The field of Information Systems (IS) addresses the application software lifecycle, including the design, creation, management, evaluation and analysis of the wide variety of computing systems applications that are directly used by individuals, groups and organizations to support their work and social lives. Students in this program will master both the technology and the human behavior in the computing environment.

The study of Information Systems is based upon the concept that there is a growing body of knowledge on the relationships between people and computers that is independent of any specific application. Understanding of the total system involves both the human and the computing environment as an integrated whole. Students will master both the technology and the understanding of human behavior in the computing environment.

The MSIS program provides solid grounding in three principal areas, all of which are applicable to the areas described above:

Systems analysis and software engineering
Information and communication technologies
Management of information system

The program emphasizes the planning, investigation, design, development, application, management and evaluation of Information Systems. The program trains students to be integral members of application design and development teams.

The program also provides exposure to the state-of-the-art in IS research, so that students will be prepared to work with both emerging concepts and technologies.For students wishing to become directly involved in research, there are ample opportunities to participate in ongoing projects, as well as to write a master's thesis under faculty supervision. A number of master's level courses are also included in the Ph.D.curriculum.The MSIS program is designed as a subset of the PH.D program in IS.The description here includes several notes for students considering continuing on with the Ph.D. program.

The program is offered both face-to-face and in a distance learning mode employing collaborative learning methods including team and project activities.

The field of IS is broadly interdisciplinary. Applicants with degrees in any field are therefore welcome to apply for the MS IS program. A series of "bridge courses" are used to develop the required skills of incoming students who may not have been exposed to some parts of the IS curriculum.

Applicants with undergraduate degrees in Information Systems, Management Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering and similar areas usually are sufficiently prepared for entry. Requirements for entry include a working knowledge of an object-oriented programming language, at least one year of calculus, one course in calculus-based probability and statistics, and finally an additional advanced mathematics course such as discrete analysis.

Applicants must have a GPA of 2.8 or higher in their prior academic work. (Applicants not meeting this requirement, but who have significant work experience since their last degree may be considered on an individual basis.)

Applicants without a prior undergraduate or master's degree from the United States must submit GRE, GMAT or MCAT scores for admission.

Bridge Program:
Computer and Information Systems Technology:

Off-Campus Programs: At extension and corporate sites, NJIT offers sufficient courses to fulfill all degree requirements. NJIT faculty teach all courses. For locations, see Extension Programs in this catalog. The university's distance learning arm, ACCESS/NJIT, offers this program (as well as part of the bridge program described above) to qualified students who have access to the Internet and a VCR. In addition, distance-based, 12-credit graduate certificates in Information Assurance, Internet Applications Development or Telecommunications Networking are available as a step toward this degree. See Graduate Certificates in this catalog. For further information about extension programs, ACCESS/NJIT programs, and graduate certificates, call the associate vice president of continuing and distance education, Division of Continuing Professional Education, 1 (800) 624-9850 or (973) 596-3060; e-mail cpe@njit.edu.

Important Note: Students assigned to bridge courses or English courses must take these courses before taking before taking 600- and 700-level graduate courses. It is possible, however, to sign up for graduate courses (i) in the final semester in which bridge courses are taken and (ii) when prerequisites delay taking of a particular bridge course.

The student is required to take 30 credits (10 courses).

The course planning form, posted on the MSIS Web site, lays out much of the information in this program description. Students should use it to plan out their courses for the MS IS degree. They should bring this (or email it) to the Program Director whenever they wish to discuss their progress.

The required courses are:
IS Core Courses (6 courses/18 credits)

All six IS core courses are required:

Electives (4 courses/12 credits):

The remaining four courses are electives chosen from the list below. Students will normally choose a specialization track that includes two to four courses. Students may also customize a track with approval from the Director of the MSIS Program.

We encourage Masters students doing well in the program to take electives at the 700-level.

Students planning to continue with the IS Ph.D. program may take up to four non-IS courses after gaining written approval from their MS IS Advisor. They also should check the Ph.D. program requirements and consider taking specific required courses as MS IS elective. They are advised to take as many 700-level courses as possible.

Masters Project and Masters Thesis
We strongly encourage students to consider a one-semester Masters Project (IS 700) or two-semester masters Thesis (IS 701). The masters project provides the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills to develop an application system or solve a complex problem. The thesis option extends the project by conducting publishable research in the project area. Both courses count as IS electives, and are not mandatory for graduation.

While we encourage people to partake in NJIT's Cooperative Program, it does not count as IS elective credit.

For further details, please see http://is.njit.edu/msis/

ELECTIVE TRACK:

Select one of the following tracks and choose two to four of the courses listed in that area. The student is responsible for checking with the program director to determine if the necessary course prerequisites have been met. All other electives must be chosen from the list below.

Research Methods:

Data Managment:

Contents

• Ph.D. Program Requirements
• Appendix: Ph.D. Defense Procedures

Ph.D. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Program Goal and Focus

IS Ph.D. Program Goal

To educate future scholars to conduct cutting-edge and high-impact research at leading universities and research labs.

Program Focus

The field of Information Systems builds upon fundamental knowledge concerning the design, use and evaluation of interconnected human, computing and organizational systems. Information Systems support and can be studied within many domains, including business, science, engineering, community, social and education activities, in the private, public and non-profit sectors. Across all these areas, Information Systems is broadly concerned with the effective use and integration of computing technologies into human endeavors.

The Ph.D. program in Information Systems is designed to produce scholars who possess a commanding knowledge of the nature of Information Systems. The program seeks to develop individuals who can expand both the theory and practice of information systems for complex applications and environments. The program is designed to attract scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to the exploration of information and human-centered system requirements, analysis, design, implementation, user acceptance, deployment, management and the evaluation of their effectiveness and consequences.

Currently the IS Department supports two research tracks: Human-Centered Computing (HCC) and Information Integration and Informatics (III). IS Ph.D. dissertations must produce a substantial scientific contribution to their particular area.

Human-Centered Computing (HCC) research centers on people (individuals, teams, organizations or societies) in all stages of information and communication technology development and use. The HCC faculty's current projects include studies on collaboration and technology design in areas such as social networking through web and pervasive (mobile) applications, game design, cognitive-based decision support, emergency management, and educational innovation.

Information Integration and Informatics (III) is centered on the science of information or automatic information processing. It focuses on the exploitation and utilization of digital content, including the relevant processes, technologies, and human involvement in creation, storage, querying, representation, presentation, organization, integration, management, analysis, security, privacy, interaction and preservation at each stage of the information life-cycle. The III faculty's current projects include text mining, search engines and recommender systems, security and pattern matching analysis, knowledge engineering, and digital library integration.

While the current focus of the IS Ph.D. program is on HCC and III, we do allow a limited number of students to pursue dissertations in the areas of Business Informatics/Management Information Systems (MIS). The dissertation committee for students with this focus must include an appropriate chair or co-chair from NJIT's School of Management.

The design of the IS Ph.D. program has the following aims to ensure proper preparation of students to become top-quality researchers and teachers:

• The qualifying exam and research proposition ensure ability and readiness to conduct research.
• The Ph.D. program immerses its students in all types of research activities throughout their doctoral study.
• The Ph.D. program mentors its students to be capable teachers.

The design of the Ph.D. program has the following aims to ensure a high-quality mentoring process:

• Ensure all aspects of the program can be managed adequately.
• Ensure steady, satisfactory progress of students, from admission to graduation.
• Ensure high quality mentoring and advising of students.
• Ensure that students research in areas where they have adequate faculty guidance and oversight.

Part-Time and Distance Students:

The IS Ph.D. program welcomes both part-time and distance students with the following caveats. All students (full-time on-campus, part-time and distance) must satisfy the same admissions criteria. Part-time students will be given more time to complete the degree requirements. However, they must realize that the Ph.D. requirements are rigorous and time consuming, and that it is often more difficult to complete them when one's attention is divided because of full-time work responsibilities.

Part-time students are strongly encouraged to obtain a leave from work obligations in order to focus on their dissertation research on a full-time basis for at least one year. Distance students must make arrangements to meet regularly with their advisor, either in-person or through phone or online meetings, and complete all coursework. They are also encouraged to arrange their work schedule to participate in research group meetings and other research activities as often as possible.

Entrance Requirements:

Our entrance requirements are standard for all applicants, regardless of whether their prior degrees are from NJIT or elsewhere. Applicants must have at least a baccalaureate degree and preferably a master's degree with a demonstrated record of academic achievement, and show promise of completing a rigorous Ph.D. program and the capacity to undertake high quality research. We welcome applications from well-qualified individuals who have varying academic backgrounds and who will contribute to the richness and diversity of our Information Systems community. It should be noted that applicants without sufficient computing or mathematics/statistics background will be assigned additional foundation coursework ("bridge courses") which must be completed in consultation with the Ph.D. director. Students should be aware that these courses may take additional time.

To ensure that each applicant, once admitted, will likely be able to find a dissertation advisor and committee in our program with proper expertise, we require that all perspective applicants seek a faculty advocate prior to application. Applicants can also consult with the Ph.D. director regarding research interests and contacting faculty. To identify a faculty advocate, applicants should browse faculty web sites (http://is.njit.edu) to learn their research interests and decide which faculty might have proper expertise to assess and foster their research interests. Then, applicants should contact their potential faculty advocates to discuss their research interests. Once a faculty member agrees to advocate his or her application, the applicant then prepares a research statement which clearly explains the applicant's motivation, research interests, plans for Ph.D. study and how the chosen faculty advocate's interests as well as those of other faculty in the program fit into these plans. While it is presumed that the advocate will serve as the applicant's faculty mentor, applicants may change faculty mentors and advisors as their research interests evolve. The purpose of advocation is to ensure a good fit with our program, if your application is approved.

Application materials for the IS Ph.D. program include several items in addition to the standard requirements listed at the NJIT Admissions Office web site:

• GRE, including analytical writing
• TOEFL, including TWE, if your native language is not English
• Transcripts from all prior undergraduate, certificate and graduating degrees. GPA should be 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale.
• Curriculum Vitae
• Three letters of reference
• Research Statement (or Statement of Purpose)
• Copies of the published versions of all papers listed in your curriculum vitae, regardless of whether or not they are written in English.
• Copies of award letters or certificates listed in your curriculum vitae.

Applicants seeking financial support must submit all application materials by January 15 for the Fall admission, and by September 15 for the Spring admission.

Overall Course Requirements

Students must maintain a grade average of 3.5 (B+) or better in the core courses. A grade of B or better in each core course is required in order to take the qualifying exam. Furthermore, no graduate course may have a grade of less than B and count toward candidacy. This includes potential courses for transfer credit.

Students also must choose a research specialty that will be the focus of the Ph.D. dissertation. At least 24 credits must be related to doctoral coursework which includes core courses and specialty courses (see Table 1); up to two may be Independent Study. At least 5 courses must be at the 700 level.

Total Required Credits

The Ph.D. program requires students to enroll for 78 credits, or 90 credits if they want to also obtain a master's degree. Most course or research units are 3 credits each. (Applicants usually already have a master's degree. If the student already has a master's degree, up to 30 credits of coursework can be credited as described in the next section.) The master's degree is not automatically granted, rather the student must consult with the Office of Graduate Studies regarding its timing and approval. Also, students who wish to earn a master's degree during their doctoral study must enroll in the appropriate courses to satisfy degree requirements of both degrees. This may  require taking additional credits not specifically required for the Ph.D. program. Funded students might only receive funding for the 78 Ph.D. required credits.

Table 1. Total Required Credits

Foundation Coursework: 18-30 credits

The following courses are expected to have been completed as part of a master's degree. For students entering only with a bachelor's degree, and for students with a prior master's who have not taken them, these courses must be completed, along with the core courses specified in the Core Knowledge Stage below before other courses are taken. For other courses taken in a prior master's degree to count for credit, they must be relevant to the student's research field, and approved by the Ph.D. director, upon the recommendation of his or her faculty mentor. Existing master's degrees may be credited for up to 10 courses (30 credits) as long as they follow the criteria in this paragraph.

IS Foundation Courses (6 credits):

Computing Sciences Tools and Methodologies Foundation Courses (6+ credits):

To ensure a strong technical foundation, Ph.D. students should choose at least one course from the Programming area and at least one from the Database area. It is recommended that students take at least one course in networking area as well. Suggested courses include:

Programming Languages and Methodologies:

Additional courses necessary to fulfill the 18 or 30 credit Foundation Coursework requirement should be chosen in consultation with the faculty mentor or Ph.D. director.

Stages of the Ph.D. Program

1. Core Knowledge Stage
2. Research and Teaching Apprenticeship Stage
3. Dissertation Stage

1. Core Knowledge Stage

The Core Knowledge stage comprises the first year of required core courses and the qualifying exam. (With the explicit approval of the Ph.D. Program Director, an equivalent course may be substituted for a core course.)

Core Courses

IS research group meetings present an important opportunity for community members (faculty and Ph.D. students) to immerse themselves in IS research paradigms, to learn about the research that other members of same research interests are doing, to present their own ideas, and to find collaborators.

Full-time funded students (through the department or grants) must attend research group meetings and other research talks sponsored by the program every semester during the Core Knowledge stage and register for IS 791. Full-time funded students must actively participate in every semester they are on-campus during the Research and Teaching Apprenticeship stage. They are encouraged to continue participating during their Dissertation stage. Other students must register and actively participate for at least 2 semesters during the Ph.D. program (in person or remotely), and are strongly encouraged to attend as often as they can. Exit requirements for IS 791 include presentations in research group meetings.

Qualifying Exam

The qualifying exam will be given on a pre-announced date during the month of May. The Exam has two sections, quantitative research methods and qualitative research methods. Students who do not pass the entire qualifying exam must pass at least one of the exam's two research methods sections in order to remain in the program. If a student fails both sections the first time, he or she will be dismissed from the program. If a student fails only one section the first, a second opportunity to retake the entire exam will be offered in the following May. No other options besides retaking the exam will be considered. If a student fails the qualifying exam twice, a dismissal is issued.

Timing

All timing in this document refers to consecutive calendar time, and does not permit leaves of absence or other gaps in studies except for truly extraordinary circumstances, which must be justified to, and approved by both the IS Ph.D. program committee and NJIT's Graduate Studies Office. Unapproved leaves will result in dismissal from the program.

Full-time students without other conditions (see below) must take the qualifying exam at the end of their first academic year of studies (i.e., in May after 9 months since starting the program).

Timing for Students who are part-time, International, without a Master's Degree or Starting in the Spring

Part-time students may take up to 2 academic years (i.e., 4 consecutive Fall and Spring semesters) to complete the core courses and take the qualifier for the first time. Part-time students who require bridge courses prerequisite to the core courses may take up to an additional 2 semesters with the permission of the Ph.D. program director. International students who need to take English courses and full-time students without a master's degree who need to take bridge courses prerequisite to the core courses may take up to 2 academic years to complete the core courses and take the qualifier for the first time. Full-time non-international students entering the program in the spring semester will have one additional semester, as they need to wait until May of the following year to take the qualifying exam.

2. Research and Teaching Apprenticeship Stage

The Research and Teaching Apprenticeship stage comprises the program phase between first taking the qualifying exam and before developing a dissertation proposal. It includes finding a faculty mentor, submitting papers, reviewing papers, teaching, and successfully completing a research proposition. As will be described, the research proposition is meant to demonstrate "research readiness" and precedes the dissertation proposal, which is prepared during the Dissertation stage.

A student planning form, which includes all the elements described here, must be approved by both the faculty mentor and the Ph.D. Director by the end of every semester.

Several of the elements have very specific timing and other criteria, which if unmet will result in dismissal from the program unless explicitly stated otherwise. We encourage students to maintain close contact with both their faculty mentor and the Ph.D. Director, especially if they are facing or anticipating any problems that will prevent them from meeting the criteria stated.

Timing

Full-time students must complete the Research and Teaching Apprenticeship stage within two calendar years of entering this stage. (i.e., 24 consecutive months), as well as the other timing requirements included in the description that follows, or be dismissed from the program. Part-time students must complete this stage within three calendar years.

Requirements for the Research and Apprenticeship Stage

During this stage, students are required to fulfill the following requirements:

1. Faculty Mentor

Both full-time and part-time students should strive to select a faculty mentor by the start of the Research and Teaching Apprenticeship stage, and must select a faculty mentor by the end of the first year of entering this stage. (Therefore, it is recommended to identify a probable mentor prior to applying to the program.) The faculty mentor presumably will become the student's dissertation advisor, though this is a period for students to explore one or more areas of research as part of finding an exciting dissertation topic. Students may switch faculty mentors as their research interests evolve.

The criteria for a faculty mentor follow those of a dissertation advisor, which must adhere to the guidelines from NJIT's Office of Graduate Studies. Students can work with two co-mentors, as long as both follow the guidelines for dissertation co-advisors. Students requiring a co-mentor under these criteria must find the second co-mentor within six months of finding the first.

Student's Chosen Specialty:

As a corollary, the student's chosen specialty and eventual dissertation topic must be such that the student can be guided by an available faculty mentor and it is feasible to form a fully-functioning dissertation committee.

2. Coursework

Students must complete their coursework by the end of this stage, except for pre-doctoral dissertation and doctoral dissertation credits. If a student quickly completes all other requirements in this stage, he or she may show how the remaining courses are planned to be completed within the first of the Dissertation stage. The faculty mentor (or co-mentors) must be consulted in choosing these courses and must approve them before the student takes them.

General Knowledge for Teaching:

If necessary, students and their advisors are responsible for choosing a set of other courses that will give the student enough knowledge to teach general undergraduate courses in Information Systems and/or in their chosen specialty.

Specific Knowledge for Research and Dissertation:

Students and their advisors are responsible for choosing courses or independent study that will provide them with the appropriate knowledge to complete the student's dissertation, and be considered knowledgeable in the student's chosen field. The advisor can recommend courses in excess of the official number of credits required for graduation if the additional knowledge is critical. The Information Systems Department currently supports two specialty areas: Human-Centered Computing, and Information Integration and Informatics, for which courses are specified. Students must declare a track once they enter the Research Apprenticeship Stage and discuss with their faculty mentor (or co-mentors) which specialty courses to take from the following list, or others as appropriate.

Selected specialty courses in Human-Centered Computing:

3. Research Proposition

Once a student has sufficient knowledge in a research area, the student will prepare a research proposition. During this time, the student will register for IS 776 under his or her Faculty mentor's advising section. The proposal should follow the NSF grant proposal format, including length (but without the budget and external commitments, etc., of an actual grant proposal). The topic does not have to become the student's dissertation, but the ideal case it will and could yield an actual proposal that gains funding for the student's research. Students are encouraged to consult their faculty mentor in preparing the research proposition.

The proposal will be due on November 15th in the Fall semester and April 15th in the Spring semester. The Ph.D. Director will form a review panel consisting of 3 faculty members and 2-4 Ph.D. students for each proposal. The student's faculty mentor(s) may not serve on the panel. The panel will meet during the first week of December in the Fall and the first week in May in the Spring. Students will have 20 minutes to present an overview of their project in a public forum, followed by time for the panel to ask questions. The panel will then meet in a closed-door session to determine the results. The panel will release a written panel summary with specific reviewing comments as part of its judgment to the Ph.D. director. The reviewing decision is either Pass or Fail. A proposal must receive a majority of faculty panelist votes to pass. (Student panelist input is highly-valued but not counted in the formal vote.) If a candidate fails the first time, he or she will be given a second chance to pass in the following semester. Registration for IS 776 is still required during the second attempt.

4. Regular Publishing Activity

Students must present evidence of one conference or journal paper submission a year, every year following the successful passing of the qualifying exam. Students are strongly encouraged to co-author papers with faculty and other doctoral students. They also are strongly encouraged to revise and resubmit any rejected papers. All publishing activities should be documented in the student planning form, including submissions, notification of receiving submissions, and reviewer comments.

5. Regular Reviewing Activity

Students are required to actively participate in reviewing activities. They can either review internal papers by faculty or students prior to submissions, or review external papers by request of journal editors or conference program chairs. They also must participate in reviewing their peers' research propositions during the Research and Teaching Apprenticeship stage. All reviewing activities should be documented with original papers and review comments, and made available for department records at the time of presenting the student planning form every semester. Students must review at least 5 papers or proposals/research propositions during this stage.

6. Teaching apprenticeship and Practicum

Students are required to apprentice with a faculty member for a semester in preparation for a teaching practicum. During the apprenticeship, students typically will serve as a teaching assistant or grader on the course for which they subsequently will do the practicum. During the practicum, the student will teach at least one course under the direct supervision of the course coordinator, preferably an on-campus (face-to-face) course or a hybrid course. Students are required to meet with the course coordinator in advance of and regularly throughout the semester to ensure that their section of the course is being taught well, consistent with the approved course curriculum, and conform to current IS Department grading standards. Students must receive a satisfactory rating to pass this requirement, which typically equates to a 2.8 teaching rating or better through the standard NJIT instructor evaluation. (A student not receiving this rating must coordinate with his or her advisor, the course coordinator, Ph.D. director and department chair to determine a course of action to develop into a good instructor and pass the practicum before graduation.) International students and domestic students who are supported with a teaching assistantship must take ENG 599 for TA's. With permission of the Ph.D. Director, this teaching can be postponed to the last year of the Dissertation stage.

3. Dissertation Stage:

A student can enter the dissertation stage only after all the requirements in the previous two stages are met. In this stage, students write and defend their dissertation proposal, conduct their main study , and write and defend their full dissertation thesis. Students also must actively submit publications based on this research.

Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal is a binding contract between the dissertation committee and the student. If a student successfully defends a proposal, the research plan in the dissertation proposal is to be followed. The student then carries out all research activities� detailed in the proposal.

A dissertation proposal must show motivation, appropriate coverage of literature, a sound research framework, a prototype system (where appropriate), a pilot study (where appropriate), data analysis, and the detailed steps for completing the full dissertation.

Paper Submission based on Dissertation Proposal

Before defending the proposal, a student must provide evidence of a paper submission based upon some aspect of the dissertation proposal.

Dissertation

The dissertation must contain all of the aforementioned items in the dissertation proposal, except that a pilot study would be replaced with a formal study. The dissertation must also include contributions and limitations.

Paper Submission based on Final Dissertation

Before defending the final dissertation, a student must provide evidence of a paper submission based on the results from the formal study in the dissertation (not just the pilot study in the proposal).

Dissertation Advisor and Committee Criteria

A dissertation committee must be formed once a dissertation topic and initial scope is defined. The faculty mentor or co-mentors presumably will continue on to become the dissertation advisor or co-advisors. All dissertation advisors, committees and committee members must adhere to the guidelines from NJIT's Office of Graduate Studies. Similarly, changes to advisors or committees must gain formal approval from the Ph.D. Director and Office of Graduate Studies, and adhere to timing requirements. Students are obligated to present their progress regularly to the entire dissertation committee. All committee members must agree to participate fully in evaluating the dissertation proposal and thesis, and attend the defenses either in person or remotely.

Timing

For all students (part-time and full-time), the dissertation proposal must be successfully defended within 2 calendar years (24 consecutive months) of entering the Dissertation stage, and the dissertation must be successfully defended within 2 calendar years following the proposal acceptance. If the student experiences a major topic change or other major unforeseen event, he or she may petition the Ph.D. Committee for a possible, appropriate extension. Such an extension is not guaranteed. Full-time students entering with a master's degree are expected to complete their Ph.D. degree within 4 calendar years, while those entering with only a bachelor's degree are expected to completer within 5 calendar years. Per NJIT policy, the statue of limitation for doctoral study is 7 years.

Appendix:

Defense Procedures (for both proposal and dissertation)

A Ph.D. candidate must obtain his or her advisor's permission to defend a proposal or final dissertation with adequate lead time prior to the defense. Once permitted to defend, the student must meet with the Ph.D. program director to review these procedures and criteria.

Pre-Defense Checklist:

1. Evidence of a paper submission based on research conducted for the dissertation or proposal.
2. The proposal or final thesis document must be received by committee members at least 6 weeks prior to the intended defense date.
3. The candidate makes appointments to meet with each committee member separately (in person or remotely) to review his or her comments on the proposal or thesis. Then the student incorporates these comments into the final draft for distribution at the defense.
4. Once the entire committee agrees that the proposal or dissertation is ready to be defended, then the student schedules a date for the defense at least 2 weeks in advance, so that the community can be notified to attend.
5. The date and time for the defense must be scheduled when every dissertation committee member can participate, either in person, by phone, or via video conferencing. We strongly encourage defenses to be arranged at dates and times conducive to attendance by the rest of the IS community, which normally would exclude the summer.
6. The candidate notifies the Ph.D. program director with the date, time, title, abstract and dissertation committee members and their affiliations, as soon as possible and at least 2 weeks before the defense. The director makes the announcement and helps arrange for the room, presentation equipment, and, if necessary, coordination of distance participants.
7. The candidate practices his or her presentation with the dissertation advisor or at least one co-advisor several days in advance of the defense.
8. The candidate makes sufficient copies of slides and defense documents for the committee during the defense.
9. Student prints a copy of the defense report available on the Office of Graduate Studies web site.
10. All other Graduate Studies policies concerning the dissertation or proposal defense must also be followed.

Post Defense Checklist:

1. The advisor (or co-advisors) e-mails all committee members, the candidate, and the Ph.D. program director, informing them of the results of the defense (pass without revisions/with minor revisions/major revisions/fail). After discussion with dissertation committee, and with its consensus, the advisor will notify the student and the Ph.D. Program Director in a timely manner with a detailed set of agreed-upon revisions. These revisions serve as a contract between the committee and the student.
2. The advisor (or co-advisors) then completes and forwards the defense report, including the set of required revisions if any, to the Ph.D. program director.
3. Once the student completes all required revisions for the proposal or dissertation, the revised document is then sent to the advisor for approval. Once approved, the document is then forwarded to all committee members.
4. Committee members are required to decide whether to leave the final approval to the dissertation advisor(s), or to themselves. Once final approval is given, the defense report will be co-signed by the department chair and Ph.D. program director, and then forwarded to the Office of Graduate Studies. In the latter case, the Ph.D. program director will hold onto the defense report until he or she hears from all committee members.