It is important to note that the committee has no chair. Since the position paper functions as an examination, there is no advisor. All three committee members have equal status.

Although the student may confer with the committee regarding the choice of topic and basic strategy of the paper, the student is expected to work alone on the paper. In this important sense, the position paper is to function as an examination and not as a dissertation proposal.

At the end of the 90 days, the student is to hand the paper in to the committee. The committee should work with the student to coordinate a date for the oral examination. On the date of the oral, the student should obtain the form that was filed with the doctoral program office and take it to the examination. Committee members sign the form regarding the outcome immediately following the examination.

The written and oral portions of the examination do not receive separate grades. ONLY ONE GRADE-pass, revise, or fail-is to be assigned following the oral. In the case of revisions, the student is given 30 days to revise the paper. The committee must agree on a single reader who will make a final determination regarding the outcome of the revised paper.

In the organizational behavior specialization, the first examination is comparable to a traditional comprehensive examination. It consists of a written and oral examination administered once a year by the specialization coordinator.
As is the case with traditional comprehensive examinations, the coordinator solicits questions from faculty members who taught specialization courses to the students. Each faculty member who submits a question is expected to grade students' answers to that question.

The coordinator compiles the scores on individual questions and determines the outcome of the written examination for each student. Students who pass the written, are given an oral examination by a committee whose membership is designated by the coordinator. Students who do not pass the written must take them again the following year.

In all specializations, students have two chances to pass the first examination. Failing the examination twice results in dismissal from the doctoral program.(Above information is adopted from Faculty Handbook)

The First Examination must be taken before the completion of 45 credits. The examination consists of (1) a research paper or a written examination and (2) an oral examination conducted by three members of the faculty. The choice of paper versus examination varies by specialization. In specializations that require a paper, the student selects a committee of three faculty members, at least two of whom must be members of the doctoral faculty, who approve the student's topic and offer guidance during the ninety-day period in which the student completes the paper. Following submission of the paper, the student sits for an oral examination before the three faculty members. Possible evaluations are "Acceptable," "Requires Revision" and "Unacceptable." Required revisions must be submitted within thirty days to the examining committee faculty member designated to render final judgment. An Unacceptable evaluation requires the student to write and submit a new paper. In specializations that require a written examination, the examination committee is established by the specialization coordinator. In both cases, the student has two opportunities to pass the first examination.

Comprehensives are offered once a semester in each area of specialization. The coordinator administers the examination. S/he collects questions from faculty members who have taught courses in areas to be covered by the exam and assembles the exam. Faculty grade answers to their own questions. The coordinator combines individual grades to determine whether each student passes or fails. S/he then schedules oral examinations and assembles an examination committee for students who pass the written.

Students have two chances to pass the comprehensive examination.(Above information is adopted from Faculty Handbook)

The Second Examination, conducted in the student's area of specialization, is in two parts: (1) a written examination or a research paper and (2) an oral examination, conducted by three faculty members from the student's area of specialization. The choice of research paper versus written examination varies by specialization. In specializations where the First Examination is a research paper, the Second Examination is a written examination. In both cases, the student has two opportunities to pass the second examination.

The Dissertation:

Committee membership: The dissertation committee must include at least three members.

Doctoral faculty requirements: The doctoral program in business requires that each dissertation committee include at least two members of the doctoral faculty. However, the Graduate Center requires that each committee include at three members of the doctoral faculty. In order to satisfy this more stringent requirement in cases where a student chooses a committee with two members of the doctoral faculty and a third member who is not on the doctoral faculty, the executive officer can appoint the third person to the doctoral faculty on a limited basis for the purpose of serving on that particular dissertation committee.

Outside member requirements: One member of the committee must be from outside of the specialization. This member can be from another department within Baruch, from the Graduate Center or from an institution outside of CUNY. However, in cases where the outside person is from outside of CUNY, that person cannot be appointed to the doctoral faculty in order to satisfy the Graduate Center's rule regarding the minimum of three doctoral faculty. Thus the committee must include a fourth member-someone from within CUNY who can be appointed on a temporary basis to serve as the third member of the doctoral faculty.

Proposal Presentation: Students must make public presentations of their proposals. All members of the student's dissertation committee must be present at this public presentation and must sign a form to that effect. Generally, the area coordinator schedules the proposal presentation at the advisor's request and invites all students and faculty in the department.

In order to facilitate attendance by students and faculty, the public proposal presentation cannot be scheduled during the summer months.

Dissertation Defense: The student should notify the doctoral program office three weeks prior to the dissertation defense so that the office can, in turn, notify the Graduate Center. As of 2001, all dissertation defenses are to be open to the public. However, they may be scheduled during the summer.

The defense can have one of four possible outcomes: pass, fail, major revisions, minor revisions. The entire committee must review and sign off on major revisions whereas the advisor alone reviews minor revisions. (Above information is adopted from Faculty Handbook).

A Student must complete a dissertation consisting of original research. After passing the Second Examination, a student must make a public presentation of his or her dissertation proposal, and upon approval of the proposal, the student is advanced to candidacy. A faculty committee composed of a dissertation chair and at least two other members advises the student during the research and conducts an oral examination. Outcomes are "Passed as presented," "Passed with minor revisions," "Passed with major revisions," or "Failed." At least three members of the dissertation committee must be members of the program's doctoral faculty. At least one member must be from outside the department of the student's specialization.