Thesis and Dissertation Manual
This manual lays out the guidelines of the Graduate College for how an M.A. thesis or a Doctoral Dissertation must be formatted and written.
Ph.D. Candidacy Exams Committee Form
Ph.D. students must use the form linked above to establish which faculty members are serving on their candidacy exams committee. Once all required signatures from committee members, their academic advisor, and the Director of Graduate Studies are acquired, students must submit this form to the Department’s Graduate Program Coordinator.
Ph.D. Candidacy Exams Oral Defense Form
The form linked above must be completed following a student’s oral candidacy exam. The committee chair and members must sign this form once the student's oral defense is assessed. Upon completion of the oral defense this form must be submitted to the Department’s Graduate Program Coordinator.
Doctoral Dissertation Committee Form
The dissertation committee will include the student’s advisor, and two additional faculty members from within the Department of Communication's graduate faculty. Students must also name at least one dissertation committee member from outside of the Department of Communication with approval of their dissertation chair and the Department of Communication's Director of Graduate Studies. The outside committee member can be from another department within University of Delaware, or a faculty member at a different institution. A dissertation committee will have no less than four members and no more than six total members. All Ph.D. dissertation committee members must hold a doctoral degree. Students must complete this form and submit it to the Department of Communication's Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.
Doctoral Dissertation Candidacy Recommendation Form
Upon the defense of the dissertation proposal a Ph.D. student must complete the form linked above. Upon completion of this form, with all the required signatures, the student must submit a copy of the form to the Department of Communication's Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.
Request to Change Dissertation Committee
If at any point a Ph.D. student would like to change the members of their dissertation committee they must complete the form linked above. Upon completion of this form, with all the required signatures, the student must submit a copy of the form to the Department of Communication's Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.
Dissertation Defense Form
At least two weeks prior to the oral defense of the dissertation the Ph.D. student must complete the online form linked above. This will place their dissertation defense onto the campus-wide dissertation defense schedule.
Certification of Doctoral Dissertation Defense
Upon successful completion of a candidate’s oral dissertation defense,this form must be completed. The candidate’s advisor and members of the dissertation committee must sign this, indicating if in their opinion the student passed or failed. Upon completion of the oral defense the student must submit a copy of the form to the Department of Communication's Graduate Program Coordinator, who will forward it to the Graduate College.