Why SOPP? Academic Affairs Clinical Training Student Handbook Dissertation Handbook Clubs & Organizations

Dissertation Online Handbook

Professional Dissertation Procedures

Timelines for the Professional Dissertation

The Professional Dissertation Process is organized around firm timelines designed to ensure that all students complete the Professional Dissertation prior to leaving for Internship. Students are required to enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours of PSI 998, Professional Dissertation prior to graduating from the program. All students must enroll in a minimum of 1 credit hour of PSI 998, Professional Dissertation during Summer Quarters of Years 1, 2, and 3. The remaining 3 required credit hours of PSI 998 can be spread throughout the program. The timelines below apply for all full-time students on a standard 4+1 curricular plan. Students on other curricular plans may have very different timelines and should clarify these timelines with their academic advisors or the Office of Academic Affairs. The timelines are summarized below and each step of the Professional Dissertation process is explained.

1. Year 2,  Fall Quarter 
   No later than End of Fall Quarter of the Second Year, students must submit to the OAA a general topic and the name of the Chair of the Professional Dissertation Committee. Students may change their topic and Chair after this date as long as subsequent deadlines are met. Students enroll in 1 credit of PSI 998, Professional Dissertation, during Fall Quarter of Year 2. Failure to submit the topic and Chair by the above date will result in the assignment of a grade of “U” (Unsatisfactory) which can be changed to a grade of “P” (Pass) when the required information is submitted. The intent of this deadline is to encourage students and faculty to get an early start on the Professional Dissertation requirement.

2. Year 3, Fall Quarter
   No later than October 15 of the Third Year, students must complete the Professional Dissertation Prospectus. At minimum, the prospectus must include a literature review, a statement of the problem or hypothesis, an outline of additional proposed content beyond the literature review, and a reference list. Progress toward completing the prospectus will be evaluated as part of students' Second Year Annual Review. Students will enroll in 1 credit of PSI 998 during Fall Quarter of the Third Year and will be assigned a grade of “U” if they fail to meet this deadline. Any grades of “U” will be changed to a grade of “P” when the prospectus is completed and submitted to the OAA.

3. Year 4, Fall Quarter
   No later than September 15 of the Fourth Year, the Professional Dissertation Chair must notify the OAA that a complete first draft of the Professional Dissertation (including text in all sections) has been completed. The student also submits the complete draft to the OAA. Failure to meet this requirement results in loss of eligibility to apply for internships in Fall Quarter of Year Four and generates a grade of "U" in PSI 998, which may be changed when the student completes this step. Students who do not meet this deadline must either delay internship applications for a year (until Fall of Year Five) or use the internship match clearinghouse in February of Year Four if the faculty determine by that time that the student meets all criteria for internship readiness.

4. Year 4, Summer Quarter 
   No later than two weeks prior to the leave date for internship, students must complete their oral defense and submit the final draft of the Professional Dissertation (including all revisions recommended by the Committee) to the OAA. Failure to meet this deadline results in cancellation of eligibility for internship.

5. Changing Topics/Chairs 
   Students who change topics or chairs must still meet the deadlines in items 3 and 4 above.

6. Academic Probation 
   Students may be placed on academic probation whenever they earn their second grade of “U” in PSI 998, Professional Dissertation. If this action is taken, the student will be required to develop a written plan with the Chair and/or Committee for completing timelines and removal from probationary status. This plan will be filed with the OAA.

7. Credit for PSI 998, Professional Dissertation 
   Students are required to enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours of PSI 998 during their time in the program. As noted above, each student will enroll in 1 credit hour of PSI 998 during Fall Quarter of the Second and Third Years and during Summer Quarter of the Third Year in the program. Students may enroll in the remaining 3 required credit hours of PSI 998 in any other academic quarter(s) in which they are actively working on the Professional Dissertation.

8. Special Curricular Programs 
   Students on programs different from the standard 4+1 program must meet deadlines in items 1 and 4 above. Deadlines for items 2 and 3 above will be developed on an individual basis in consultation between the OAA, the Office of Clinical Training, and the Chair of the Professional Dissertation Committee. Any student who changes his or her curricular plan in a substantive way after entering the program should confirm all deadlines with the Professional Dissertation Chair and the OAA.

Composition of the Professional Dissertation Commitiee

Once a student has a general idea of the topic of the dissertation, he or she should begin the process of selecting a Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Committee is composed of three persons, the Dissertation Chair and two members of the Committee. The Chair of the Dissertation Committee must be a member of SOPP's Fully-Affiliated Continuing Faculty. A listing of SOPP faculty members and their research interests is available; Fully-Affiliated faculty members are identified with an asterisk. Often, the Chair is selected first and the Chair assists the student in identifying individuals who might serve as members of the Committee. Of the two members of the Dissertation Committee, one must be a psychologist, or a person whose graduate education was psychological in nature. This individual may be a member of SOPP's Fully-Affiliated, Contract, Adjunct or Clinical faculties or a member of the community of professional or academic psychologists. The second member of the Dissertation Committee may be a psychologist, as defined broadly above, or a member of another profession or academic discipline. Finally, an additional person may be added to the committee at the discretion of the Chair or student if that person's expertise would significantly enhance the quality of the dissertation.

The student must submit the proposed Chair of the Professional Dissertation Committee and the general topic of the Professional Dissertation to the Office of Academic Affairs for review and approval no later than December 1 of the student's second year in the program. The proposed chair and the general topic are submitted on the Professional Dissertation Chair and General Topic form. Failure to meet this deadline results in a grade of “U” (Unsatisfactory) being assigned to PSI 998.

The student must submit the complete Professional Dissertation Committee and the title of the Professional Dissertation to the Office of Academic Affairs for review and approval prior to the Prospectus Approval meeting. This information should be submitted on the Dissertation Topic and Committee form (select the Forms link above for this form). If the student is proposing that an individual serve on the Committee who is not on SOPP's Fully-Affiliated, Contract, Adjunct or Clinical faculties, a curriculum vitae for that individual must be submitted with the above form.

Any change to the Professional Dissertation Committee must be approved, in writing, by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In the rare circumstance in which a student requests a change in the composition of the Professional Dissertation Committee, this request should be submitted in writing to the Office of Academic Affairs. When faculty who are Chair or members of a Professional Dissertation Committee leave the SOPP, the Committee will be reconstituted. In this instance, the student and those remaining on the Committee will consult with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to determine the composition of the reconstituted Committee. Fully-Affiliated or Contract faculty who leave SOPP may be provided the option of continuing to serve on any previously-approved Professional Dissertation Committees in an advisory, non-voting capacity. If the membership of a Professional Dissertation Committee is changed after the Prospectus has been approved the student may be required to schedule a second Prospectus meeting with all members of the new Committee present.

Professional Dissertation Prospectus

The student develops a written Professional Dissertation Prospectus and works with the Chair and members of the committee until it is determined that the student is ready to meet formally with the full committee. Recommendations for the Professional Dissertation prospectus is a link on the left. The student meets with the Professional Dissertation Committee for approval of the final Professional Dissertation Prospectus. All committee members must be present at the Prospectus meeting and indicate their approval of the Professional Dissertation project by signing the Summary of Prospectus Meeting form. Because the Prospectus meeting must be conducted with all Committee members present, students are strongly encouraged to schedule alternate dates for the Prospectus meeting as a precaution against a meeting being cancelled because of emergencies or other unforeseen events that prohibit a member from being present. Note that the student may need to schedule additional Prospectus meetings in order to secure group approval of the proposed project. At the conclusion of the final Prospectus meeting, the student submits the signed Summary of Prospectus Meeting form, narrative summary, outline, and references to the Office of Academic Affairs. These materials must be in the Office of Academic Affairs prior to October 15 of the student's third year in the program. (Select the Forms link above for sample Summary of Prospectus Meeting form.) Failure to meet this deadline results in a grade of “U” (Unsatisfactory) being assigned to PSI 998.

Submission of Complete Draft of the Professional Dissertation

No later than September 15 of the Fourth Year, the Professional Dissertation Chair must notify the OAA that a complete draft of the Professional Dissertation (including text in all sections) has been completed by the student. One copy of the draft of the Professional Dissertation must also be submitted to the OAA. Failure to meet this requirement results in loss of eligibility to apply for internships in Fall Quarter of Year Four and generates a grade of "U" (Unsatisfactory) in PSI 998.

Oral Defense of the Professional Dissertation

Following the contract established at the Professional Dissertation Prospectus meeting, the student develops the Professional Dissertation product. When the student, Chair and Committee determine that the Professional Dissertation is of acceptable quality and form, the oral defense is scheduled. The student contacts all Committee members and determines a mutually agreeable time and date, schedules a room for the defense to occur, and distributes a copy of the Professional Dissertation product to each committee member a minimum of 10 working days prior to the scheduled defense. The student must also notify the Office of Academic Affairs 10 working days in advance of the scheduled meeting using the Oral Defense Scheduling form (see links on the left). Because the Professional Dissertation Defense must be conducted with all members of the Committee present, students are strongly encouraged to schedule alternate dates for the Professional Dissertation Defense as a precaution against a meeting being cancelled because of emergencies or other unforeseen events that prohibit a member from being present.

The student meets for the oral defense. Those present include the Professional Dissertation Committee members, and any students or faculty who may wish to observe or participate in the examination (First year students are encouraged to observe at least one Professional Dissertation defense). Students wishing to invite observers who are not members of the academic, scientific or professional community must have prior approval from the Chair. Videotaping of the oral examination is prohibited. The Professional Dissertation Defense meeting is conducted as follows:

• The candidate makes a 10-15 minute formal presentation of the Professional Dissertation.
• The Committee Chair and members examine the candidate.
• In time remaining the observers examine the candidate.
• Observers are excused from the room. At the Chair's discretion the candidate may be examined further by the Committee after observers have been excused.
• The candidate is excused and the Committee evaluates the candidate
• The candidate returns and receives the Committee's evaluation and any suggestions for revision of the Professional Dissertation.
• The Chair submits the signed Professional Dissertation Evaluation Rating Scale and Revision Agreement to the OAA. (select the Forms link above the this form)

Student Responsibilities

The student is responsible for following all of the procedures and regulations governing the preparation of an approved Professional Dissertation, including the standards and requirements of the program as outlined in this handbook. The student has the ultimate responsibility for the content, scholarship, and style of the Professional Dissertation, and for maintaining a high standard of written expression. If editorial assistance is needed, the student is responsible for securing it. The Professional Dissertation chair and committee members will work with the student on Professional Dissertation content and scholarship standards. While they may also help in the composition and construction of the Professional Dissertation document itself, please remember that proofreading and other editorial chores are not the duty of the Professional Dissertation chair and committee. The student is responsible for making any corrections and/or additions that are required by the Professional Dissertation chair, the committee members, and the OAA. Submission and retrieval of Professional Dissertation documents at the OAA, as well as mailing costs, when necessary, are also student responsibilities.

Format Check

At the students request, the OAA will make a format check of any Professional Dissertation prior to final deposit. This review will evaluate the Professional Dissertation for format and style as established in this handbook. This review is intended to minimize the likelihood of Professional Dissertation rejection after the deposit deadline. However, it in no way guarantees the acceptability of the final copy. To allow ample time for completing the final deposit copy, you are advised to arrange for a format check well in advance of the deposit deadline. Format checks will be done as soon as possible, but please allow at least five (5) working days for completion.

Final Deposit

Two (2) unbound copies of the final draft of the Professional Dissertation must be submitted to the OAA no later three weeks prior to the official starting date of the internship. This final draft must be accompanied by the Chair approval sheet and meet OAA format specifications. The original copy submitted to the OAA is then bound and placed on reserve in the Fordham Health Sciences Library. The other copy of the Professional Dissertation is maintained in the student’s file for a period of five years. Final copies will not be returned to the student unless errors in format require retyping. In order to protect loose pages during the review, approval, and binding processes, the Professional Dissertation should be submitted in a sturdy closed container, such as a small box. Students wishing to obtain a personal bound copy of the Professional Dissertation may use the order form on the left and submit to the Dunbar Library.