Being a Doctoral Student: The Dissertation Stage

This chapter addresses being a doctoral student in the dissertation stage of the doctoral program. The advice begins by pointing out that in most programs you will not have an approved topic and research questions until the dissertation stage. It is in the proposal/prospectus stage that you first fully commit to specific research questions. Advice is given on working with the dissertation committee and especially the committee chair. The chapter finishes with general advice about the proposal, the research, the writing, and the final defense.