PhD Dissertation & Oral Defense
Doctoral candidates complete a research study and write a dissertation that demonstrates the candidate's independence, originality and understanding of the field of investigation at an advanced level. The research is conducted, and dissertation completed under the supervision of three members from the Faculty of Graduate Studies, at least two of whom must be members of the graduate program in Gender, Feminist, and Women’s Studies. The final version of the dissertation is submitted to the supervisory committee for approval and then proceeds to an oral examination. The oral examination centres on the dissertation and is a public academic event involving an external examiner in addition to the supervisory committee.
Candidates must complete a research study and report the results in appropriate dissertation form. The research and dissertation should demonstrate the Candidate's independence, originality and understanding of the field of investigation at an advanced level. After the formal submission of the dissertation, an oral examination is held in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies Doctoral Dissertation guidelines.
The PhD Dissertation involves the following steps:
1) The student selects a PhD dissertation committee and a supervisor:
Typically (but not necessarily), the Supervisory Committee selected for the comprehensive exam will continue as the student's Committee for the dissertation. However, the student may modify the Supervisory Committee in consultations with their principal supervisor. The committee must consist of a minimum of three faculty members, at least two of them must be members of the Graduate Program in Women's Studies, one of whom is the principal supervisor. To modify the membership of the Supervisory Committee, the student must complete the Supervisory Committee Approval Form.
NOTE: Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) regulations require that students must have a supervisor approved by the end of the fifth term of study and a supervisory committee approved by the end of the eighth term of study. Students will not be able to register in the tenth term of study unless a supervisory committee has been approved.
2) The student writes and submits a dissertation proposal:
Since a dissertation proposal must be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, students should adhere to the instructions described on the web at Thesis and Dissertation.
All students must submit the Thesis/Dissertation Research Proposal Form (TD1) with their dissertation proposal. Students whose research involves human participants must also submit Research Ethics Protocol Form (TD2). Learn more via Research Ethics. A PhD dissertation proposal should be approximately 3500 words. The bibliography is additional and should be no longer than two pages. Appendices and documents about ethical guidelines are likewise additional.
The dissertation proposal should include:
A working title which can be refined/changed later;
The research goals and key questions (2-3 pages);
The theoretical framework (1-2 pages), including key concepts within feminist thought that guide your study;
The research methods (2-3 pages), including discussion of the following: what are the important or relevant site(s) and/or source material to be analyzed? How are the methods you will be using to analyze your sites/source materials appropriate? Are there ethical issues involved in your research?
The suitability of this proposal to the parameters of the Graduate Program in Women’s Studies (1 paragraph): how does it relate to existing feminist scholarship? What do you hope that your work will contribute to scholarship in Women’s Studies?
A draft Chapter Outline;
A timeline for your dissertation research and writing;
A “Working Bibliography” that lists 15-20 of the most relevant bibliographic sources in the citation style you are using (MLA, Chicago, or APA).
Once the committee has approved the dissertation proposal, they must sign the Form TD1. This form, along with a copy of the proposal and, if required, Form TD2, should all be submitted to the program office.
NOTE: FGS regulations require that students must have an approved dissertation proposal by the end of the eighth term of study. Students will not be able to register in the tenth term of study unless a proposal has been approved.
3) The student does the research and writes the dissertation:
Substantial research should not be undertaken until the proposal is approved and cannot be undertaken without ethics approval if human participants are involved.
While the student is conducting research and writing the dissertation, the student should be in regular contact with their Supervisor. FGS recommends meeting once a month and never less than once each term (see Graduate Supervision). Students should keep committee members informed about when they can expect to receive drafts and faculty members should keep the student informed about their availability across each Fall, Winter, and Summer terms. Within reason, students should be able to expect a prompt and detailed written response to their work – FGS guidelines suggest within 3 weeks, if possible.
As the student begins the final version of the dissertation, the committee should meet to discuss possible dates for the dissertation defence and members for the examining committee. The supervisor is responsible for contacting potential examining committee members and negotiating both their participation and defence dates (see resources on arranging the Doctoral Dissertation examination).
4) The student submits the dissertation:
The final dissertation must be prepared and submitted according to the FGS guidelines on the Doctoral Dissertation along with the Recommendation for Oral Examination Form, which should be signed by all committee members indicating their approval that the dissertation may proceed to defence. Consult FGS guidelines for further details on the oral examination.