Level III Requirements

PRESENTATION OF DISSERTATION RESEARCH IN A PUBLIC SEMINAR - Prior to the dissertation defense, the student shall present a public seminar focusing on the subject of the dissertation. Certification of this event by a letter to the program office by the campus deputy chair is necessary for the schedu-ling of the dissertation defense.

DOCTORAL RESEARCH: THE DISSERTATION AND DISSERTATION DEFENSE - With the advice and consent of the student's advisory and Second Examination committees, the research program will be planned and conducted, culminating in an approved and defended dissertation. (Please refer to Section VIII for details of this phase of graduate studies.)


DOCTORAL RESEARCH

Students may submit up to 10 credits for courses in Doctoral Research (U899). Students may not register for Doctoral Research prior to the semester in which they plan to take the Second Examination. By that time the student must already have fulfilled any language and research techniques requirement.


DISSERTATION

At the time that a student is advanced to candidacy, a document outlining the current dissertation require-ments will be sent to the student by the Registrar. The following information is current at the time of the production of this Handbook and is included for your information. (Please refer to Appendix R for a copy of the document available during the preparation of this Handbook.)

DISSERTATION PROPOSAL - The dissertation proposal that has been examined and approved as part of the Second Examination is filed with the Executive Officer. Should there be any substantive changes in the proposed thesis, such changes, approved by the adviser, advisory committee, and deputy chair, should be submitted to the Executive Officer. Changes in, or additions to, the advisory committee considered necessary as the study develops are to be similarly reported. Such changes must first be approved by the entire advisory committee and the graduate deputy chair. The faculty members involved in such changes must be notified in writing.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS - The graduate student is responsible for arranging regular meetings at least once per year between the student and the entire advisory committee to evaluate the direction taken and progress being made. A progress report of that meeting bearing the date and signatures of the members of the committee will be required before registration for the Fall semester (see Appendix Q).

DRAFT OF THE DISSERTATION - The dissertation is submitted to the members of the advisory committee in draft form. After the committee approves the draft, it recommends advancement to the Final Examination.

PUBLIC SEMINAR - A public seminar on the dissertation presented at the GC, a participating campus, or an affiliated institution prior to the formal defense is a requirement for the degree. Timely announcement of the seminar is to be sent to advisory committee members and all affiliated campuses and institutions as well as the Program Office. A thesis defense will not be scheduled unless this requirement is met.

FINAL EXAMINATION COMMITTEE - The Final Examination Committee is proposed after consultations among the members of the student's advisory commit-tee. The five-member (minimum) Final Examination Committee shall include the members of the advisory committee (defined in Section VI.B.1) and at least two other specialists, at least one of whom is from an institution outside of The City University of New York and its affiliated institutions (AMNH, IBR, and NYBG). Additional outside specialists may be designated as "readers" and need not be present at the actual defense. At least three members of the Final Examination Committee must be members of the CUNY doctoral faculty. At least two members of the final examination committee must be members of the CUNY line doctoral faculty in Biology. On specific questions regarding committee composition, consult with the Executive Officer, whose decision will be final. The student and/or the adviser will communicate with the proposed partici-pants in the Final Examination to ascertain their willingness to serve and to establish a suitable meeting date. This information is communica-ted to the Executive Officer for approval at least one month before the scheduled examination date. The invitations to the members of the Final Examination Committee come from the GC Provost. Forms necessary in processing the examination results will be sent to the chair of the Final Examination Committee from the Program Office prior to the date of the examination.

DISTRIBUTION OF DISSERTATION COPIES - The copies of the dissertation provided to the Final Examination Committee should be printed legibly and in good order, but they need not be in final form. Any clear method of reproduction may be employed.

RESCHEDULING - If unforeseen circumstances arise (even at the last moment) so that all invited members of the Final Examination Committee are not able to be present, the examination must be rescheduled.

FINAL EXAMINATION REPORT - The chair of the Examining Committee will record the student's performance in a "Report of Final Examination" (a sample form is included in Appendix S) to the Executive Officer and the Provost. If a dissertation requires at most minor revisions, it must subsequently be approved by the chair. If major revisions are required, the dissertation must be resubmitted to the chair and two members of the Examining Committee for approval before passage of the Final Examination can be recorded. The chair informs the Executive Officer and the Senior Registrar when the revisions have been completed by submitting a "Approval of Revised Dissertation" form. (Please see Appendix T for a sample form.)

UNSATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE - If the student's performance in the Final Examination is judged unsatisfactory, the student may be reexamined at the discre-tion of the Executive Committee in Biology and with the approval of the GC Provost.

DISSERTATION SUBMISSION AND CHECKOUT PROCEDURES - Consult the Dissertation Assistant of the Mina Rees Library before having the final version of the dissertation typed/printed. Prepare at least five copies. While it may be helpful to examine previous dissertations, do not use a previously accepted dissertation as a model on which to base the format of your dissertation because requirements change. The Dissertation Assistant may refuse to accept the dissertation if it does not conform to the standards established. A student is advised to consult with the Dissertation Assistant early in the process of dissertation preparation.

1. Original typescript and two good photocopies or three photocopies or photo-offset copies (which are clear enough to be duplicable for sale purposes) are to be submitted.

2. All copies must be on white bond paper, at least 20 lb. weight and 25% rag content. Copier or erasable paper is not acceptable.

3. Deposit the three unbound copies of the approved dissertation (all three can be good photocopies) in the Mina Rees Library of The Graduate Center, after having made an appointment with the Dissertation Assistant. Include an abstract (of no more than 350 words) in the body of the dissertation and submit two separate copies of the abstract. Also submit one extra title page and the original signed approval page (no corrections or white-outs permitted).

Additional dissertation copies for personal use may be submit-ted for binding but only if they are submitted at the same time. (If you have received the degree as a recipient of a federal award, you should inquire about the necessity of securing an extra copy for the agency.)

When the dissertation is deposited, sign an agreement with University Microfilms Inc., authorizing them to reproduce your dissertation on microfilm as a form of publication. This firm will retain the negative microfilm copy and publish the abstract in Dissertation Abstracts.

Permission to deposit printed copies of a published dissertation and for waiver of the microfilming requirement may be granted by the GC Provost.

4. The three copies deposited with the Dissertation Assis-tant will be bound and distributed as follows: two copies to the Mina Rees Library and the third copy to the Executive Officer.

5. Pay, at the time of final deposit of the dissertation, a $76.75 microfilming and binding fee and a $45.00 diploma fee to the GC Bursar. Additional copies will be bound for the student's use for a binding fee of $6.50 per copy (if the student picks them up) or $8.00 per copy (if copies are mailed to the student).

If you wish to copyright the dissertation, it will be necessary to pay an additional fee of $20.00 (includes the copyright registration fee plus the cost of two positive copies to be deposited in the Library of Congress). This decision must be made before depositing the dissertation in the Mina Rees Library. A copyright page (a sample is included in Appendix R) must be included in every copy only if you intend to have it copyrigh-ted.

6. The Ph.D. degree requirements are considered met on the date the dissertation is deposited in the Mina Rees Library and all fees paid. Students delinquent in their accounts with any division of the University will not be granted the degree. The degree is awarded on October 1, February 1, or on the date of the GC's annual commencement. Maintenance of matricula-tion is required for any semester during which the dissertation has not been deposited in time for the October 1, February 1, or annual commencement date graduation, respectively. If the dissertation has not been deposited by these dates, individual exten-sions up to the first day of classes may be granted by the GC Provost.

Diplomas will be prepared for distribution only at the University's commencement. At any time after depositing the dissertation, the student may request from the Registrar an interim certificate testifying to the completion of the degree requirements.

EDITORIAL REQUIREMENTS - Please refer to the "Instructions for Preparing the Ph.D. Dissertation" which will be sent to you by the Registrar at the time of advancement to candidacy.