Doctoral Handbook

Part IIIb

Section 3: Program Profiles and Policies (cont'd)

Advanced Report

4.    Submit an Advanced Report that has been approved by your Dissertation Committee (A&HG 6501, A&HG 7501).   The preliminary may be developed during 6501 and the advanced during 7501.  It must be presented formally to the faculty and students during doctoral seminar.  Below is a general format:

Advanced Report Format

Acknowledging that each dissertation should be an original document, reflective of its topic and author, the following format provides a template for the Advanced report.  The final product should e planned and written in consultation with your Dissertation Sponsor, with feedback from other faculty and peers. Length of each major section will vary; number of pages are offered only to give an idea of departmental expectations.

Cover Sheet
Table of Contents (with page numbers)

I.  Introduction (approximately 7-10 pages)
    Background/ Problem Statement
    Purpose Statement
    Rational or Need for the Study (optional)
    Theoretical Framework including Graphic representation
    Plan of Research (for data collection study)
        Includes major research questions and brief overview of method
        OR ALTERNATIVELY
        Outline of Method (for curricular development study)
        Including plan for formative and summative evaluation
    Delimitations (optional)
    Definition of Terms (optional)
    Plan for remaining chapters

II. Literature Review (approximately 15-25 pages)
    Brief Overview
Remainder of Review should be organized by headings.  Think about linking theoretical framework and/or research questions to Lit Review headings
Note: There will be changes needed in the Literature Review as the design (and possibly, results) of your study unfold.

III. Methodology (approximately 7-10 pages)
    Overview
    Research Approach (optional if addressed in Overview)
    Pilot Study (optional, recommended)
    Participants and Setting
    Instrumentation
    Data Collection/Procedures
Plan of Analysis: List research questions and describe what data and analytical techniques you will use to answer each question.

OR ALTERNATIVELY

III. Curriculum Prototype
    Overview (include scope of curriculum)
    Curricular Approach
    Curricular Content
    Prototype
If your research includes subjects, you will need approval from IRB (Institutional Review Board).  You must be complete a certificate of approval and then you must file an IRB proposal.


Planning, preparing and scheduling your dissertation oral defense:


The Dissertation Oral Defense is the culminating activity of your doctoral study, and must be carefully planned with your dissertation sponsor.  During the semester you expect to defend, it is important to allow for sufficient time for preparation of the final document.  In addition, it is critical to provide enough time for your sponsor and other committee members to read and respond to final drafts of the document.  While it is acknowledged that each dissertation writer and sponsor will develop unique ways of collaborating, the following is a realistic schedule for the semester you expect to schedule your dissertation defense.

1.    At the beginning of the semester, you should have a draft of all of the chapters of the dissertation.  Several of these chapters are likely to be similar to material in your advanced report.  Other chapters will be new and some may have already been read by your dissertation sponsor and the second member of your dissertation committee.
2.    You should immediately seek feedback from your sponsor for chapters that have not been previously reviewed.
3.    No later than October 15th in the fall semester and March 1st in the spring semester, you should submit a complete penultimate draft of the complete dissertation to your sponsor.  Failure to meet this deadline will prohibit you from scheduling a defense during that semester.  This draft should represent your best work and should be carefully edited and follow APA guidelines.  Your sponsor may request at this time that you also submit this draft to your second committee member for review.
4.    You should expect your sponsor (and committee member) to review the draft and return it to you within three weeks, or not later than November 10th in the fall semester or March 25th in the spring semester.
5.    If your sponsor and committee member agree that your document is ready to be defended, you should make any revisions suggested by your sponsor and committee member and, with your sponsor’s approval, distribute the dissertation “defense draft” to your defense committee.  Your entire committee must have the document at least three weeks prior to the date of your defense.


Scheduling your defense with the Office of Doctoral Studies (ODS)

All dissertation defenses must be scheduled through ODS and it is important that you develop a good working relationship with that office at the College.   Prior to the semester you are planning to defend you should be certified.  Once you have completed the required courses and four certification projects, you should make sure that the Coordinator of the Music Program completes the Certification Documents and forwards them to ODS.

At the beginning of the semester you plan to defend you must submit the Notification of “Intention to Defend the Ed.D. Dissertation”  form to ODS.   Typically, you will list only your sponsor and the second committee member on this form.  This form is signed by your sponsor and submitted during the registration period of that semester.

You should work closely with ODS and your sponsor to make sure that your defense is scheduled.  As the semester proceeds you and your sponsor should identify and nominate two additional dissertation defense committee members for your committee.  One of the four dissertation defense committee members must be a faculty member from outside the Music Program.  All dissertation defense committees must be approved by the Dean’s office, so identifying the two additional committee members should be done early in the semester.   Often, it is challenging to schedule a two-hour time period for the four dissertation defense committee members to meet for the defense.  Once the defense committee is appointed scheduling a defense should be done as soon as possible.
 

Continuous Registration

Students who were fully admitted to the degree program after September 1, 1982 are required to be in continuous enrollment for a minimum of three points in a Teachers College course, or for the dissertation advisement course (Dept. Code &  8900), in each Autumn and Spring Term, starting with the term following successful completion of the certification examination or following the term in which the dissertation proposal was approved in a departmental hearing, whichever occurs first, and continuing until all requirements for the degree are met.  Enrollment is also required during a Summer Term or periods of time when the College is not in session, when permission has been granted to schedule the oral defense on the dissertation.  Certification examinations for students who take the examination in the Summer Term are not usually evaluated by departments and programs until the Autumn Term.  Consequently, these students will not be obligated for continuous enrollment until the following Spring Term.
The obligation for continuous registration ends after the dissertation has received final approval by the Office of Doctoral Studies.  Students have until one month into the term after the date of the oral examination to deposit in the Office of Doctoral Studies the final copies without reregistration.  Anyone depositing after this date resumes obligation for continuous registration until the final deposit is made. The fee for the dissertation advisement course (Dept. Code &  8900) is equivalent to three points of the current tuition rate for each Autumn Term and Spring Term or for a Summer Term when special permission has been given to schedule an oral examination.  It is payable during the registration period.  Dissertation advisement does not carry points of course credit.  The fee is necessary in order that the student may pay an equitable portion of the costs of the expensive process of advisement.


Faculty Advisor and Sponsor

When you first arrive at the College, you will be assigned a faculty advisor based on your stated interests and goals.   This is the person at the College who will help you select courses and plan your doctoral program.  Your advisor will help you decide which credits from your previous graduate work will transfer into your doctoral program at TC.  If after taking some courses at the College, you find that you have developed an interest in another faculty members’ work, you may switch advisors.  You should approach your new potential advisor and request that you join his or her doctoral advisee group.  If the faculty member is agreeable, you should be sure to inform both the Music Office and your former advisor of the change.

Your dissertation sponsor is the faculty member who will be your primary guide for your dissertation work.  It may be the faculty member who is your advisor, or it may be another faculty member whose work and area of interest is more closely related to your dissertation.  Sponsors are usually a music faculty member.  You should approach a faculty member and formally request that they serve as your dissertation sponsor.  This is generally done while you are preparing the preliminary proposal for your dissertation, which is usually completed while you are enrolled in Doctoral Seminar (A&HM 6501). 


Enrollment Status

Once you begin your doctoral work in the Music Program at Teachers College, you are expected to be engaged in that work as a matriculated student during the academic year (both Fall and Spring semesters) until you have finished your degree. This continuous enrollment policy, is in effect except for semesters when you are working on your dissertation and your dissertation sponsor is on sabbatical.  The progress of each doctoral student is reviewed by the music faculty each year.  Failure to make satisfactory progress toward your degree may result in being asked to leave the Program.

Early in your doctoral study, the continuous enrollment requirement is usually met by enrolling in courses.  As you progress and focus more on your dissertation, you are expected to enroll in a minimum of two points each semester that you are seeking support from your dissertation sponsor, or other faculty member, to develop your dissertation proposal and proceed with your dissertation project.  This minimum enrollment requirement may be met by taking a course at the College, enrolling in Doctoral/Dissertation Seminar (A&HM6501/7501), or registering for an Independent Study with your sponsor.

Should it be necessary to take a hiatus from your dissertation work, you are expected to enroll for zero points in IND 6000, Doctoral Candidate.  The decision to take a hiatus must be approved by your dissertation sponsor.  During a semester that you are enrolled in IND 6000, you will be able to maintain you status as a doctoral student and have access to the College’s computer resources and library resources.  While enrolled in IND 6000 students are able to have only minimal contact with a dissertation sponsor.  IND 6000 students should not expect to receive guidance from their dissertation sponsor or other faculty members.

You should note that once a doctoral student is certified (passes all four sections of the doctoral certification examination), College policy requires doctoral students to be registered for a minimum of three points each fall and spring semester.  Enrolling in Dissertation Advisement (A&HM 8900) fulfills this requirement.


Developing an effective working relationship with your Sponsor

During your doctoral work, particularly the dissertation phrase, it is important to develop a good working relationship with your faculty sponsor.  Ultimately, that relationship will be unique with each faculty member and student.  Faculty members are interested in supporting your dissertation work and have chosen to work at a place like Teachers College because they are committed to assisting students earn advanced degrees.  The following guidelines are provided to assist you in understanding and developing effective strategies to use when working with your dissertation sponsor:

1.    During the academic year, faculty members serving as dissertation sponsors are available to work with you closely on your project.  The one exception to this guideline is when a faculty member is on sabbatical.  During sabbatical leaves faculty are not available to work with their dissertation students and students are not required to register during the period of their sponsor’s sabbatical.
2.    During the summer, faculty members may be available.  If a dissertation sponsor is teaching courses during the summer, he or she may be available to provide some guidance for dissertation students, but because of the intensity of summer teaching schedules this is not an ideal time to expect intensive support from your dissertation sponsor.  One way to insure a faculty member’s support in the summer is to enroll in Doctoral or Dissertation Seminar.  Remember that the faculty member assigned to teach the Seminars in the summer might not be your dissertation sponsor.  It may be that your sponsor will agree to work with you during the summer.  If you have arranged to work with your sponsor during the summer, you should be registered for a minimum of two points.
3.    You should not expect faculty members to be available when they are not teaching.  If a faculty member is not teaching in the summer or in part of the summer, you should not expect the faculty member to work with you on your dissertation.  You should not expect faculty members to work with you on your dissertation during periods when the College is not offering instruction, such as between the fall and spring semesters and during most of August.  (“Working with you on your dissertation”, includes reading drafts of proposals or chapters, as well as responding to emails, phone calls, or meeting with you).
4.    You need to develop reasonable expectations about how quickly faculty and review materials that you submit to them.  Faculty members have a variety of responsibilities including teaching, their own scholarship, and service to the College and professional community. 
a.    Turnaround time is minimally one week for documents of three pages or less, two weeks for anything over three pages. 
b.    Before you turn in paper for a faculty member to read, have a friend or an editor read it through to make sure your ideas are clearly articulated.
c.    Drafts should be dated and include pages numbers.  They should be double-spaced.
d.    Consult the APA manual and ODS guidelines (for doctoral dissertations – they are online under “Student Resources/ Office of Doctoral Studies / Forms and Brochures”) for rules concerning formatting issues such as Headings.
e.    It is helpful for you to indicate any specific questions or aspects of the work on which you would like the faculty member to focus.
f.    Dissertation and project advisement should occur during scheduled appointments with your advisor/sponsor.  Providing a faculty member with a document you wish to discuss a week or more in advance of a meeting will help make meetings more productive.
g.    Doctoral students should submit a final version of your preliminary proposal to your dissertation sponsor at least one week before your scheduled presentation in Doctoral/Dissertation seminar. 
h.    Advanced Proposals must be ready for final review by your dissertation sponsor several weeks before your scheduled presentation in Doctoral/Dissertation seminar.  Advanced Proposals must be approved by your dissertation sponsor before they are distributed to other faculty members.  All faculty members attending your Advanced Proposal Presentation must have a final copy of the Advanced Proposal at least one week before the presentation in the Doctoral/Dissertation seminar.. 

Dissertation Advisory Committee

Each dissertation is guided and supervised by a committee of two or more faculty members, one of whom serves as Sponsor and another as the Committee Member (also referred to as "Second Reader"). The Sponsor is often the candidate's major advisor but may be another professor. Additional members of the faculty may serve as consultants and may be asked to attend the dissertation conferences even though they are not members of the committee. In addition, outside consultants may be invited to serve in an honorary-advisory position in conferences, and attend the final hearing. A petition must be made to the Office of Doctoral Studies justifying the selection of the outside reader and showing their competency to serve in this capacity. Under the guidance of their Sponsor, the candidate must ask each professor of their willingness to serve as a committee member or consultant.
A proposal hearing is held with the student and members of the Dissertation Committee present; hearings most often are conducted during the doctoral seminar. The Dissertation Committee comes into existence officially when the Music Program's approval of the dissertation proposal is reported to the Office of Doctoral Studies. It is the candidate's responsibility to keep committee members informed of progress and to consult them on problems that arise.

Post-Certification

Having passed the Certification examination, students are required to be in continuous enrollment for a minimum of three points in a Teachers College Course or the Dissertation Advisement Course, A&HG 8900, during the fall and spring Semesters. Enrollment is also required in a Summer Term or periods of time when the College is not in session if permission has been given to schedule an oral defense of the dissertation.

While working on their dissertations students are advised to establish regular meeting times with their major advisor or sponsor when work can be reviewed, critiqued and discussed. This kind of ongoing review process is not only intellectually healthy, but it allows work to be produced in a timely way and problems to be addressed before they become serious.

The Dissertation

The dissertation offered in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ed.D. in the College Teaching of Music may take one of several forms. It may be a research study, a scholarly compilation of resources for teaching, or the application of a scholarly, artistic, scientific or professional analysis, research or experimentation. It may also be the creation or preparation of materials of educational or other significance, or the design and application of a policy or program in an education setting. In addition, candidates for the doctoral degree in College Teaching of Music may choose to offer a body of work or performance accompanied by a substantive written document giving a full description and scholarly rationale for the work submitted. In all cases, the dissertation must demonstrate the candidate's competence in their academic-artistic discipline, competence in scholarly method and analysis, capacity for rigorous and original thought, and the ability to carry forward and sustain ideas and express them with clarity.

A Doctoral Candidate, who plans to distribute a questionnaire, or use a similar instrument in connection with their dissertation, must first secure permission from their advisor and then official permission from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). In addition, students intending to use statistics as part of their research must demonstrate their competence in statistics by passing one or more of the following courses: HUDM 4122 Probability and Statistics Inference, HUDM 5123 Experimental Design, or HUDM5122 Applied Regression Analysis, or by passing the statistics examination.

Final Oral Defense

After candidates have received consent from their Dissertation Committee that their work is ready for defense, they must complete the form Notification of Intention to Defend the Ed.D. Dissertation. This form must be returned to the Office of Doctoral Studies prior to the end of the late registration period for the term in which the final oral defense is scheduled.

Usually, oral examinations are held in the autumn and spring terms and only in very exceptional circumstances during the summer. Students and Sponsor must secure two additional members whose specializations are related to the subject of the dissertation to serve as readers. One member of the Examination Committee must be outside the student's department. The Office of Doctoral Studies will appoint one of the readers as the Chair of the Examination Committee. The candidate must submit copies of the draft of the dissertation to each member of the Examination Committee at least three weeks before the date set for the oral defense. The committee consists of: sponsor, 2nd reader, 3rd reader and one person outside of department.

The purpose of the defense is to determine the overall acceptability of the dissertation and to assess the need for revisions prior to the preparation of the final copy. If the Examination Committee agrees by majority vote that the dissertation is acceptable, or acceptable with minor changes approved by the Sponsor, the candidate may proceed with the final copy. Major revisions need the approval of the Sponsor and one other member of the Examination Committee designated at the time of the oral examination. If the dissertation is judged unsatisfactory, the candidate may, with the permission of the Ed.D. Committee, request another examination.

Award of the Degree


When all degree requirements have been met, including course certification and continuous registration, and when three copies of the final form of the dissertation and five copies of the abstract have been deposited with the Office of Doctoral Studies, the candidate must then arrange for microfilming of the dissertation and also make certain that all records are complete and in good order. The Ed.D. Committee will only recommend to the registrar that the degree of doctor of education in music education or in college teaching of music be conferred if it finds that the candidate has met all academic requirements satisfactorily. The Registrar makes the final review of all College and University requirements and authorizes the issuance of the degree. Degrees are awarded by the University in October, February, January, and May.
 

Timeline for Completion of Program

Admission

Secure admission through the Teachers College Admissions Office to the Music and Music Education program leading towards the Ed.D.

Major Advisor. Before you arrive on campus, if possible, secure the approval of a professor to work with you in your particular area of specialization.

First Year

Complete ASR (See attached)

Checklist. With your advisor complete the Checklist Review, so you can plan which areas of study or courses you need to take at the outset of your program.

Minimum Course Work. Complete at least three courses with evaluative grades, taken at Teachers College beyond the first level in order to be considered for the Doctoral Seminar.

By the Completion of 60 – 70 Points

Program Plan. Using the form available in the Office of Doctoral Studies (ODS), prepare a program plan in accordance with the requirements of the Music and Music Education Doctoral Degree Program. Obtain your advisor's written approval. This plan must be submitted to the Office of Doctoral Studies.

Statement of Total Program. State your plan for meeting the residency requirements on the appropriate departmental form, ask your advisor to indicate approval by signing it, then file in the Office of Doctoral Studies.

By the Completion of 75 Points

Departmental Dissertation Conference. To review and accept the proposal or suggest revisions.

Fifteen points should remain following awarding of the certification to support your dissertation work.

Upon Completion of Coursework

Continuous Registration. This must be for a minimum of three points each Fall/Spring semester until the dissertation is completed.

To Complete the Dissertation Process

Oral Defense. Collect and complete application forms from the O.D.S., set date for the defense with all faculty on committee, confirm, and submit to O.D.S.

Make revisions as required by committee

Final Oral Defense copies of dissertation and abstract delivered to the O.D.S.

Copies of dissertation and abstract delivered to O.D.S.

Final corrected copies of dissertation submitted to O.D.S.

Graduation

All degrees and certificates are awarded in October, February and May. Degrees are conferred by the President of the University at the annual commencement in May.