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Students in doctoral programs must demonstrate evidence of a high degree of scholarship, competence in scholarly exposition and ability to select, organize and apply knowledge through a dissertation. “Guidelines for Preparing the Dissertation” as developed and enhanced by the Graduate Faculty of Jackson State University, provides examples of best practices concerning format standards that must be met before it receives final approval by the Division of Graduate Studies.

Each student should obtain a copy of the “Guidelines for Preparing the Dissertation”.

Click here Committee Approval Form

Committee Approval Form

This form is essential for students who are writing a dissertation. It is established policy that the student selects his/her advisor with consent of the department chair. The advisor assists the student in the formation of a dissertation committee of at least four other graduate faculty members. This form documents the constitution of a student’s committee and approval of the student’s research proposal by the student’s committee.
The signatures of the committee members indicate their willingness to serve on your committee and their approval of the proposal. After all the signatures have been obtained, file this form with the Division of Graduate Studies.
Your committee and proposal must be approved BEFORE you start your research.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

If your proposed research involves human subjects, it must be approved by the Jackson State University Institutional Review Board, (IRB).
If your proposed research involves animals, it must be approved by the Jackson State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

A full explanation of the procedures and Federal Guidelines are available at the website of the JSU Office of Research Compliance.

Note: The Division of Graduate Studies does not mandate a specific format or style for the proposal. “Guidelines for Preparing the Doctoral Dissertation” give directions for the style of the dissertation. We suggest you follow the basic steps in preparing your proposal as practice.

Student’s Responsibility

Choosing a chairperson following the policies & guidelines of the major department.
Choosing the members of the dissertation committee in conjunction with the chairperson following the policies & guidelines of the major department.
Meeting with the chairperson and setting a schedule for completion of the dissertation in a timely manner.
Keeping on schedule.
Turning in all dissertation material to chairperson typed in correct format.
Knowing and meeting all deadlines.
Filing all forms in a timely manner.

Advisor and Committee’s Responsibility

It is the chairperson’s and committee members’ responsibility to know policies, rules, and regulations of both the Division of Graduate Studies and the major department relative to the dissertation process.

In addition the committee chair is also responsible for..

Ensuring that the student is aware of the rules, regulations and policies of the Division of Graduate Studies and the department.
Assisting the student in the formation of a committee.
Meeting with the student on a regular basis.
Keeping the scheduled appointments.
Ensuring that the student’s work is properly documented and not plagiarized.
Scheduling the prospectus hearing, if required, and the final defense of the dissertation.
Notifying the committee members and the Department chair of the place, time & date of the prospectus hearing.
Notifying the Graduate Dean, College Dean, Department chair and committee members of the place, time & date of the final defense.

Committee’s Responsibility

It is the committee members’ responsibility to …

Attend the prospectus hearing and final defense.
Read the student’s work throughout the writing process.
Provide written feedback for correcting and/or improving the dissertation.

Department Chair/Program Director’s Responsibility

It is the department chair/program director’s responsibility for knowing and enforcing policies, rules, and regulations of both the Division of Graduate Studies and department/program.

The chair/director is also responsible for....

Ensuring that the graduate faculty of the department/program know and adhere to the policies, rules and regulations of the Division of Graduate Studies.
Keeping the faculty abreast of rule, policy and procedure changes from the Division of Graduate Studies.
Serving as a liaison between the student and the advisor, if necessary.
Ensuring the dissertation advisor and all committee members are qualified to serve.

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Last Revised: October 2007