The Chicago School Dissertation Documents
The quality of the dissertation is a reflection of doctoral students’ personal and professional reputation and a representation of their cumulative work achieved at The Chicago School. Doctoral students embarking on the dissertation process are required to read this manual to better understand the philosophy that drives The Chicago School engaged practitioner model. This understanding will enable students to advance and create research that reflects the values of The Chicago School Model of Education. In addition to this manual, students must consult their
program’s Departmental Dissertation Supplement, for department-specific requirements and procedures.
DISSERTATION MANUAL
The Chicago School Dissertation Manual
The Chicago School Dissertation Manual is designed to provide an overview of The Chicago School's institutional policies and procedures for the completion of doctoral dissertations. It is a framework for understanding the expectations of scholarship that reflect the The Chicago School mission and provides guidance to students and The Chicago School departments. These requirements are consistent with The Chicago School's institutional philosophy and reflect the unique learning requirements of each department.
The Chicago School Dissertation Manual provides guidance, requirements, and procedures for students and The Chicago School faculty for the completion of a doctoral dissertation. This introduction is an overview of the The Chicago School model of education and associated institutional values and learning goals. In addition, this section highlights key terminology and orients the reader to the purpose and expected outcomes of dissertation research. Chapter 1 is a description of the Dissertation Requirements. Chapter 2 reviews Dissertation Process Guidelines and the subsequent Appendices provide additional resources intended to support the needs of the dissertation student
The quality of the dissertation is a reflection of doctoral students’ personal and professional reputation and a representation of their cumulative work achieved at The Chicago School. Doctoral students embarking on the dissertation process are required to read this manual to better understand the philosophy that drives the The Chicago School engaged practitioner model. This understanding will enable students to advance and create research that reflects the values of The Chicago School Model of Education. In addition to this manual, students must consult their program’s Departmental Dissertation Supplement, for department-specific requirements and procedures.
DISSERTATION FORMS
As students complete certain milestones in the dissertation process, the corresponding program requires students to demonstrate progress through timely submission of all mandatory administrative forms to the Department manager or Dissertation Designee, which is an appointed person within the department. Contact the specific department for further information on the Dissertation Designee or click here. Refer to the following steps and The Chicago School Dissertation Manual, and check
Your Program Guidelines for specific requirements.
Form A-Dissertation Committee Request
Form A formally documents the committeee Chair and Reader(s).
Form B-Dissertation Project Goals
Students and Chairs complete Form B at the beginning of each term to document the plan for dissertation progress during a given term, and goals must be the result of mutual agreement between students and Chairs.
Form C-Proposal Review
Form C formally documents the committee’s decision with respect to approval of the proposal. If revisions are required, then students must submit Form C again to the committee after revisions have been made. A proposal cannot be considered successfully defended until all members of the committee are in agreement that the proposal has passed.
Form D-Dissertation Review
Form D formally documents the committee’s decision with respect to approval of the final dissertation. If revisions are required, then students must submit Form D again to the committee after revisions have been made. A manuscript cannot be considered successfully defended until all members of the dissertation committee are in agreement that the manuscript has passed. The manuscript is scored along four dimensions on a scale of 1-5. A minimum score of 3.0 is needed in each dimension for it to pass. (See Dissertation Rubric below)
Form E-Oral Defense
Form E formally documents the committee’s decision with respect to approval of the oral defense, if an oral defense is a requirement of the academic program. If the oral defense is not passed, then students must submit Form E again to the committee. An oral defense cannot be considered successful until all members of the committee are in agreement that the oral defense has passed. The oral defense is scored along four dimensions on a scale of 1-5. A minimum score of 3.0 is needed in each category for the oral defense to pass.
DISSERTATION TEMPLATE
DISSERTATION PROCESS TRACKING FORM
To initiate the process, the department manager or Dissertation Designee must submit the Dissertation Processing Tracking Form through Maxient. Before transitioning to the manuscript preparation phase, students and the department must ensure the manuscript fulfills all committee required components and revisions.Dissertation Processing Tracking Form.doc
ADDITIONAL DISSERTATION RESOURCES
Writing
The Office of Student Writing and Learning offers customized, detailed feedback on thesis, proposal, and dissertation chapter drafts. We focus on both higher-order (organization, flow, logic, tone) and lower-order (grammar, mechanics, APA) concerns in our reviews, and you have the opportunity to request that we prioritize our feedback to fit your needs.
Methodology
The Chicago School uses a faculty model for methodology support. Contact your Dissertation Chair and/or your Department Chair to inquire as to which faculty in your department are available to advise students on methodology.
Statistics
The Office of Student Writing and Learning offers students some dissertation-level statistics tutoring, and students can use the Brainfuse platform for more advanced statistics support. To access Brainfuse, navigate to the Academic Support Hub in Canvas.
Library Research
The University Library offers one-on-one research consultations, discipline-specific research guides, how-to guides for research, resources for research data management, and more.