DOCTORALPROGRAMHANDBOOK2015-2016

LastupdatedFebruary17,2016

BIOMEDICALINFORMATICSUniversityofNebraskaOmaha

6001DodgeStreetPKI172

402/554-2380www.ist.unomaha.edu/phd-bmi

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Contents Overview.........................................................................................................................................3CourseRequirements......................................................................................................................4

CoreCourses...............................................................................................................................4MajorFieldofStudy....................................................................................................................4Research.....................................................................................................................................5CognateField..............................................................................................................................5Colloquia.....................................................................................................................................5Dissertation.................................................................................................................................5

IndependentResearchCourses......................................................................................................6IndependentResearchCourseApproval....................................................................................6IndependentResearchGrades....................................................................................................6SpecialTopicsCourses................................................................................................................6

CollegeRoundTables......................................................................................................................7QualityofWorkRequirement.........................................................................................................7

AutomaticDismissal....................................................................................................................7ProbationorDismissal................................................................................................................7

ResidencyRequirement..................................................................................................................8TeachingRequirement....................................................................................................................8ProgressReport...............................................................................................................................9TimeLimitforCompletionofDegree..............................................................................................9LeaveofAbsence............................................................................................................................9SupervisoryCommittee.................................................................................................................10AdmissiontoCandidacyRequirements.........................................................................................11

ComprehensiveExamination....................................................................................................11ApplicationforAdmissiontoCandidacy...................................................................................12

DissertationandFinalExamination...............................................................................................13DissertationCredits..................................................................................................................13SchedulingDissertationDefense..............................................................................................13CompletingGraduationRequirements.....................................................................................14

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Overview ThisHandbookprovidesasummaryoftheessentialelementsofthedoctoralBMIprogram.TheHandbookisnotareplacementforrequirementsspecifiedinthegraduatecatalog,butinsteadhelpstointerpretandsupplementthem.StudentsaresubjecttotherequirementsoftheOfficeofGraduateStudiesandtheCollegeofInformationScienceandTechnologyasdetailedintheGraduateCatalogavailablethroughtheOfficeofGraduateStudiesWebsiteathttp://www.unomaha.edu/registrar/catalog.php.StudentsshouldpaycloseattentiontothepaperworkanddeadlinesrequiredbytheGraduateOffice,e.g.,filingforcandidacyanddegreecompletion.Itisthestudent’sresponsibilitytofileappropriateformswithinthedeadlinesspecifiedbytheGraduateOffice.ThedoctoralBMIprogramrequires90credithoursbeyondabaccalaureatedegreeandconsistsofcommonrequiredfoundation/corecoursestoincludedoctoralseminarsandcolloquia,amajorfieldofstudy,andacognatefieldofstudyinarelateddiscipline.ThedoctoralBMIprogramisdividedintofourphasesfromastudent'sperspective:foundation/corecoursework,major-field-of-study/researchcoursework,additionalelectivecourseworkinanassociatedcognate-field-of-study(asadvisedbythestudent'ssupervisorycommittee),anddoctoralresearchanddissertation.ImportantNote:Undergraduatecourses,eithertakenatUNOoratotheruniversitieswillNOTcountascreditstowardsthePh.D.degree.CoursestakenatUNOnumbered8**5willNOTbecountedascredittowardsthePh.D.degree.

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Course Requirements

Core Courses Amaximumof24credithoursofgraduatecourseworkcanbetransferredfromcoursestakeninagraduateprogrampriortoadmissionintothePh.D.inBMIprogramatUNO.Allsuchcredittransfersmustbeapprovedbythedoctoralprogramcommitteeaspartofthestudent'splanofstudy.Aspartofthecorecourserequirement,studentsmusteithertakeBMI8100IntroductiontoBiomedicalInformaticsfor3creditsoraGPCapprovedequivalentcourse.

Major Field of Study 18hoursselectedfromthelistbeloworSharedMajor-Field-of-Studycourses.Courseworkinthemajorfieldofstudyprovidesstudentstheadvancedstudyneededtodevelopanin-depthknowledgeoftheirchosenfieldofresearch.Atleast9hoursmustbein9000-levelcourses.Theremainingcoursesshouldincludeatleast3hoursfrom8000-levelgraduate-onlycourses,andatmostonly6hoursofcross-listed8xx6courses.BioinformaticsTrackBMI8866 BioinformaticsAlgorithmsBMI8896 GeneticSequenceAnalysisBMI9050 AdvancedAlgorithmicGraphTheoryBMI9200 AdvancesinBiomedicalTechnologyBMI9900 AdvancedResearchinBiomedicalInformaticsCSCI8156 GraphTheoryandApplicationsCSCI8456 IntroductiontoArtificialIntelligenceCSCI8876 DatabaseSearchandPatternDiscovery HealthInformaticsTrackBMI8400 ClinicalSystemsArchitectureandFunctionBMI8500 ReadingsinClinicalInformaticsISQA8060 ResearchMethodsinManagementInformationSystemsISQA8106 InformationSystemsArchitectureandOrganizationISQA8196 ProcessRe-engineeringwithInformationTechnologyISQA8220 AdvancedSystemsAnalysisandDesignISQA8736 DecisionSupportSystemsISQA8810 ITProjectManagement SharedMajor-Field-of-StudyBMI8080 SeminarinBiomedicalInformaticsBMI8300 PublicHealthGenomicsBMI8850 BiomedforNonmedicalProfessionalsBMI9980 IndependentResearchinBiomedicalInformaticsCIST9900 Seminar:Human-ComputerInteractionResearchISQA8410 DatabaseManagementISQA8700 DataWarehousingTheoryandPractice

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ISQA9020 TechnicalandProcessingIssuesinInformationSystemsISQA9030 BehavioralandOrganizationalIssuesinInformationSystems

Research 18hoursrequiredforallstudentsfromthelistbelow:CIST9080 ResearchDirectionsinInformationTechnologyISQA8156 AdvancedStatisticalMethodsforITISQA8160 AppliedDistribution-FreeStatisticsISQA8340 AppliedRegressionAnalysisISQA9010 FoundationsofInformationSystemsResearch(Required)ISQA9120 AppliedExperimentalDesignISQA9130 AppliedMultivariateAnalysis

Cognate Field 9hoursfromgraduatecourses(8000orhigher)intheareasofBiology,InformationSystemsandQuantitativeAnalysis,InformationAssurance,Neuroscience,PublicHeath,ComputerScience,orPathology,determinedwithfacultyadvisement.

Colloquia 3hoursrequiredforallstudentsfromthelistbelow.Theyareofferedconsecutivelyduringonesemester:CIST9040 ColloquiumonITResearch(1hour)CIST9050 ColloquiumonITTeaching(1hour)CIST9060 ColloquiumonITProfession(1hour)

Dissertation Thedissertationisanoriginalresearchprojectconductedandwrittenunderthedirectionofthefacultydissertationcommittee(supervisorycommittee).Aminimumof18hoursfromthelistbelow:CIST9990 Dissertation

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Independent Research Courses DoctoralstudentscantaketheindependentstudycourseBMI9980IndependentResearchinBMIfor1-3credithourstogainspecificknowledgeinanareanotcoveredbyaregulargraduatecourse.AUNOfacultymembermustsuperviseallsuchindependentstudycourses.Independentstudycoursesusuallydonothaveregularmeetingtimesorlectureslikeconventionalcourses.Theyareprimarilyself-study,research-orientedcoursesfacilitatedbymeetingsbetweenthestudentandthesupervisingfacultymember.

Independent Research Course Approval Inthesemesterprecedingtheoneduringwhichtheindependentresearchcoursewillbetaken,thestudentandthesupervisingfacultymembermustsubmitanindependentstudyproposalformtothedoctoralprogramcommitteechairforreviewbythedoctoralprogramcommittee.Afterthedoctoralcommitteeapprovestheindependentstudyproposal,thestudentcanregisterfortheindependentstudycourse.Studentsarenotallowedtoregisterfortwodifferentindependentstudycoursesunderthesamefacultymemberduringthesamesemester.

Independent Research Grades Thefacultymembersupervisingtheindependentresearchshouldsubmitthegradeforthestudentviaemailtothedoctoralcommitteechairbeforetheendofthesemester.IndependentstudycoursesextendingbeyondonesemestercanbegivenanIP(inprogress)gradebythesupervisingfacultymember.Normallythereisnotimelimitforgraduatestudentstoremoveanincomplete.However,theinstructordoeshavetheoptionofdeterminingtherequirementsforcompletingthecourseandrequisitedateforremovalofincompletes.Itishelpfultohavetheserequirementsinwritingtoensurethereisnomiscommunicationbetweentheinstructorandstudent.

Special Topics Courses Specialtopiccoursesaredesignedtoacquaintstudentswithissuescurrenttothefieldoremergingtrends,andaresimilartoconventionalcourseswithregular,weeklymeetingtimes.Specialtopicscoursesmustbeapprovedbythedoctoralprogramcommitteebeforeschedulingbythefacultymemberofferingthespecialtopicscourse.

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College Round Tables

TheCollegeofIS&Thostsregularresearchpresentationsbyfaculty,researchersandindustryprofessionals.Thesesessionsgivestudentsanopportunitytonetworkwithresearchers,becomefamiliarwithavarietyoftopicsandresearchmethods,andexposetheirownideasindiscussionwithpresenters.Studentsareexpectedtoattendtheseroundtablemeetings, andattendancewillbetaken.Roundtablepresentersoftenhaveseparatemeetingswithgraduatestudents,anddoctoralstudentsshouldplantoattendthesemeetingsinadditiontotheactualroundtablepresentation.

Quality of Work Requirement InadditiontomaintainingaGPAof3.0orbetterinallcoursework,doctoralstudentsmustobtainagradeofBorbetterinanyoftherequiredcourses.Anystudentfailinggraderequirementswillbepreventedfromtakingthecomprehensiveexaminationand/ordismissedfromtheprogram.

Automatic Dismissal Graduatestudentsareexpectedtodoworkofhighcaliber.Failuretodosowillresultindismissal.Inparticular,thefollowingwillresultinautomaticdismissalfromthedegreeorcertificateprogram:

• Receivingagradeof"C-"(1.67ona4.0scale)orbelowinanycoursetakeninthestudent'smajorfieldofstudyorinanycourseincludedintheplanofstudyorprogramofstudy;

• TheDoctoralCommitteemay,undersomecircumstances,recommenddismissalofastudentfromthegraduateprogrameventhoughqualityofworkstandardshavebeenmaintained.Groundsfordismissalcouldinclude,butarenotlimitedto:

o failuretobeacceptedbyanappropriatethesisordissertationadviserwithinstipulatedtimelimitations;

o failuretomaketimelyprogresstowardthedegreeorcertificate;o failuretoperformincoursework,qualifyingexaminationorresearchatan

acceptablelevel

Probation or Dismissal TheDoctoralProgramCommitteewillrecommendthattheDeanforGraduateStudieseitherdismiss,orplaceonprobationwithconditionsforreinstatementasastudentingoodstanding,inthefollowingcases:

• AGradeof"C+"(2.33ona4.0scale)orbelowinanycourseinvolvedinthefirst12hoursofgraduatestudyforprovisionallyadmittedstudents;

• Receivingatleastninehoursofgraduatecreditwiththegradeof"C+"(2.33ona4.0scale)orbelowinanycoursestakeninthestudent'smajorfieldofstudyorinany

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coursesincludedintheplanofstudyformaster'sorspecialist'sdegreesorgraduatecertificates,regardlessoftheaverage;

• Receivingatleastsixhoursofgraduatecreditwiththegradeof"C+"(2.33ona4.0scale)orbelowinanycoursestakeninthestudent'smajorfieldofstudyorinanycoursesincludedintheprogramofstudyfordoctoraldegrees,regardlessoftheaverage;

• Failuretomaintaina"B"(3.0ona4.0scale)averageinallgraduateworktakenaspartofthedegreeorcertificateprogram.

Residency Requirement Allfull-timedoctoralstudentsmustcomplete24hourswithin18monthsinordertomeettheresidencyrequirementoftheUniversity.Part-timestudentsmustcomplete18hoursduringthesameperiod.Theresidencyrequirementensuresthatprogresstowardthedegreeoccurswithinareasonablycompacttimeframe,enablingthedoctoralstudenttointegratetheircourseworkwiththedissertation.

Teaching Requirement

AllPh.D.studentsarerequiredtoteachatleastONEcourse/labwhilestudyingintheprogram.Studentswhoareassignedtoteachacoursewillbedesignatedastheinstructorforasectionofthecourse,andwillbetrainedandevaluatedbyamentorbeforeteachingthecourse.MethodofAllocation:Thestepstobeingallocatedasateachingassistantforacourseare:

• ThestudentwillinformtheDPCchairabouttheplantoteachacoursealongwithalistofpreferredcourses.

• Ifthestudentisteachingacourseforthefirsttime,thisinformationshouldbesentTWOsemestersbeforethesemesterinwhichtheplannedcourseisintendedtobeoffered.

• Ifthestudenthastaughtthecourseinthepast,thisinformationshouldbesentONEsemesterbeforethesemesterinwhichtheplannedcourseisintendedtobeoffered.

• TheDPCchairwillconsultwiththeunitchairsresponsibleforcourseschedulingtodeterminetheneedofinstructorsfordifferentcoursestomakeasuitableallocation.

• Thestudentwillundergomentorshipunderthefacultymemberresponsibleforteachingthecoursebyattendingthelecturesanddoingadditionaldutiesasdeterminedbythementor,ONEsemesterBEFOREthesemesterinwhichtheplannedcoursewillbeoffered.

Thestudentwillbeassignedasaninstructorfortheplannedcourse,if,afterundergoingthementorship,thementordeterminesthestudentissuitableforteachingthecourse.

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Progress Report Attheendofeachsemester,everydoctoralstudent(full-timeorpart-time)mustcompletetheProgressReportFormandsubmitittotheDirectoroftheDoctoralCommittee.AnelectroniccopyofthisformisavailableonthePhDWebsiteathttp://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-information-science-and-technology/phd-it/current-students/forms.php.

Time Limit for Completion of Degree

AminimumofthreefullyearsofgraduatestudyisnormallyrequiredtocompleteaprogramforthedegreeofDoctorofPhilosophy.ThetimelimitongrantingthePhDdegreeistenyearsfromthetimeoffilingthestudent'sprogramofstudyintheOfficeofGraduateStudies.Neitherthecoursestakennorthetimespentinstudydeterminesthegrantingofthedegree.Itisgivenprimarilyforhighattainmentinsomespecialfieldofscholarshipandfordemonstratedpowerofindependentresearchinasubdivisionofthisfield.Studentsnotmakingsatisfactoryprogresswillbecounseledoutoftheprogram.

Leave of Absence

Underextraordinarycircumstances,e.g.,medicalproblems,astudentmayrequestaleaveofabsencefromtheprogramforaperiodofnomorethanoneyear.Therequestmustbesubmittedtoandapprovedbythestudent’ssupervisorycommitteeand/orDoctoralProgramCommittee.TherequestshouldincludenecessarymodificationstothePlanofStudyasaresultoftheleave.Theleaveofabsencestopstheclockforthetotaltimerequiredfortheprogramandthetimerequiredtomeettheresidencyrequirement.Ifastudentwithdrawsmid-semesterandisapprovedforaleaveofabsence,theclockstartsatthebeginningofthefollowingsemester.Astudentdoesnothavetomeettheresidencyrequirementinordertoapplyforaleaveofabsence.Ifastudentdoesnotreturntotheprogramwithintheoneyearapprovedleaveofabsence,thenthestudentmustsubmitanapplicationtoreapplytotheprogram.Readmissiontotheprogramisnotguaranteedatthatpoint.PleaserefertotheUNOGraduateCatalogforthecompletepolicyonaleaveofabsence.

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Supervisory Committee

Foreachdoctoralstudent,theDeanofGraduateStudieswillappointasupervisorycommittee(alsocalledtheFormalDissertationCommittee).Thesupervisorycommittee:

• Shallbeformallyestablishedaftercompletingatleast18credithoursofcourseworkorbeforeadoctoralstudentbeginsthelast45credithoursoftheirprogramofstudy(whichevercomesfirst)inthedoctoralprogram.

• Shallhaveresponsibilityfortheplanningandsupervisionofthestudent’sdoctoralprogramincoordinationwiththeBMIDoctoralProgramCommittee,includingthedevelopmentofthecomprehensiveexam,defenseofthedoctoraldissertationproposal,approvalofthecompleteddissertation,andthefinaloralexamination.

• ShallhaveatleastfourGraduateFacultymembers,oneofwhommustbefromoutsidethestudent’sacademicdepartment/schoolorareainwhichthedoctorateistobegranted.ThechairofthesupervisorycommitteemustbeamemberoftheGraduateFaculty.InadditiontotheminimumrequirementoffourGraduateFacultymembers,othereligiblepersonsmayberecommendedbytheDoctoralProgramCommitteeforappointmentbytheDeantothesupervisorycommittee,providedatleasttwo-thirdsofthemembershipofeachcommitteeisGraduateFaculty.

• Shallberegulatedintheirresponsibilities,procedures,andactionsbytherulesandbylawsoftheUNOGraduateCollegeasestablishedintheUNOGraduateBulletin.

• ShallmeetwithinthesamesemesterofitsappointmenttodesignateandsubsequentlyfileintheOfficeofGraduateStudiesacompleteprogramofstudies,includinganylanguageorresearchtoolrequirements(ifapplicable),andreadingcommittee.Thereadingcommitteeconsistsoftwomembersfromthesupervisorycommittee,excludingthechairofthecommittee.

• ShallapproveanysubsequentchangeintheProgramofStudyorinthedissertationtopic,andrecommendittotheDeanofGraduateStudies.

• CanbechangedafterformationbysubmittinganewAppointmentofSupervisoryCommitteeform.Allmembersoftheformersupervisorycommitteemustbeinformedofthechangeinthemembershipofthecommittee

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Admission to Candidacy Requirements

StudentswillfollowthegeneralcandidacyrequirementsfortheUNOGraduateCollege.Admissiontothedoctoralprogramdoesnotnecessarilyimplyadmissiontocandidacyforahigherdegree.Tobeadmittedtocandidacyforthedoctoratedegree,adoctoralstudentmust:• Successfullycompleteallcourseworkwithsatisfactorygrades• Passthecomprehensivewrittenandoralexaminations• Receivesupervisorycommitteeapprovaloftheirdissertationproposal

Comprehensive Examination Thecomprehensiveexaminationcanbetakenafterthestudenthascompletedallcourseworkaccordingtohisorherplanofstudyandformedasupervisorycommittee.Thecomprehensiveexamconsistsofawrittenpartthatteststhebreadthofastudent’sknowledge,andanoralpartthatteststhedepthofastudent’sknowledge.• BreadthComponent

Beforetakingthewrittenpartoftheexam,studentswillprovideaselectionof3-4topicsfromtheareascoveredintheBMI8100IntroductionofBiomedicalInformaticscourse.Theselectedtopicsshouldnothavesignificantoverlapwithinthemajorareaofstudygiveninthestudent’splanofstudy.ThetopicsshouldbeselectedsothattheyexpressabreadthintheareasinthecoredisciplinesofBiomedicalInformatics.Thedoctoralprogramcommitteewillidentifytwotopicsfromthesetoftopicsselectedbythestudentandinformthestudentinadvanceoftheexam.Thematerialrelatedtothetopicforpreparingforthecomprehensiveexam(e.g.,paperreadinglist)willalreadyhavebeenprovidedtothestudentwhenthestudenttooktheBMI8100course.Questionsontheselectedtopicsmaybesetbythefacultypresenter(s)ofthetopicinBMI8100.Answerswillalsobeevaluatedbythetopic’spresenter(s),eitherindividuallyorbyagroupoffacultymembersselectedbythetopic’spresenter(s).Alternatively,theDPCmaydecideonwhosetsandevaluatestheexam.

• DepthComponent

Forthedepthexamination,thestudentwillprepareanNSForNIHgrantstyleresearchproposalanddefendit.Thisexerciseiscalledaresearchproposal,notathesisproposal.Theproposalwillcovertheexpectedthesisarea,butitisnotinconceivablethatthethesiswilleventuallybeonanothertopic.Thedepthexamcannotbetakenwithoutsuccessfullypassingthebreadthexam.Thepurposeofthedepthexamistomakestudentsthoroughlyfamiliarwiththetheorybehindthetechniquesthattheywilluse;togivethemacompletegroundingintheliteratureoftheirresearchfield(currentandhistorical);andmostimportantly,togetthemtothinkabouttheirresearch.Afterwritingtheproposal,thestudentwillorallydefendtheproposal(whichmustbenolaterthantheendof

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thestudent’sfifthsemester).Duringtheoraldefensestudentisexaminedaboutbackgroundandmethodsusedintheproposedwork.Attheproposaldefense,thestudentpresentsanoverviewofproposalorally.Sinceallcommitteemembershavereadtheproposalpriortothedefense,theoralpresentationwillconsistof20-30minuteslongpresentationbythestudentStudentsareaskedtoansweraseriesofquestionsrelatedtotheproposalmaterial.Attheendoftheproposaldefense,studentsareaskedtobrieflyleavetheroomandthecommitteediscussestheproposaldefense.Whenthecommitteemembersreachadecision,studentsareaskedtoreturntotheroom.Afterthedefense,ifthedefenseissatisfactorystudentswillreceiveeither• aclearpass(nootheractionisrequiredonthepartofthestudent)• aconditionalpass(additionalactionisrequiredonthepartofthestudent).Conditionalpassesaregivenifthecommitteefindsthereisanareathatstillneedstobeaddressedbythestudent.Forexample,ifastudentisdeficientinaspecificareathatthecommitteefeelswillbeimportantforthestudent’ssuccessinthePh.D.program,theymightrequirethestudenttakeanadditionalcourse.Re-writingasectionofthegrantproposaltoclarify/correctapointthatwasn’tclearintheoriginalversionisanothercommonconditionthatcanbeassignedtostudentsreceivinga“conditionalpass”.

Application for Admission to Candidacy Afterthestudenthasmetallrequirementsforcandidacy,thesupervisorycommitteewillrecommendtheircandidacyforthedoctoraldegreetotheOfficeofGraduateStudiesthroughsubmissionofthesignedApplicationforAdmissiontoCandidacyform.Therecommendationwillnotethedatesofcompletionofthecomprehensiveexam.Sucharecommendationmustbefiledatleastsevenmonthspriortothefinaloralexaminationfordefendingthestudent’sdissertationinthepresenceoftheirsupervisorycommittee.Astudentisformallyrecognizedasacandidateasofthedateofcompletingthecomprehensiveexam.Followingadmissiontocandidacy,thestudentmustregisterduringeachacademicsemesteruntiltheyreceivethedoctoratedegree.Studentsnotinresidencemayregisterforaminimumofonesemesterhourcreditindissertation.Failuretoregisterduringeachacademicsemesterwillresultinterminationofcandidacy.Thetermofcandidacyislimitedtothreeyears.IfthetermofCandidacyisextendedbeyondthreeyears(excludingsummerterms),theCandidatemustpassanothercomprehensiveexamination.

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Dissertation and Final Examination Thedissertationshouldtreatasubjectin-depthfromthecandidate’smajorfieldofstudy/researchareaandasapprovedbythesupervisorycommittee.Thestudent’sdissertationshouldindicatetechnicalmasteryofthefieldandcreateoriginalmaterialthroughadvancingormodifyingknowledge,creatingnewmaterial,findingnewresults,drawingnewconclusions,orinterpretoldmaterialinanewlight.Ifthedissertationproposalisapproved,thestudentmayconductthedissertationresearchundertheguidanceofthedissertationadvisor.Thestudentisadvisedtoconsultinformallyandcontinuouslywithhis/hersupervisorycommitteeuntilthecommitteeacceptsthedissertation.Afterthedissertationresearchiscompleted,thedissertationdocumentand/orproductmustbepresentedtoallthemembersofthesupervisorycommitteeintimetopermitreviewandapproval,andthemanuscriptsmustbeturnedinatleastthirtydaysinadvanceofthefinaloralexaminationoverthedissertation.Thedissertationwillbedefendedatanopenmeetingofthefaculty,conductedbythestudent'ssupervisorycommittee.

Dissertation Credits ThedissertationofaPh.D.candidateissupervisedbythechairorco-chairsofthestudent’ssupervisorycommitteeinconsultationwithothermembersofthesupervisorycommittee.Whilecompletingthedissertation,thecandidateshouldenrollincourseBMI9990DissertationinBMI.Aminimumof18hoursisrequiredforgraduation.Dissertationcoursecreditsshouldbetakenonlyafterthedoctoralstudentadvancestocandidacy.Underspecialcircumstances,doctoralstudentscantakedissertationcreditsduringthesemestertheyapplyforcandidacy,butthedissertationcreditstakenunderthesecircumstancesshouldbekepttoaminimum.Dissertationcreditscannotbetakenifthestudentdoesnotpassthewrittenpartofthecomprehensiveexam.IMPORTANTNOTE:TheGraduateCollegerequiresaminimumofsevenmonthstoelapsebetweenthedateofthedoctoralstudent’sadvancementtocandidacyandthedateofdissertationdefense.

Scheduling Dissertation Defense WhenthesupervisorycommitteedeemsitappropriateforthePh.D.candidatetodefendtheirdissertation,thePh.D.candidatepreparesadissertationthesisandsubmitsittothesupervisorycommitteemembers.Whensubmittingthedissertationthesistothesupervisorycommittee,thecandidateshouldalsosubmitafinaloralexamformtotheOfficeofGraduateStudies.Thefinaloralexamformrequiresthesignaturesofthesupervisorycommitteemembersandthedoctoralprogramcommitteechair,andshouldbesubmittedatleastfourweeksbeforethedesireddateofthedissertationdefense.Supervisorycommitteemembersshouldsignthisformafterreceivingthefinaldraftofthedissertation.IMPORTANTNOTE:Beforeschedulingthedissertationdefense,studentsshouldrefertotheOfficeofGraduateStudieswebsiteathttp://www.unomaha.edu/graduate-studies/current-students/doctoral-dissertation.phpforinstructionsonsubmittingtheir

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dissertationtoProQuest,graduationchecklist,thesisfilingdeadlinesandcommencementdatesforthesemesterinwhichtheyplantograduate.

Completing Graduation Requirements Aftersuccessfullydefendinghisorherdissertation,thestudentshouldcompleteaReportonCompletionofDegreeformhttp://www.unomaha.edu/graduate-studies/_files/report-completion-degree-form.pdfandapplyforgraduationthroughMavlink.

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Reviews:DPCreviewsofpage11-12(comprehensiveexam)