Candidacy and Dissertation
Preliminary Exams
By the end of their second semester in residence, students must have chosen a concentration and formed a graduate committee to oversee their dissertation research. The graduate committee will consist of five members: Two SIUC graduate faculty, two SIUE graduate faculty, and an additional member from either institution or an external member who holds graduate status or temporary graduate status as appropriate from the respective institution.
Written and oral preliminary examinations consist of two parts: One based on the program core material, and the other on the student's chosen concentration. If prelims are not passed, the student must wait a minimum of three months for the second and final attempt to pass the exam. When the student has passed prelims and a dissertation proposal is accepted by the committee, students are admitted to candidacy.
Dissertation Proposal and Candidacy
The candidate will prepare and submit a formal written dissertation proposal, defining the proposed research and proposed line of inquiry. In the framework of the oral presentation of the dissertation proposal, the candidate is expected to address and respond to any question (by the members of the committee) related to material covered by all the courses taken during his/her doctoral studies or to the background necessary for the specific area of the proposed research. In addition, the candidate is expected to defend the research methodology and the proposed line of inquiry. A dissertation research proposal must be approved by the dissertation committee. The dissertation proposal must also be presented in ERP 598, Applied Environmental Resources and Policy.
Admission to candidacy requires:
- Successful completion of 24 hours of credit (which satisfies the residency requirement of the Graduate School)
- Successful defense of the dissertation proposal (which satisfies the research tool requirement of the Graduate School)
- Successful completion of the qualifying examination
Dissertation and Defense
A dissertation is written under the direction of the student’s dissertation advisor and the student’s graduate committee. The dissertation must be prepared in accordance to the “Guidelines for Dissertations, Theses and Research Papers” of the SIUC Graduate School.
Candidates will be required to present an acceptable dissertation describing original research performed with minimal supervision. The oral presentation of the dissertation will be made to the members of the dissertation committee in an open forum. A public announcement of this event must be made at least five days in advance. Dissertation approval is based on a successful defense of the dissertation research performed in terms of originality, relevance, and presentation (both written and oral). This requires approval of at least 80% of the dissertation committee. The dissertation research must also be presented in ERP 598, Applied Environmental Resources and Policy.
