Following a successful Ph.D. Examination, students devote most of their remaining time in the program to the writing of the dissertation under the supervision of a dissertation committee. The doctoral dissertation is defined as a book-length study that demonstrates a candidate’s ability to make a significant contribution to the discipline through sustained, independent work or research. It is often useful, in fact, to conceive of a dissertation as the rough draft of a monograph that will eventually be suitable for publication by an academic press.
As early as possible after having passed the Ph.D. Examination (normally within two or three months), a student should present the dissertation prospectus. This document is a formal statement of some fifteen to twenty pages in length, plus a preliminary research bibliography, which lays out a plan, as detailed as possible at this early stage, for the writing of the dissertation. It should include a discussion both of the dissertation’s central arguments and what will be necessary to sustain them, as well as an appraisal of the nature and availability of the evidence you will need.
The prospectus must be submitted to, discussed with, and approved by your advisory committee, which should include no fewer than three members of the faculty, and which should be chaired by a member of the English Department faculty. (Generally, students will form their dissertation committees out of the members of their Ph.D. Examination committees, though this does not have to be the case.) After the prospectus has met the preliminary approval of your committee, you should also set a date for the formal presentation of the prospectus to your Committee--a meeting at which your advisor and the other members of your committee discuss the document with you and, if all is in order, formally approve it by affixing their signatures to a clean copy of the prospectus, which is then submitted to the DGS.
After the prospectus is approved, students should consult with the graduate coordinator to file the “Admission to Candidacy” form with the Graduate School. It is important that all graduate students file for candidacy with the Graduate School after passing the Ph.D. Examination.
The dissertation marks the beginning of your career as a professional critic and scholar, and it plays a crucial role in the attainment of academic employment. You should strive to make an original contribution to the discipline of English. Many good dissertations grow out of work done for a seminar, and it is a good idea to begin thinking about possible general topics while completing course requirements. In defining a dissertation topic, carefully consider the amount of time needed for thoughtful planning, writing, and revision. As you will find, the difficulty of writing a dissertation rests in balancing your intellectual ambitions with the exigencies of the calendar as you strive to complete the degree.
To provide added support, the department requires that all resident students at work on the dissertation take part in a dissertation colloquium designed to help ease the transition from studying in a seminar setting to the normally quite solitary work of full-time research and writing. This workshop provides the opportunity to share the trials and errors of getting the project under way while receiving encouragement and advice from fellow participants. The Dissertation Colloquium is a two-credit course graded on a pass/fail basis.
Plan to consult the members of your dissertation committee early in the semester in which you plan to complete the draft of your dissertation and earn the degree. To allow time for reading and last-minute revisions, you should deliver the draft to the committee no later than 30 days before the Graduate School submission deadline for that semester. Ask about deadlines. They occur well before the end of the semester.
Indeed, check with the Graduate School very early about important deadlines, forms, and written instructions for preparation of the dissertation. You must formally apply for the degree (on a simple form). When your committee has approved your dissertation in its final form (barring minor revisions, corrections, and final printing), you should circulate a “Clearance Form,” available from the graduate coordinator, for your committee’s signatures. If you are not in Atlanta, you may ask the graduate coordinator to do this for you. This form must precede the dissertation, whose deadline is only a few days later. Other forms such as a University Microfilm agreement (which requires a fee) and Survey of Earned Doctorates must also be turned in with the dissertation, along with a check to cover binding in book form. Again, you should request all of these materials from the Graduate School office early in the semester to avoid last-minute worry.
Students must be registered during the semester in which they receive the degree.
No formal defense of the Dissertation is required in the Department of English.
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The English Department's Graduate Handbook
