Welcome to the Doctoral Center! The Doctoral Center is a one-stop shop for locating resources to help with the dissertation and applied doctoral project. This site contains resources to help with all of the elements of the dissertation or applied doctoral project. In addition, the Doctoral Center houses all guides, templates, slide decks, and rubrics for the five-chapter dissertation and three-section applied doctoral project.
Please take a few minutes to look around. Navigate to the guides and within the guides using the table of contents on the left. Resources are frequently marked to differentiate the degree programs using the Dissertation Student Experience (DSE) vs. the Applied Doctoral Experience (ADE). All guides, templates, and slide decks are organized under "Program Specific Resources" by School or College.
For questions about these resources or for assistance in finding a resource, please email DissertationCenter@nu.edu
The Doctoral Student Experience (DSE) refers to the five-chapter dissertation experience for doctoral students in the following programs:
All PhD programs at National University and the DBA, DCJ, and DPA degrees.
If you are enrolled in one of these programs, please read on to learn more about the dissertation process.
There is so much more to completing a dissertation than having mastery of the research that has already been conducted on your topic and designing and carrying out a sound study that is supported by that research. While those things are important, students are often surprised by how important it is to understand other things, such as the course structure and committee roles. One of the biggest obstacles to success during the dissertation process is having unrealistic or inaccurate expectations. The information included here will explain the dissertation process so that you can establish realistic expectations. This will help you plan your path and knowing what to expect can decrease the stress and anxiety that will inevitably come with completing a dissertation.
Each dissertation course is 12-weeks in length. DSE students must enroll in all four dissertation courses (DIS-9100, DIS-9200, DIS-9300, and DIS-9400). Each course has milestones that must be completed to advance to the next course in the sequence.
The Doctoral Student Experience (DSE) courses allow students to work on the chapters that make up their Dissertation Proposal (DP) and Dissertation Manuscript (DM). The courses and associated milestones are as follows:
Each dissertation course (DIS-9100, DIS-9200, DIS-9300, and DIS-9400) has a sequence of courses, lettered A through D. The milestones associated with each dissertation course sequence must be met to move on to the next dissertation course in the sequence. You may be inspired to try and complete all the milestones in the “A” courses – and that’s a GREAT goal. However, the only guarantee in research is that nothing is ever guaranteed. As a professional learner, you may have competing external demands (e.g., work, family) and internal demands (e.g., changes to your study, longer-than-expected data collection/analysis). While your goal may be to complete the milestones within the A course, it is important to understand that if you cannot do that and need the B course, this is not an indicator of failure. It’s important to remember the B, C, and D courses are not a punishment but rather an opportunity to continue your work toward completing your dissertation milestones. Please note that students may need to take additional B/C/D courses while completing their dissertation. Refer to the graphic below for the dissertation sequence and continuing courses.
If you do not meet all the milestones in any of the four dissertation courses in the initial “A” course, you will be automatically enrolled in the "B" course. If you still haven’t met the milestones in the “B” course, you will be enrolled in the “C” course, and so on. The “D” course is the last opportunity to meet the required milestones. If you don’t meet the associated milestones by the end of the “D” course, you will be dismissed from your program. This is why setting goals and making concrete action plans are important as you embark on your dissertation journey!
Each student’s dissertation journey will be different as each student works at a different pace, and each study is unique. The lessons and materials in each dissertation course are organized to guide you in meeting the milestones associated with each course. There are no traditional weekly assignments in the dissertation courses. Instead, you will collaborate with your Chair to devise a plan for your course, including what you will submit each week. Regular, weekly submissions of substantial work will be required to meet the milestones. When the document you are working on is not ready for Chair review, instead of submitting a draft of it to the weekly Dropbox, you should submit a “work in progress” update using the provided template in the weekly Dropbox to keep your Chair informed of your progress and plans (see assignment instructions for additional guidance). As you probably know by now, NU has an attendance policy, and by submitting weekly, you are ensuring that you will not be dropped from your dissertation course. For more information about the attendance policy, please contact your Academic Advisor.
The dissertation process is continuous, and iterations of written work must be developed through committee feedback and student revision. DSE students will progress at different rates, so communicating with your Chair to develop the components of each chapter is vital to your success. You may need more time to develop certain dissertation sections, or you may be able to submit sections earlier in the course. Work with your Chair to understand what is required for your weekly submissions to keep you on track to complete the final course milestones.
Understanding the nuts and bolts of your dissertation journey is essential to successfully completing your program! Please study the DSE Manual to understand the expectations of dissertation students and the roles and responsibilities of your Chair and committee in the dissertation process.
Remember that your Chair is here to support your success, as is the rest of your dissertation committee and an entire team on the other side of your screen. Let us know how we can help. If you have any questions as you move through the courses, please get in touch with your Chair. For any problems with course access, please contact technical support.
You likely have never written a dissertation before, so you may not know what each chapter includes. The overview below should be helpful for better understanding the work you will complete throughout the dissertation process.
You are encouraged to read other NU students’ completed dissertations. You can access these through the NU Library.
You will see that each weekly Dropbox is graded as either Complete (1 point) or Incomplete (0 points). These points do not impact your final course grade. Your final course grades are determined by whether you have met the course milestones for each course. The milestones must receive the minimum passing score of ‘meets’ for all rubric criteria in the Doctoral Record to receive a passing course grade ('A' or 'B') in a course. If any of the milestones are not marked as ‘meets,’ you will receive a ‘C’ for the course and will be enrolled in the next continuation course (see graphic above for the course sequence). If you have not made any academic progress (as determined by your Chair), you may be awarded an ‘F’ as the final grade. Students receiving an ‘F’ are enrolled in the next continuation course. Your Chair will determine 'A' or 'B' by using a Final Grade rubric that considers communication with the Chair and response to feedback, weekly coursework performance and progress, and scholarly writing. Please note that all 'C' and 'F' grades will be replaced with an 'RD' once you have secured an 'A' or 'B' in this course series. 'RD' grades are not counted in your overall GPA.
This section describes the dissertation committee and their roles, as well as explains the process of submitting dissertation work to the Doctoral Record.
You have three dissertation committee members, and all are NU faculty. Your committee members are intimately acquainted with the dissertation journey because they were once where you are: excited and anxious to work on the final academic project of their doctoral studies. They will help you navigate the nuances of a doctoral dissertation. They are invested in you; therefore, the feedback they provide will be designed to guide you to finish your dissertation successfully. Let’s meet each of your committee members:
Chair: Your Chair will be your assigned faculty in each of your dissertation courses and will guide you toward completion, serving as a mentor and consultant. Your Chair is available via phone calls, Zoom meetings, and email.
Subject Matter Expert (SME): Your SME will review all dissertation milestones in the Doctoral Record. The SME will use the rubric to evaluate your work and will provide feedback to assist you on your journey.
Academic Reader (AR): Your AR will review your Dissertation Proposal (DP) and Dissertation Manuscript (DM) when submitted to the Doctoral Record. The SME will use the rubric to evaluate your work and will provide feedback to assist you on your journey.
While you will work most closely with your Chair, your SME and AR also play important roles. Please note that it is typical for some of the feedback you receive from your SME to differ from the feedback you have received from your Chair. Sometimes, students perceive this as problematic and wonder, “Why didn’t my Chair mention that?” However, it is good that your SME points out new things. This is why you work with a committee and not just one person. Getting feedback from various perspectives helps strengthen your work and allows you to complete as strong of a dissertation as possible. Because you will work with feedback provided by your SME regularly (each milestone), don’t hesitate to request a meeting with your Chair and SME. This can be especially helpful to get everyone “on the same page” or discuss finding a “middle ground” if needed. This is a normal and healthy part of the research process. Likewise, when your AR reviews your DP and DM, they may see things your Chair and SME did not. Again, this is a good thing. During the dissertation process, the more feedback, the better.
Your dissertation committee is there to support your journey and help you succeed. It is essential to remember this whenever you get feedback indicating changes are needed or something is missing that is preventing your milestone from being approved! While revising your work repeatedly can sometimes be frustrating, remembering that you are being asked to revise to be successful helps reduce the frustration. Another thing that can make your dissertation experience more enjoyable is effectively collaborating with your committee. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the feedback and guidance you are receiving. If you disagree with the feedback/guidance, engaging in thoughtful and respectful conversation about the feedback with your Chair can help you better understand the rationale underlying the feedback. And, of course, if you do not understand the feedback/guidance, ask for clarification. Ensure that you maintain professionalism through all your interactions with your committee. Rest assured, your committee wants you to be successful, and that is always the goal of their feedback!
Since you will work most closely with your Chair, it is important to meet with your Chair regularly. Some students go through all their coursework leading up to the dissertation without meeting with their faculty, so they assume they won’t need to meet with their dissertation Chair either. But remember, the dissertation stage requires you to work in new ways, and synchronous meetings with your Chair are critical to your success. While you can certainly meet with your Chair over the phone, video calls (e.g., Zoom) are often most effective as they allow you to share screens, so you and your Chair can show each other things in your working documents. Also, it is nice to chat face-to-face. 😊
Throughout your dissertation journey, you will be enrolled in a DIS-9XXX course and the Doctoral Record. The Doctoral Record is a separate course shell you can access to submit work. It is not a course but rather a depository for submitting the dissertation milestones for your committee to review. When you log into the Doctoral Record, you will see a series of Dropboxes, one for each milestone (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc.). The work you submit to your DIS-9XXX course can only be viewed by your Chair. That is where you will spend the most time submitting work and receiving feedback. Your dissertation committee can view the work you submit to the Doctoral Record. That is where you will receive feedback from your SME and AR. Your dissertation milestones uploaded to the Doctoral Record will also be run through Turnitin to ensure you adhere to NU’s academic integrity standards.
Each week you are enrolled in a DIS course, you must submit something to that course (see weekly assignment submission guidelines). You will only submit a milestone to the Doctoral Record for committee review when instructed by your Chair. How frequently your Chair asks you to submit to the Doctoral Record depends on your progress. Your milestone needs to be well-developed before asking the SME to complete a review of it. If you make good progress, you will likely submit something to the Doctoral Record during each course. But keep in mind, if your milestone is not ready for committee review, your Chair may not ask you to submit to the Doctoral Record at all during a dissertation course. Therefore, your rate of progress (i.e., how much you are writing and how effectively you implement your Chair’s feedback) is the most important factor in determining how frequently you will submit to the Doctoral Record. Understanding how your Chair determines when a milestone is ready for committee review is helpful. All Chairs have their own preferences and working styles. Therefore, you are encouraged to discuss this with your Chair.
You may also wonder how many times you must submit each milestone to the Doctoral Record. While this varies a lot from student to student and across milestones, you should expect to submit each milestone multiple times. Sometimes, students think that because their Chair said their milestone is ready for committee review, the milestone is ready to be approved. While it is possible to get SME approval the first time you submit a milestone, it is much more likely that the SME will provide feedback and ask to see the revisions. Therefore, you must submit that milestone to the Doctoral Record again (once you have implemented the feedback and your chair indicates it is ready to be submitted to the DR again). Remember, your SME will likely have new or different perspectives about your work. This is the strength of the committee approach. How often you must go through the revision process (i.e., how many times you have to resubmit that milestone to the Doctoral Record) depends on how effectively you apply the committee’s feedback.
Your Chair has seven calendar days to return weekly work submitted to the weekly Dropboxes in your DIS courses.
The turnaround time for your Chair and committee members to provide feedback on your milestones submitted to the Doctoral Record varies depending on which milestone is being reviewed. Please note that you should only submit one milestone at a time to the Doctoral Record. The Doctoral Record turnaround times are as follows:
Chapter 1: 7 days
Chapter 2: 14 days
Chapter 3: 7 days
Dissertation Proposal (DP): 14 days
AR Review of DP: 14 days
Chapter 4: 7 days
Chapter 5: 7 days
Dissertation Manuscript (DM): 14 days
AR Review of DM: 14 days
