting the appointment.
Assistantships usually carry a stipend (service and non-service) and tuition remission. Amounts vary depending upon the program in which the student is enrolled and the type of award.
Students who are awarded a graduate assistantship or a teaching fellowship must be enrolled as full-time doctoral students and may not carry any incomplete coursework. Students accepting assistantships or fellowships may not accept any additional commitment of employment without prior consultation with and permission of their advisor, the Department Chair, the Lynch School Associate Dean of Graduate Student Services, and, for Counseling Psychology students, the Director of Training.
Application Process for Returning Students
Applications for graduate assistantships and teaching fellowships are available
through the Office of Graduate Student Services (Campion 135) and students’
department offices. Applications must be filed each year and submitted to the
department by March 15. Applications
for graduate assistantships (pdf)
Students may apply for full-time (20 hours per week) and part-time (10 hours per week) positions as graduate research assistants, teaching assistants or fellows, and graduate office assistants.
Students should indicate on the assistantship application their preference for a research, teaching or administrative assistantship. A supplemental required form is available in the department office on which students should discuss their professional goals and research interests and their clinical/field commitments for the subsequent year.
Selection and Assignment Process
The two co-existing purposes that serve as a rationale for awarding graduate
assistantships are the training needs of our doctoral students and the need
to meet departmental administrative and teaching responsibilities and faculty
research goals. Related to the first, assistantships are assigned to help doctoral
students obtain sequential exposure to experiences involving research, teaching
and administration. As such, students who have not had a particular type of
assistantship experience (e.g., teaching) are usually provided with that opportunity
in the course of the graduate experience. Assignments are made in an effort
to best meet both sets of needs, within the constraints of available resources
and opportunities.
The Lynch School seeks to offer support to all full-time Ph.D. students for the first two years of their doctoral study. It is expected that students will support their studies through participation with faculty in externally funded research in years 3 and 4 or through teaching fellowships. Keeping in mind both sets of needs, graduate assistantships are typically assigned in the following way.
Faculty review graduate student assistantship applications to identify graduate research assistants who match the needs of their research and outreach scholarship projects. For returning students, this process generally begins in February after faculty members are notified of Lynch School research assistantship allocations. Prior student experience and competencies, as well as student interests, schedule availability, and opportunities for professional development of the student, are some of the factors often considered by faculty in selecting graduate assistants.
The Program Coordinators for the Doctoral and Master’s programs, the Department Chairs, and the administrative officers of the Lynch School also review applications at this time to identify possible candidates for administrative assistantships based upon student interests, skills, and schedule.
The Department Chair reviews faculty requests to assess matches between faculty choices and student preferences, and discusses these with faculty in the process of facilitating student assignments. They seek to facilitate this process in a way that ensures that all students participate in a variety of research and teaching experiences over the course of their doctoral training.
Although efforts are made to meet student preferences and offer a range of experiences, there are realistic constraints to the process. For example, student opportunities to work with specific faculty are based upon allocations to faculty made by the dean’s office and upon external funding secured by individuals through faculty grants. Student opportunities to obtain desired experiences are limited by the nature of faculty projects at any point in time. To meet the funding requests/needs of students, they may be offered assistantships with faculty in their department, and, on occasion, with faculty outside their department or in administrative offices in the Lynch School.
Efforts are made to announce awards for returning students by early May. Summer funds are exceptionally limited and decisions about their distribution are made by Department Chairs and the appropriate administrative officers.
Letters of award are sent out from the Office of Graduate Student Services and students may accept or decline the award. Students have three weeks to inform the office if they are going to decline the award. Some faculty members choose to contact identified graduate research assistants students personally before the letters are sent out to clarify responsibilities and determine the student’s willingness to accept the terms of the award. Similarly, the Department Chair typically discusses teaching opportunities with graduate students before these assignments are finalized.
All students are required to complete a confidentiality form and return it to the Office of Graduate Student Services prior to beginning their assistantships.
It is important to note that the program cannot guarantee that graduate assistantships will always be available.
Dissertation Support
Internal Funding
The Lynch School provides support through Dissertation
Fellowships and Dissertation
Development Grants funding opportunities.
Diversity Fellowships
Boston College has resources that support a number of fellowships offered
to especially promising students from diverse backgrounds who are beginning
their doctoral studies. These Diversity Fellowships are renewable for
up to five years of support, and carry full tuition scholarships of 18 credits
per year and stipends of approximately $17,500.
Research
Funding (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)
Graduate
Student Association website
Special
Group Funding Requests (pdf)
External Funding
The BC Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) website provides links to external
dissertation financial support, including fellowships, fellow programs,
and other foundation-based support. It also links students to national and regional
opportunities that emerge for graduate student support. This website is updated
periodically to bring students the most current listing of grant and scholarship
opportunities including external dissertation specific funding.
Information on Conference Reimbursement (GEA)
The Graduate Education Association has prepared information
(doc) on funding possibilities for graduate students presenting at professional
conferences.
Academic Programs and Requirements
Designing a Doctoral Program
Role of the Academic Advisor
Following acceptance into the Lynch School, students should meet with their
academic advisor (identified in the acceptance letter or shortly thereafter
by the Program Coordinator or Department Chair) at their earliest convenience.
The advisor will assist in the initial design and, if necessary, later modification of your Program of Studies. The academic advisor must approve any transfers of credits from other universities and must approve, if necessary, a Petition for an Extension of Time to complete studies. Agreement to act as an academic advisor on the part of a faculty member does not imply responsibility for directing a dissertation.
Students may request a change of advisor after consulting with their current advisor and clarifying the availability of a new advisor. Requests should be forwarded to the Program Coordinator and/or Department Chair, who should then notify the Office of Graduate Student Services of the decision.
Program of Study
By the fall semester of the 2nd year in the program, all Ph.D. and Ed.D
students, except for those in the PhD program in Curriculum and Instruction,
should complete a Program of Study form following extensive consultation with
their advisor. Ph.D. students in Curriculum and Instruction should complete
their Programs of Study no later than the beginning of spring semester in the
first academic year of their program. Once the Program of Study receives appropriate
approval signatures, the office of the department in which the student is completing
his/her degree (the “Department Office”) acknowledges this in a letter sent
to the student. Please consult individual program descriptions for specific
requirements. The programs of study are available in PDF format on the web pages
for the specific Lynch School program. Students should be sure to keep copies
of all official documents in their records.
Students who fail to submit an approved Program of Study to the office of the department in which they are completing their degree prior to these deadlines will not be allowed to register for courses for their following semester of study. The registrar will place a block on the student’s account until he or she files a complete Program of Study. (Effective 4/06).
Changes to Programs of Study
Any time it is necessary to change a student's approved Program of Study,
a Course Substitution Form (pdf) must be completed. The student is responsible for
getting appropriate approval signatures.
Since the approved Program of Study form is the document used to clear the student for graduation, any changes to it should be properly approved in a timely manner. Approval for any course substitution must be obtained prior to registering for the course in question.
Transfer of Credit
Students who wish to have credits transferred from another university to their
doctoral program at the Lynch School must comply with the following regulations:
- completion of at least six credits at Boston College in a doctoral program
- maximum of six graduate credits transferred from other accredited colleges or universities
- courses used to satisfy the requirements for another degree cannot be transferred into a doctoral program
- a grade of "B" or better at the graduate level
- course(s) being transferred must have been completed within the past 10 years
- official transcript must be sent directly to the office of the department in which they are completing their degree program
A Transfer
of Credit form (pdf) should be completed and signed by the student's academic
advisor and then sent to the Department Office.
Most doctoral students in the Lynch School must spend one academic year "in residence." Doctoral students in Counseling Psychology are required to complete three years of full-time residency. Students in the Ed.D. MESPA/PSAP program fulfill their requirements by participating in all available academic and professional activities associated with the program during their three years of coursework. Residency is designed to provide each student with a combination of coursework (full-time for two consecutive semesters) and apprenticeship experience within their area of graduate studies.
It is assumed that students in residence will have more time to interact with peers and faculty in formal and informal educational experiences. This combination of experiences allows students to be immersed in the intellectual community of the University with the least possible distraction. Students should consult their individual program handbooks for more specific program guidelines for fulfilling the residency requirement.
While the purpose of residency is uniform across the school, the nature of the experience is shaped by the requirements of each program and the specific interests and needs of the student.
Some students, for example, may have an apprenticeship experience through supervised teaching and/or research with faculty. Others may participate in a one-year colloquium. Still others may complete an off-campus research project supervised by a faculty member. Some of these options may lead to a pre-candidacy paper or other products.
Students and their advisors make all arrangements relative to the year(s) of residence. This is typically noted on the student’s Program of Study. Once the residency requirement has been completed, the Program Coordinator and/or Department Chair should so certify, via email, to the Office of Graduate Student Services, with a copy to the student.
Students cannot be cleared for graduation unless this requirement has been met. Students who are unable to meet this requirement may want to consider a Certificate of Advanced Education Specialization (CAES).
Comprehensive Examination and Admission to Candidacy
Registration for the Comprehensive Examination
Students who have completed most of their coursework or are in the final
semester of coursework should sit for the doctoral comprehensive examination.
All students must have completed any “Incompletes” and have filed an approved
copy of their Program of Study before registering for the comprehensive exam.
During the semester in which students are taking the comprehensive examination, they should register for Doctoral Comprehensives, ED/PY 998.01 if not registered for other coursework. One course credit is granted for Doctoral Comprehensives and students must pay for this credit.
Specific requirements for the exam are set by the program faculty, and students should make inquiries regarding format, length, and scheduling of the exam to the appropriate program faculty.
Grades assigned to Comprehensive examinations are:
- Pass with Distinction (PWD)
- Pass (P)
- Fail (F)
A student who fails the PhD Comprehensive examination may take it once again, no sooner than the following semester, and at a time designated by the Department. Ed.D. students should confirm with their Department Chair about the timing of a second administration of the Comprehensive Examination. In the case of a second failure, no further attempt is allowed.
Following oral and written components of the exam, the Chair of the comprehensive committee submits an official ballot, graded and signed by each member, to the Department Chair. Students are then officially notified of the results by the Department Office.
Once the student has passed the comprehensive exams, the Department Office will send a letter officially recognizing his or her admission to candidacy.
Leave of Absence
Students who wish to interrupt their programs for one or more semesters
must file a Graduate
Withdrawal/Leave of Absence form (pdf) in the office of the department in
which they are pursuing their degree indicating the dates of the leave. The
request will be reviewed by the Program Director/Coordinator (if applicable)
and the Department Chair. Once signed, the form will be filed in the Office
of Graduate Student Services.
Leaves of absence are not granted for more than two semesters at a time.
A Leave of Absence frees the student from registering and paying fees. Leave time does count, however, toward the total time allowed to complete a degree program. Students will be obliged to apply for readmission on return from a Leave of Absence.
Students who have not begun coursework are not required to file a Leave of Absence form if they do not begin their studies in the designated semester. However, students are required to obtain a deferral of admission through the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid if available. Students will be required to apply for readmission and pay the readmission fee if they have not taken courses within one academic year following admission into the program or have not been granted a deferral of admission.
Maximum Duration
All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within eight
consecutive years from the commencement of doctoral studies. Doctoral studies
commence with the first term in which a student is officially registered for
a course at Boston College following admission to the doctoral program. Time
spent on a Leave of Absence does not change the eight-year time limit.
Readmission
All students who have not registered for at least one semester will need
to apply for readmission at least six weeks prior to the semester in which they
expect to enroll. Students should obtain the Readmission
Form (PDF) from the Lynch School forms page. This form should be completed
and returned to the office of the department in which you are pursuing your
degree. As long as a student's academic record is in good standing (e.g., no
"Incompletes," not beyond statute), readmission normally will be granted.
Withdrawal from the University
Students who wish to withdraw from the University must must complete the
Graduate Withdrawal
/ Leave of Absence form (PDF).
Continuation
Doctoral candidates who have completed all coursework and comprehensive
exams must register and pay the fee for Doctoral Continuation (ED/PY999) each
academic term of their candidacy.
This registration entitles the candidate to use of University facilities (e.g., library and computers) and the privilege of informally (without record) auditing courses that may be helpful with research.
Students will not usually be allowed to take leaves of absence once they have become candidates.
Extensions
Extensions beyond the eight-year time limit for the doctoral degree may
be obtained only with advisor and departmental recommendation and the approval
of the Associate Dean of Graduate Student Services.
Extensions are not granted routinely. They must be formally requested and the
Doctoral
Petition for Extension of Time form (pdf) completed, after discussion with
the student’s advisor and/or the Associate Dean of Graduate Student Services.
If granted, the extension would be for a maximum of one year.
Timely completion is essential to the academic integrity of a degree program.
Independent
Study/Readings and Research
Students may take an Independent Study/ Readings and Research course as part
of their Doctoral coursework. Permission must be secured from the supervising
faculty member and the proposed course must be an approved part of the student’s
program of study. Students must complete the 
Doctoral
Readings and Research form (pdf) and return it to the office of the department
in which you are pursuing your degree. After the form is approved, the Department
Office will register the student for an independent study and notify the Office
of Graduate Student Services. The number of Readings and Research courses that
are permitted within any given degree is limited by University policy to the
number of electives within a student’s degree program.
Boston-Area Consortium
Graduate students in the Lynch School may cross register for one elective
course each semester at Boston University, Brandeis University, Hebrew College,
Pine Manor College, or Tufts University if a similar course is not available
at Boston College. Students should contact their Program Directors to review
the department’s special rules and regulations. Cross registration materials
are available in Lyons Hall.
Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies
The Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies (GCWS) at MIT (formerly housed
at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University) is an inter-institutional
enterprise established to advance the field of women's studies and enlarge the
scope of graduate education through new models of team teaching and interdisciplinary
study. Faculty and students are drawn from six member schools: Boston College,
Brandeis University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, MIT, and Tufts
University. The Consortium offers graduate courses for credit that are open
to all students at participating institutions. Graduate students enrolled
in degree programs at Boston College may with the permission of their department
apply to MIT to participate in this program. Course registration forms will
be mailed to accepted students. Please consult the Graduate
Consortium in Women's Studies website for courses and procedures for registering
and credit. Students should also complete the cross registration form available
in Lyons Hall in order to receive course credit from Boston College.
Academic Policies
Academic Integrity
Boston College expects all students to adhere to the accepted norms of intellectual
honesty in their academic work. Any form of cheating, plagiarism, dishonesty,
or collusion in another individual's dishonesty is a fundamental violation of
these norms.
Cheating is the use or attempted use of unauthorized aids in any exam or other academic exercise submitted for evaluation. This includes
- data falsification
- fabrication of data
- deceitful alteration of collected data included in a report
- copying from another student's work
- unauthorized cooperation in doing assignments or during an examination
- use of purchased essays, term papers, or preparatory research for such papers
- submission of the same written work in more than one course without prior written approval from the instructor(s) involved
- dishonesty in requests for either extensions or papers or make-up examinations.
Plagiarism is the deliberate act of taking the words, ideas, data, illustrative material, or statements of someone else, without full and proper acknowledgment, and presenting them as one's own.
Collusion is assisting or attempting to assist another student in an act of academic dishonesty.
Doctoral students ought to already know how to work cooperatively in a community of scholars and fruitfully utilize the work of others without violating the norms of intellectual honesty. Students have a responsibility to know the parameters of collaboration and the proper forms for quoting, attributing, summarizing, and paraphrasing. If a student has any questions or doubts about the parameters of cooperative intellectual activity, they should consult their academic advisor, the coordinator of their Ph.D. / Ed.D. program, or the Office of Graduate Student Services.
Faculty members who detect any form of academic dishonesty have the responsibility to take appropriate action. The faculty member also has the responsibility to report the incident and penalty to the Associate Dean. Such reports will remain in students' files until they graduate.
Students are expected to be familiar with the ethical standards of their profession.
See the American
Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of
Conduct and the Ethical
Standards of the American Educational Research Association. Students are
held to the professional standards outlined in these documents. Students should
also consult the University
Research Integrity Policy and Guidelines in Misconduct in Science for additional
details.
A student must earn an average of "B" in all graduate courses and credit hours applicable to the degree except those that are listed as pass/fail (e.g. Dissertation Direction, Dissertation Seminar). Only courses completed with grades of "C" or above may be applied to credit hour requirements for the degree.
In the Lynch School of Education Graduate Programs, a student who receives a grade of "C" or "I" in two courses (six semester hours) or a grade of "F" in an elective course (three semester hours) may be reviewed by the Academic Standards Committee and put on academic probation. A subsequent grade of "C" or "F" in an elective course may be grounds for dismissal from the Lynch School. A grade of "F" in a required course is grounds for review by the Academic Standards Committee and possible dismissal from the Lynch School.
A student who has been dismissed may not register for further study unless reinstated by a majority vote of the faculty in her or his department. Under certain conditions, and with the recommendation of the student's Department Chair, a student may apply to the Associate Dean of Graduate Student Services for reinstatement. Ordinarily, at least one semester or summer session must pass before reinstatement.
The program faculty will review a student's progress each academic year and will notify a student of any deficiencies that require correction. All required work in any course must be completed by the date set for the course examination.
All required work in any course must be completed by the date set for the course examination. A student who has not completed the research or written work for a course taken in the fall or spring semester or is absent from the course examination in either semester, may, with adequate reason and at the discretion of the instructor, receive a temporary grade of Incomplete (I). All such I grades will automatically be changed to F on March 1 for the fall, August 1 for the spring, and October 1 for the summer. In extraordinary cases, the student may petition the Associate Dean of Graduate Student Services for an exception. A “J” grade is used for a course that continues across two semesters, in which participation in both semesters is required for full credit to be granted. A “J” grade may not be used in place of an “I” grade for uncompleted work.
Financial aid is not available to students with an "Incomplete." Students with graduate or teaching assistantships or fellowships may not carry an "Incomplete." Failure to comply with this requirement may jeopardize financial aid or result in a failing grade or dismissal from the program.
All doctoral dissertation seminars and dissertation direction courses in the Lynch School are offered only on a pass/fail basis.
Academic Standards Committee
The Academic Standards Committee is comprised of faculty members and academic
administrators in the Lynch School. This committee reviews all cases in which
a student's academic record is poor and it recommends to the Associate Dean
of Graduate Student Services what action should be taken.
As a result of this review, the committee may recommend the student be placed
on academic probation or dismissed from the program, depending on the severity
of the academic problem. Students who have been placed on Academic Probation
must complete the terms specified by the Committee before they can be considered
for readmission to their program.
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Students who believe they have a grievance should meet as soon as possible
with the faculty member(s) or administrator(s) immediately involved. If such
a meeting results in a mutually agreeable solution, the matter shall be considered
closed. If a mutually acceptable disposition cannot be achieved, the student
may pursue the complaint under the guidelines set forth in the Lynch School’s
Grievance Procedure.
Dissertation Process
Pre-proposal
Overview of Pre-proposal and Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee
- Review the detailed explanation of the Pre-proposal and Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee (PDF)
- Complete the Pre-proposal in accordance with above guidelines
- Complete Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee form
- Submit Pre-proposal and Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee form to Dissertation Liaison
- Meet with the Dissertation Liaison
- Make any necessary adjustments to Pre-proposal and Request for Approval of the Dissertation Committee; resubmit materials to Dissertation Liaison, to be forwarded to the Department Chair for review
- Department Chair approves materials and sends a formal invitation to the proposed members of the Dissertation Committee
- Once the proposed members accept the invitation to serve on the Dissertation Committee and the student has received a letter from the Department Chair approving the Dissertation Committee, the student can proceed to the development of the Dissertation Proposal.
Dissertation Proposal
Students who have passed their doctoral comprehensive examination, submitted
their Pre-proposal
(pdf) and Request
for Approval of the Ph.D. Dissertation Committee (pdf) form, and have had
a Dissertation Committee established and confirmed by the Department Chair must
develop a dissertation proposal with the assistance of their dissertation committee.
The format of the proposal should be discussed with the committee; once the
proposal is completed, and accepted by the committee, the committee agrees to
a hearing date.
At that point, the student gives the Dissertation Chair the Agreement
to Schedule a Proposal Hearing form (pdf), which the Chair signs. The student
submits this signed form to the Department Office and delivers a copy of the
final draft of the proposal to all members of the committee.
Copies of the final dissertation proposal and the completed Agreement to Schedule a Proposal Hearing form should be submitted at least two weeks before the planned proposal hearing. Students are encouraged to submit the dissertation proposals a full month before their hearings so that faculty members have sufficient time to study and reflect upon them. A final decision regarding approval of the dissertation proposal will be made at this hearing.
The Department Office will send an email announcing the date and inviting the members to the hearing. (Please note that proposal hearings are not held during July and August). Failure to comply with these procedures usually results in the delay of the proposal hearing.
For the proposal hearing, doctoral candidates will meet with members of their dissertation committee at the scheduled time to answer questions related to the dissertation proposal. The committee will make one of four decisions:
- the proposal is accepted
- the proposal is accepted with stated qualifications
- the proposal is rejected in its present form, but may be revised and resubmitted at a later date; another proposal hearing will be held
- the proposal is rejected
When the members of the committee are satisfied with a proposal, they will sign a ballot that approves the proposal, and this ballot will be filed in the Department Office. All members of the committee must sign the ballot before the proposal can be considered accepted.
Completing
a Human Subjects Review Application
After the Dissertation Proposal has been approved by the committee, students
are required to complete an Application
for Approval of Research Project Involving Human Subjects form (doc) and
submit it to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Before submitting this form, students should become familiar with APA (American Psychological Association) and AERA (American Educational Research Association) ethical standards and principles.
Doctoral students must have a certificate indicating that they have completed
the required training course before submitting a proposal to the IRB (Please
see the IRB
website for a list of courses online and at BC). This certificate should
be secured prior to the Dissertation Proposal hearing, ensuring that the student
is familiar with the Human Subjects Review process prior to the hearing.
The Human Subjects Review application must be approved by the Dissertation
Chair and the student’s Department Chair before it is submitted. Students should
also visit the Lynch
School Human Subjects Review webpage and the IRB
website for further details on this process. It is the policy of the Boston
College IRB that no data may be collected for the dissertation research prior
to the approval of the Human Subjects Review application.
Students should be advised that if their proposed studied is “high risk” it must be reviewed by the full Human Subjects Review committee and that this committee is not required to meet regularly during July and August.
After informal approval of the dissertation by each of the committee members,
students will schedule a tentative date for their defense hearing using the
Agreement
to Schedule a Final Defense form (pdf). The Dissertation Chair should sign
this agreement and the student should submit the completed form to the Department
Office at least 14 days prior to the defense. One copy of the dissertation abstract
must also be submitted electronically to the Department Office at that time.
The defense is posted as a public hearing, and copies of the abstract will be given to interested parties upon request.
A final draft of the dissertation must be submitted to each of the committee members at least 14 days before the defense. This final draft must be complete in all respects and editorially acceptable for final approval at the time of the defense.
Failure to comply with this procedure will result in the defense being delayed.
Final defenses may not be held in July and August. For doctoral students to participate in May graduation ceremonies they must have defended their dissertations and have all of their materials prepared for the submission of their dissertations by March 31.
Students should refer to the guidelines
for submitting completed dissertations to the Lynch School before preparing
final copies, since regulations contained in that set of guidelines do have
an impact on format.
Candidates must also obtain a doctoral packet from the Office of Graduate Student Services before the defense or download the relevant forms posted on the Doctoral Student Forms web page. The Department Office will send the Committee Chair the title pages to be signed by members of the Dissertation Committee indicating their official approval of the dissertation after the final defense. These pages should be included with the final copies of the dissertation.
The public defense provides a formal opportunity for the dissertation committee to question candidates about the work they have completed and to vote on the quality of that work. The Dissertation Committee should meet before the scheduled defense in another location to discuss the dissertation and procedures for the defense.
Technically, the event is also an oral examination, which means that the committee may choose to question the candidate about issues relevant to, but not directly part of, the dissertation. For example, the committee may question the candidate about the use of a particular statistic or about a body of literature that is pertinent to the dissertation but not cited therein.
The defense is public, meaning that it can be attended by other members of the School and University community and, where reasonable in the eyes of the committee, by others from outside the University. Whenever possible, the defense should be scheduled in a room that can accommodate visitors comfortably. Any faculty member, whether on the Dissertation Committee or not, may ask questions of the candidate at the defense. Usually the Committee will complete its questioning and the Chair will then ask if any one else has questions. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, visitors shall have an opportunity to pose question appropriate to the defense. Faculty who are visiting are requested to defer to the Chair’s judgment concerning matters of protocol.
The Educational Policy Committee of the Lynch School approved the following Guidelines for Doctoral Defenses in the Lynch School of Education on Dec. 10, 1999. The dissertation committees shall have the freedom to depart from the guidelines under extenuating circumstances.
Except in highly unusual circumstances, dissertation defenses will not exceed two hours in duration. The committee’s deliberations after the defense are to take place in Executive Session, with only the Dissertation Committee present. Faculty on the Dissertation Committee are the only faculty who may vote. The Committee will vote on whether the candidate passed or failed the final oral examination and will provide a list of required and recommend changes in the dissertation.
The decision will include a vote of pass or fail on the final oral exam, as well as a list of recommendations for changes in the dissertation. The candidate is the only person who returns to the room after the Committee’s deliberations. Feedback from the Committee is to the candidate only. The signed official ballot signifying successful completion of the dissertation, should that be the committee's decision, will not be submitted to the Associate Dean until the necessary changes in the dissertation have been made. It is not unusual for the committee to require some degree of modification to the dissertation after the defense; therefore, it is recommended that candidates reserve time and resources for making these changes after the final defense. The candidate will not be considered to have completed the dissertation until all of the changes required by the Dissertation Committee have been addressed and submitted to the Associate Dean.
Candidates may choose to copyright their dissertation when submitting their final copy to the Office of Graduate Student Services. Regardless of whether or not a student copyrights the dissertation, the candidate is responsible for complying with all current copyright laws and regulations governing inclusion of another's work in his or her work. Candidates are cautioned to pay special attention to these regulations when reproducing tests or other instruments, in whole or in part, that are published elsewhere.
Graduate students are expected to submit a paper summarizing the results of
their dissertation research to a professional journal for publication. Faculty
members who have made substantive contributions to the study frequently collaborate
on writing the paper for publication. In all cases, however, the author of the
dissertation is the first author listed on any paper based on the dissertation
submitted for publication (see APA
Ethical Principles). Students whose work is accepted for publication are
asked to send a copy of the article to the Office of Graduate Student Services.
Concerns about Protocol or Standards at the Doctoral Defense
Any faculty member with concerns about protocol or standards at Doctoral Defenses
are requested to share those concerns with their colleagues and the Associate
Dean of Graduate Student Services.
Faculty are requested to refrain from public criticisms of colleagues who serve as Chairs or Readers on Dissertation Committees, particularly in the presence of students.
Summary of Faculty Roles and Responsibilities
Dissertation Committee Responsibilities:
- The initial responsibility of the committee is to meet with the student and review the thesis/dissertation plan or proposal to determine feasibility of the topic, significance of the candidate’s topic, appropriateness of research methodology, and potential contribution to the field. The specifics details of how the committee functions – in terms of individual or group meetings, etc. – should be clarified with all members and the student at the outset of the Dissertation process.
- After this determination has been made, and a Proposal Hearing has been scheduled and the proposal approved, the committee shall sign off on the student’s proposal thereby granting the student permission to submit the proposal to the Institutional Review Board for Review. Once this approval has been secured the student may proceed with the study as outlined in the approved plan. Any changes to the proposal agreed upon at the Proposal hearing should be summarized by the student in a Memorandum which must be approved by the Committee and then submitted to the Department Office to be attached to the copy of the original proposal.
- Committee members are responsible for reviewing thesis/dissertation drafts, and providing feedback in a timely manner. A reasonable amount of time (minimum of two weeks or not more than four weeks) should be allowed for each of the committee members to review each draft of the manuscript.
- The responsibility of the committee as a whole is to examine the student’s work and to meet and make a final determination of the acceptability of the thesis/dissertation, and to arrange for an oral defense of the thesis in accordance with the written policies of LSOE. The Dissertation Committee should meet before the scheduled defense in another location to discuss the dissertation and procedures for the defense.
- It shall be the responsibility of the student to observe deadlines for the submission of revisions and final copies of the thesis/dissertation. The student is also responsible to ensure that all forms and official documents are filed in a timely fashion and within the deadlines as specified. Any exceptions to this must be approved by the Department Chair and Associate Dean of Graduate Student Services in advance.
Dissertation Chair Responsibilities:
- The Committee Chair and the student should arrive at an agreement on an approximate time schedule, including meetings of the committee, for the accomplishment of the thesis/dissertation-related work.
- The Chair and the student should discuss and agree on the thesis/dissertation format. The format should be presented to the committee for comments at the time of the Proposal Hearing. Once the chair and committee members are in agreement that the proposal is ready to be formally presented the Proposal Hearing is scheduled in accordance with the written policies of LSOE (see above). At the time of the Proposal Hearing, the Chair, in consultation with other members of the Committee, shall determine the revisions that need to be made to the thesis/dissertation proposal. The student should write a memo outlining the revisions; after the Chair reviews the memo, it will be circulated among committee members and then filed in the Department Office as an addendum to the proposal.
- The Chair shall have primary responsibility for the supervision of student’s work, including setting deadlines and guiding the student’s progress.
- Once the chair and committee members are in agreement that the thesis/dissertation is ready to be formally presented at the Dissertation Defense, it is scheduled in accordance with the written policies of LSOE (see above). The Chair of the Committee should make a statement at the beginning of the defense spelling out the protocol and expectations for the defense. The Chair should emphasize the gravity and significance of the public defense in the intellectual life of Boston College. It is the responsibility of the Chair of the committee to monitor the participation of any visitors to the meeting in terms of the propriety of their questions or comments. Only members of the committee are entitled to vote on the quality of the dissertation. At the time of the Dissertation Defense, the Chair, in consultation with other members of the Committee, shall determine the revisions that need to be made to the thesis/dissertation before it is accepted as the final version. The student should write a memo outlining the revisions; after the Chair reviews the memo, it will be circulated among committee members. If all committee members agree with the memo, the student will proceed with the changes and complete the thesis/dissertation.
- If the Chair or any committee member anticipates an extended but temporary absence during the time the student is working on the thesis/dissertation, he or she should communicate with the student in advance regarding his or her availability or unavailability during this absence.
Concerns about Protocol or Standards at the Doctoral Defense
Any faculty member with concerns about protocol or standards at Doctoral Defenses are requested to share those concerns with their colleagues and the Associate Dean of Graduate Student Services. Faculty are requested to defer from public criticisms of colleagues who serve as Chairs or Readers on Dissertation Committees, particularly in the presence of students.
Disputes
In the event that a dispute or disagreement arises between a student and a
member of the committee or between members of the committee at any point during
the Dissertation Process, the student should follow the Lynch School Grievance Procedures
Commencement
Awards and Robing
On the day before May Commencement, the Lynch School hosts a graduate and undergraduate Awards and Robing Ceremony.
Following the presentation of awards, the Associate Dean of Graduate Student Services announces the names of Doctoral candidates and dissertation directors, along with the titles of dissertations. Each candidate and Dissertation Director comes on stage, where the Dissertation Director places a doctoral robe on the candidate.
Student Responsibilities between Defense and Graduation
Procedural Checks
Students should check with the Registrar to ensure no grades of "Incomplete"
remain on their transcript, that they have completed all program and Lynch School
requirements, all fees are paid, and they are on the graduation clearance list.
These checks ensure the graduation clearance process will go smoothly. Students
can also check most of this information through Agora.
Doctoral Packet
Students must pick up a Doctoral Packet in the Office of Graduate Student Services,
Campion 135, or download the forms
before the final defense.
Items to be Submitted and Deadlines
The University Registrar has firm dates for submission of all materials for
graduation. Before these materials can be submitted to the Registrar, a review
by the Lynch School Office of Graduate Student Services must be conducted.
Students must register to graduate online by Feb. 1. All materials in the Doctoral Packet (with the exception of the Exit Interview) must be submitted to the appropriate offices by March 31. Materials submitted after the University's deadline will be reviewed for the subsequent graduation date, that is, either August or December, depending upon the date of submission.
Exit Interview
After a successful final defense, students are asked to complete an Exit
Interview (pdf) and return it to the Office of Graduate Student Services
by May 1.
Dissertation Access
Copies of all doctoral dissertations completed in the Lynch School are preserved
in the Burns Library. They are also available
electronically through the BC Libraries.