More Detailed Information Regarding 3rd year Paper:
The 3rd-year paper is required of all Ph.D. students. The paper should demonstrate the student's ability to:
- identify an interesting question or unsolved problem;
- answer the question or solve the problem;
- communicate in a form suitable for submission to a journal.
1. Paper proposal deadline.
To insure that students start their papers early enough, each student must submit a proposal to the DGS by the end of the first week of classes in the spring semester of the 3rd year. The proposal should:
- state the question or problem to be addressed and its place in the literature;
- describe the methods to be used to address the question or problem.
The proposal should also name one faculty member who will serve as advisor for the paper and a second faculty member who will serve along with the advisor on a 3-member committee for the student. (The student should consult with these faculty members prior to submitting the proposal.) The DGS will confirm the student's choice of committee members and will appoint a 3rd faculty member, typically not in the student's field, to serve on the student's committee.
While the research is the student's responsibility, advisors and other faculty should be consulted regularly. The development of working relationships with faculty members is an important aspect of the 3rd-year paper requirement.
2. Paper deadline and assessment.
The paper is due to the DGS no later than the last day of classes in the spring semester of the 3rd year. The paper will be assessed in a timely manner by the student's 3-person faculty committee. The outcome of the assessment will include one of the following recommendations to the DGS:
- that the student advance to the next stage of the Ph.D. degree;
- that the student revise the paper and/or do other remedial work;
- that the student be terminated from the Ph.D. program.