Once the student passes the General Examination, he/she is advanced to the level
of doctoral candidate, and is expected to build on the critical review of the
literature to develop a dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal should
demonstrate the characteristics of interdisciplinarity, relevance to urban and
environmental planning and policy, and potential for contribution to scholarship.
Dissertation
Proposal A dissertation proposal should be formally presented to the Reading
Committee at a scheduled defense presentation. The Reading Committee must certify
that the student is prepared to undertake the proposed research, and that it
meets the program requirements for scholarship.
Dissertation
Defense
The final step in the Ph.D. program is the formal presentation and defense of
the dissertation. This process follows the normal protocol as set by the Graduate
School.
