Doctoral Degree

Requirements for a doctoral degree

1. Completion of at least 72 credit hours of coursework (including those earned under the Master’s program of study), including a minimum of 26 hours of graded coursework and a minimum of 20 hours of Psych 800 (Dissertation Research). The student must sign up for at least 1 credit of Psych 800 each semester until the dissertation is completed, and at least 2 credits of Psych 800 the semesters of the preliminary exam and dissertation defense. Note that to earn the required minimum of 20 Psych 800 credits, a student will need to register for more than 1-2 credits each semester.
2. Completion (preparing and passing) of the preliminary examination. Following successful completion of the preliminary examination, the student officially becomes a candidate for the PhD.
3. Completion (conducting and passing defense) of a Doctoral dissertation. Many considerations that define an appropriate dissertation and its approach, type of data, and design are dictated by the nature of the problem chosen for study and cannot adequately be anticipated or delineated in a formal policy statement. In general, the dissertation is a scholarly, original study that represents a significant, novel contribution to the field of psychology. It should be a major piece of research, comprehensive in scope. Ordinarily, a dissertation should be designed with strong theoretical underpinnings rather than being strictly exploratory. The emphasis should be on an experimental rather than a non-experimental approach. It is recognized, however, that many important questions in psychology cannot be addressed through experiments, and such questions are sometimes appropriate for dissertation research. Because nonexperimental and quasi-experimental approaches afford less opportunity for control than is the case with experiments, they must be conducted with special care and comprehensiveness to be sufficiently high-quality for a dissertation.

Doctoral Committee

Immediately following completion of the Master’s degree, the student should choose a Doctoral Committee in consultation with their major advisor. The purpose of the Doctoral Committee is to assist the student in preparing for the preliminary exam, completing the preliminary exam, advising on the dissertation, and conducting a final examination on completion of the dissertation. Ideally, students should meet with their Doctoral Committee annually (at the end of each academic year) to discuss their progress.

Requirements for committee composition

The Doctoral Committee must consist of three or more faculty members, including the chairperson. The chairperson (usually the student’s major research advisor) must be a member of the core, active tenured or tenure-track research faculty in the Psychology department (and their primary appointment must be in Psychology). Two co-chairs (in some cases, a co-chair from outside of Psychology) may be permissible if one of the co-chairs is a core, active research faculty in the Experimental Psychology program. At least one additional committee member must have a primary appointment in Psychology. Additional committee members who hold the highest appropriate degree and whose special knowledge is particularly important to the proposed program, but who are not members of the faculty, may be appointed to the committee after discussion with the DET, and approval by the Department Chair and the Graduate School.

Forming the committee

It is recommended that students meet with the DET when deciding on committee members to ensure that the committee meets the Experimental Psychology Program requirements. A list of faculty currently approved to serve on committees is available in the Faculty in Experimental Psychology section of this Handbook.

Approval of the committee

The Doctoral Committee is subject to approval by the chairperson of the major and minor (if applicable) departments, the DET, the Department Chair, and the Graduate School.

Doctoral program of study

After selecting members of the Doctoral Committee, the student should download the “Program of Study Request” form from the Graduate School Website, fill out the form with relevant completed and planned coursework, and obtain signatures from all committee members on the same form. This form should be submitted after completion of the master’s degree (T2), prior to the preliminary exam proposal (P1), and no later than the beginning of the semester preceding the anticipated preliminary exam (P2). (October 1 deadline to guarantee a Spring preliminary exam; March 1 deadline to guarantee a Fall preliminary exam; see graduate school deadlines). Students are encouraged to submit their program of study form within two semester of earning their Master’s degree in the program or entering with an approved Master’s degree but must do so no later than during the third semester per Graduate School policy. Students are strongly encouraged to send a draft of their program of study form to the Graduate Program Coordinator or DET to confirm that their form has been completed correctly before obtaining signatures.

The completed document should be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator at the following email address: psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu. She will review and approve the form before obtaining approval from the DET and will then submit the form to the Graduate School. The DET signs only after the Program Coordinator’s review.

Changes to committee after preliminary exam.

Usually the Doctoral Committee consists of the same faculty as the Preliminary Examination Committee. However, the student and their major advisor may decide to add to, or change, the committee. In this case, the student should inform relevant committee members of this decision and then submit a “change of committee” form (located on the Graduate School Website) to the Graduate Program Coordinator at psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu.

Requirements for the Doctoral Program of Study.

Specific requirements and deadlines regarding the doctoral program of study are detailed in the “Policies and Procedures” on the Graduate School website.

Preliminary examination

The preliminary examination must conform to all rules of the Graduate School, as stated in the “Policies and Procedures” of the Graduate School. For the Graduate School’s purposes, the preliminary exam is evaluative and is a gatekeeping step used to formally admit students to doctoral candidacy.  

Ideally, the Preliminary Exam is completed within 2 semesters after the T2 (or within 4 semesters after entering the program with a Master’s degree). To complete the exam within this timeframe, the Doctoral Committee should be formed no later than 6 months after completing the T2.

The Preliminary Exam for the Experimental Psychology program requires that students complete a major area review paper and oral defense, and give a research presentation to the program (typically as a Psych 506 seminar). Thus, the Preliminary Exam serves three goals:

1. Prepare the student for their dissertation project.
2. Evaluate their ability to comprehend scientific literature, to synthesize ideas, and develop sound conclusions from the literature.
3. Promote professional development by providing opportunities for professional feedback.

Component 1: Major Area Review Paper

• A comprehensive and critical review of the literature on a topic within the student’s area of specialization (i.e. topic of the dissertation). The manuscript should address a gap in the literature and represent a sophisticated, critical analysis of the literature in a particular area of psychology. It should integrate information from within the subject area, incorporate material from relevant areas, and establish implications for the field. The paper must not merely be a summary of study descriptions; rather it must include important details of reviewed studies (e.g., methods, type of sample), involve a critical analysis of the research (e.g., limitations of the research), attempt to resolve conflicting findings, identify gaps in the literature and propose future directions, and demonstrate understanding of theoretical and methodological issues in the field. A table summarizing past findings is strongly encouraged. Citations must be accurate and involve primary (not secondary) sources of information. Publications that could serve as examples include those in Psychological Bulletin, Psychological Review, and Annual Review of Psychology. During the prelim proposal meeting [P1], students will provide the prelim committee with a planned reading list and detailed outline. The committee will help evaluate the novelty and comprehensiveness of the proposed review and reading list. Students should incorporate feedback from the committee members discussed during the meeting, but the final version of the paper should be submitted to the committee without editing by the faculty mentors. Students are prohibited from using AI in the writing of their prelim and prelim proposal (see Artificial Intelligence Use Policy).
• Students may wish to seek guidance from the Graduate Writing Center for assistance with writing style, but they may not seek guidance from members of their prelim committee on aspects of the writing or content after the P1 meeting.
• Oral examination of major area review paper: During the preliminary exam ballot meeting [P2], the student will give an oral presentation and answer questions from the prelim committee about the area paper. Students present a brief overview of the area paper. The committee may ask questions about the presentation, paper, and other relevant topics.

Component 2: Presentation to experimental program

• After the proposal meeting (P1), but before the preliminary exam ballot meeting (P2), the student must give a presentation to the Experimental Psychology program. Prior to the semester in which you plan to present, email the DET to request to be added to the Psych 506 seminar schedule.
• The student will give a presentation in Psych 506 (approximately 30 minutes to present,10-15 minutes for questions) based on their area of research to the faculty and students of the experimental program. The presentation should be based on their area of research and can include a conference-style research talk (presenting findings from one or multiple projects) or summary of their research program (similar to a job talk). All attending faculty will complete a seminar evaluation, the results of which will be summarized by the committee chair and provided to the student. The prelim committee’s review of the evaluation summary and the presentation slides will be part of the preliminary exam.
  • Alternative times may be scheduled in rare cases should seminar times not be available that the student and/or committee members can attend. Contact the DET for assistance with scheduling.
• If the presentation is judged to be unsatisfactory (overall evaluation mean below 3), the student may be required to give a second presentation. In that circumstance, the student will provide only the most recent evaluation summary and presentation slides for the Prelim Balloting meeting (P2).

Prelim Development

The student, under direction of their committee chair, is responsible for identifying a novel area paper topic, creating an initial literature reading list, and an area paper outline.

Prelim exam proposal meeting (P1):

Within six months of completing the master’s degree, the student should hold the preliminary exam proposal (P1) meeting. Students entering with an approved master’s degree should plan to propose their prelim by the Spring of their first year (preferred), or early in the Fall of their second year.

The purpose of this meeting is to gain consensus on the:

1. Scope, goals, and expectations of the area paper
2. Date of completion.

This meeting also serves as an opportunity to review student progress on their expected professional activities (see expectations regarding professional activities under “Annual Reviews”, in the Annual Academic Performance Evaluation section of this document), to obtain feedback for goals of Psych 800 credits moving forward. Thus, students should prepare a written update regarding progress towards these products. The P1 meeting will include only the student and their committee, although the DET may attend.

Documents to prepare

The student should prepare the following documents and distribute them to their committee at least one week in advance of the meeting. These include:

1. Preliminary reading list of literature to include in the area paper
2. Proposed outline of area paper
3. Written update of completion of professional products expected by the program and/or plans for completing these products prior to the dissertation defense.
4. Up-to-date CV

Scheduling the P1 meeting

It is the student’s responsibility to determine the availability of committee members and to identify a date and time for the meeting. Once a date and time has been set, the student should notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of this date as soon as possible. A minimum 1-hour time period must be scheduled for the P1.

• For students in Pullman, room scheduling should be requested through the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator.
• For students on Vancouver or Spokane campuses, room scheduling should be requested through the appropriate administrative assistant, with the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator cc’d on these requests.
• If Zoom is needed for the meeting, the Graduate Program Coordinator will set this up after the room has been reserved. The student should provide the names and emails of their committee members as well as the room information in their request. The student CANNOT be the person to set up Zoom meetings.

Paperwork for the P1 meeting

The student must complete the Prelim (P1) approval form located in the Experimental Program’s Microsoft Teams folder. The student should make sure to identify a date of completion (in agreement with the committee) and work to stick to this goal. This form should be signed by the committee chair on behalf of the committee and submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) within 5 business days after the P1 is completed. The DET should be cc’d on this email.

Chairperson and committee member involvement after the prelim proposal

The chairperson should be cognizant of the student’s progress toward completing the various components of the prelim. However, the chairperson and committee members should not be involved in the area paper beyond feedback on the initial reading list and outline. Students should not solicit feedback from the committee on drafts of their paper.

Prelim exam and ballot meeting (P2):

Once the student has written the area paper and given their 506 presentation, they will distribute the area paper, presentation summary, and 506 presentation slides to the prelim committee. These documents should be submitted to the committee at the time of the request for scheduling, if not sooner.

To schedule the P2 meeting, a student must have an approved doctoral program of study with the Graduate School and must have 6 or fewer graded credits left to complete on the program of study. A student cannot take the exam in the same semester they submit their Program of Study. See the Graduate School deadlines.

A minimum of 4 months must elapse after a successful preliminary exam before the student can schedule the final dissertation defense.

The P2 should be conducted during the Fall or Spring semester. Students must register for a minimum of 2 credits of Psych 800 during the semester in which they complete the prelim exam. Preliminary examinations may not be taken during the Summer except in extraordinary circumstances and requires approval of the prelim committee, the DET, and the Department Chair, and students will be responsible for paying associated tuition and fees.

Scheduling the P2 meeting

It is the student’s responsibility to determine the availability of committee members and to identify a date and 2 hour time window for the meeting. All members of the committee must participate in the defense, and must be present (in the room or via Zoom, not on the phone). Once a date and time have been set, the student should notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of this date as soon as possible. A 2-hour time period must be scheduled for the P2. The P2 meeting typically includes only the prelim committee although the DET may attend.

Details by campus location

• For students in Pullman, room scheduling should be requested through the Graduate Program Coordinator.
• For students on Vancouver or Spokane campuses, room scheduling should be requested through the appropriate administrative assistant, with the Graduate Program Coordinator cc’d on these requests.
• If Zoom is needed for the meeting, the Graduate Program Coordinator will set this up after the room has been reserved (if applicable). The student should provide the names and emails of their committee members, and WSU room number (if applicable) in their request. The student CANNOT be the person to set up the Zoom meeting.

Students should submit their area paper, presentation summary, 506 presentation slides, and the prelim exam evaluation form to their committee members at the time they request their committee schedule the examination, if not sooner.

Paperwork and formal scheduling

Students must download the scheduling form from the Graduate School website. The student should obtain signatures from all committee members on the same form and then submit the form to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu). The form should be submitted 12 Business Days before the scheduled defense which gives an additional two business days for the department to process and submit the form to Graduate School by their deadline of 10 Business Days.

Students are encouraged to send a draft of their scheduling form to the Graduate Program coordinator to confirm it has been completed correctly before obtaining signatures.

Conducting the Preliminary Exam meeting.

The student should give a brief presentation that overviews the area paper. The committee may ask questions about the presentation, paper, and any other topic they deem relevant. Faculty committee members are expected to attend the meeting having read the final paper and other documents, and be prepared to critically evaluate the student’s defense of these products. The student should consult with their major advisor ahead of time to discuss expectations regarding length, content, and formality of this presentation.

After the oral examination and questioning period is complete, the student will be excused from the meeting for the committee members to deliberate. During this time, the committee members will complete the evaluation form of the area paper and oral examination and privately discuss their assessment of these components. The committee chair will summarize the evaluations and provide feedback to the students on these elements. The student will then be invited back into the meeting to hear the outcome of the examination.

The Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) and DET (carrie.cuttler@wsu.edu)  must be informed of the results of the exam to keep track of outcomes.

Determining Exam Outcomes

Each member will indicate their approval or disapproval to recommend the student to advance to doctoral candidacy.

A successful examination

requires an overall evaluation of a B or better on the area paper and defense.

Failed Examination

In the event of a failed examination, the student will receive a grade of “U” for Psych 800 for that semester, and the student will be re-examined for a second and final attempt (per WSU Graduate School guidelines). The student will receive summary feedback about the components that were unsatisfactory and can revise those components and resubmit to the committee. For the re-examination, the student should include a point-by-point description of how they have addressed the deficiencies identified by the prelim committee.

At least 3 months but not longer than two semesters, must lapse between a failed examination and re-examination. Scheduling for a second examination requires submission of the scheduling form to the Graduate Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) at least 17 business days in advance of the exam. A member of the Graduate Mentor Academy (appointed by the Graduate School) must be present. A second failure of the preliminary exam will result in a grade of “U” for Psych 800 for that semester, and dismissal from the program as stipulated by the Graduate School. The student as the right to appeal the decision by filing a formal grievance with the Graduate School.

All But Dissertation (ABD) Status

A student is considered ABD if they have passed their preliminary exam and completed their formal program of study coursework. Students who have reached ABD status are considered doctoral candidates.

Dissertation proposal development

Student Responsibilities

The student, under the direction of the committee chair, is responsible for a literature search, preparation of the proposal, and the development of required skills and competencies to complete the disseration. The student is also responsible for consideration and solution of logistical problems related to the research. Students are encouraged to edit the proposal carefully and have it reviewed and approved by the committee chair before it is disseminated to committee members. Students are prohibited from using AI in the writing of their disseration and proposal (see Artificial Intelligence Use Policy).

Chairperson and committee member involvement.

The relative involvement of the chairperson may vary, depending on the student’s background and the nature of the problem. It is valuable to discuss relative contributions/expectations, responsibilities, and authorship with the major advisor at this stage. The American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists should be the guide. The chairperson of the committee should help the student to carefully edit the proposal, and indicate preliminary approval of the proposal before it is submitted to other committee members. Members of the committee should be involved at this stage in a consultant capacity.

Dissertation proposal meeting (D1):

When the student has completed a research proposal, in consultation with the major advisor and possibly other members of the Doctoral Committee, a formal meeting is held to discuss and approve the research plan. The D1 is not scheduled through the Graduate School, but is scheduled through the department.

The D1 meeting typically includes only the student and their committee, although others may attend with permission of the committee chair. The function of the D1 meeting is to discuss and evaluate the proposal. This results in a judgment of the feasibility and scientific merit and a decision about whether the proposal is accepted as is, whether changes are recommended, or whether the proposal is rejected.

The D1 meeting must be held after the student passes the Preliminary Exam (P2), but may be held before completing all expected professional activities outlined in the annual review.

Pilot data for the D1 meeting may be useful but is not necessary. However, the student should meet with their Doctoral Committee prior to starting any data collection for the dissertation. It is important that the studies be proposed rather than completed at the time of the D1 because the point of the meeting is for the committee to critique the empirical question and methodological approach. Rare exceptions may be appropriate – consult with the DET before proceeding.

Scheduling the D1 meeting

It is the student’s responsibility to determine the availability of committee members and to identify a date and 2 hour time window for the meeting. Once a date and time has been set, the student should notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of this date as soon as possible. A 2-hour time period must be scheduled for the D1.

Room scheduling

• For students in Pullman, room scheduling should be requested through the Graduate Program Coordinator.
• For students on Vancouver or Spokane campuses, room scheduling should be requested through the appropriate administrative assistant, with the Graduate Program Coordinator cc’d on these requests.
• If Zoom is needed for the meeting, the Graduate Program Coordinator will set this up after the room has been reserved. The student should provide the names and emails of their committee members, and WSU room number (if applicable) in their request. The student CANNOT be the person to set up the Zoom meeting.

Paperwork for the D1 meeting

Students must complete the Dissertation Proposal (D1) Form located on the Experimental Program’s Microsoft Teams folder. This form must be signed by all committee members and submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) within 5 business days after the D1 meeting date (regardless of the outcome). The DET should be cc’d on this email.

Dissertation Proposal format

Most decisions regarding format, length, and organization are up to the Doctoral Committee. Unless the intention is to be published in a non-APA journal, the proposal should be written in the style described in the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Content to include in the Dissertation Proposal.

See “Preparation of Thesis (T1) and Dissertation (D1) Proposals” in this handbook for more information.

Distribution of the Proposal for the D1 meeting.

Students should send their Dissertation proposals to committee members at least two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.

Oral presentation for the D1 meeting.

It is generally advisable to prepare a brief (20-30 minute), well-organized visual and oral overview of the proposed project. Students should consult with their major advisor on the presentation. The degree of formality of the D1 meeting varies with chairpersons and committees. The student should consult with their major advisor ahead of time to discuss expectations. Regardless of the degree of formality, the student is asked to cover the following list of topics (bulleted items below). These concern what already is available in the proposal, but remind the committee of details, help to maintain a logical order, and permit the student to summarize the proposal.

Topics to cover during meeting

• Statement of your background, interests, and professional goals (very brief).
• Why you are interested in a particular problem area. How is it related to your goals?
• Theoretical or empirical background, leading to a precise statement of hypotheses to be tested.
• Statement of procedures, including subjects, apparatus, steps in procedure, and timeline.
• Description of experimental design, showing how the design will test the hypotheses.
• Description of proposed statistical analyses.
• Statement of predicted results (with graphics if appropriate) and how particular outcomes will be interpreted.

Review by the D1 committee.

Committee members and any other faculty in attendance may ask questions related to any of the above points, or any other matters relevant to the dissertation and to the student’s graduate and professional experience.

The D1 committee’s role and responsibility.

The committee members judge the significance, soundness, and feasibility of the proposed research and the ability of the student to successfully complete the research. The decision of the committee at this meeting may be to:

Possible committee actions at meeting

1. Accept the proposal as presented.
2. Suggest changes in the procedure.
3. Suggest reduction or expansion in the scope of the research.
4. Suggest a different emphasis or direction.
5. Reject the proposal.

Actions (2), (3), (4), or (5) may require additional meetings of the committee. If an additional meeting is scheduled, responsibilities for scheduling and distributing materials should be as described above. If an additional meeting is not required but changes are needed, the student should prepare a statement of those changes and distribute a copy to each committee member. Rejection of the proposal usually results in the selection of a new research question/problem. After development of the new proposal, students should schedule a second dissertation proposal meeting following procedures outlined above, and submit a new Dissertation Proposal (D1) Form to the Graduate Program Coordinator after the D1 meeting. Depending on how much the new proposal deviates from the original proposal, a change in committee member(s) or chairperson may be warranted.

Chairperson and committee member involvement after project approval

The chairperson should be cognizant of progress in all stages of the research. Periodic informal reports of progress – particularly when the project takes longer than 1 year to complete – should be made to committee members by the student. Annual meetings with the committee are encouraged to keep them updated on your progress.

Significant changes in design or procedure should be reported to the committee as soon as possible. The determination of “significant” will be made by the student and their chairperson.

Applying for graduation

Applying for Graduation must occur at the beginning of the semester that the student plans to complete their D2. Consult the Graduate School Website for specific deadlines and procedures.

Dissertation Defense Meeting (D2):

After the dissertation project is complete, a final oral presentation and examination is conducted. The D2 should be conducted during the Fall or Spring semester. Students must register for a minimum of 2 credits of Psych 800 during the semester they defend.

If the defense must be conducted during the Summer, the student will need to:

1. Ensure all committee members are willing/able to attend a summer defense (Note: most faculty are off contract in the summer),
2. Enroll in 2 credits of Psych 800, and
3. Pay associated tuition and fees.

The D2 should not be scheduled until the student has produced a dissertation draft that the committee chair judges to be defensible. Typically, this requires multiple revisions of the document; students are advised to carefully edit the document before it is given to the committee. However, the student has the right to proceed with a defense even if the committee feels that the document is not defensible; in that case an outside member of the Graduate Mentor Academy (appointed by the Graduate School) should be requested to attend the defense (this requires providing documents to the Graduate Program Coordinator 17 business days prior to scheduled defense).

Scheduling the D2 meeting.

It is the student’s responsibility to determine the availability of committee members and to identify a date and 2 hour time window for the meeting. All members of the committee must participate in the defense, and must be present (in the room or via Zoom, not on the phone). Once a date and time have been set, the student should notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of this date as soon as possible. Per the Graduate School, a 2-hour time period must be scheduled for the D2, with no exceptions.

Important note: Before the meeting can be formally scheduled (which must happen at least two weeks prior to the meeting date), the committee members must have two weeks to review the final dissertation document before their signatures are obtained on the scheduling form. Therefore the dissertation should be completed one month prior to the planned defense date.

Paperwork and formal scheduling

The student should consult the “Policies and Procedures” of the Graduate School for University requirements. Since specific requirements change periodically, the student should contact the Graduate School early in the project for information about forms to be filed and deadlines.

• The student should download the scheduling form from the Graduate School forms website.
• The graduate school encourages a member of the student’s committee be present in person during a defense; however, the D2 may be conducted in person (in a WSU videoconference-enabled room), over Zoom, or a combination of the two.
  • For students in Pullman, room scheduling should be requested through the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator.
  • For students on Vancouver or Spokane campuses, room scheduling should be requested through the appropriate administrative assistant, with the Graduate Program Coordinator cc’d on these requests.
• After the committee has two weeks to review the dissertation document, the student should obtain signatures from all committee members on the same form and then submit the form to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu). This form, along with documentation of appropriate review board approval/exemption (e.g., IRB approval), should be submitted 12 BUSINESS DAYS before the scheduled defense which gives an additional two business days for the department to process and submit the form to Graduate School by their deadline of 10 BUSINESS DAYS.
  • Students are encouraged to send a draft of their scheduling form to the Graduate Program coordinator to confirm it has been completed correctly before obtaining signatures.
• Because the dissertation must be sent to committee members at least two weeks before the scheduling form is due, the dissertation must be finalized at least one month before the scheduled exam date.

Graduate School Copy

Students must submit an electronic draft of the dissertation to the Graduate School no later than 10 business days before the examination. See Theses and Dissertations page at the Graduate School website.

Department Copy

An electronic copy (PDF) of the dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) at least 5 business days before the oral examination. Following the oral examination, a final electronic copy (PDF) of the thesis should be emailed to psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu for the Psychology Department’s permanent collection no later than 10 business days after the defense (this is the same deadline as the Graduate School).

Formatting the dissertation document

• For the committee and department: Most decisions regarding format, length, and organization of the dissertation are up to the Doctoral Committee. In general, the paper should be written in the style described in most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, unless the student will publish the work in a non-APA journal.
• For the Graduate School: For format and copies required by Graduate School. See the Graduate School website.

Conducting the dissertation defense meeting

This is a formal oral examination designed to assess the student’s breadth and depth of knowledge and ability to think critically and logically. An examiner may ask about any topic that they feel the student should know as a research psychologist, even if it does not pertain directly to the study being presented. The primary purpose of these questions is to ensure that the student possesses doctoral-level knowledge of psychology. The student should prepare an oral presentation of the study with visual aids. Typically the presentation is approximately 20-30 minutes long, although the major advisor may recommend a shorter or longer presentation.

The dissertation defense is a public meeting scheduled with the Graduate School. The dissertation presentation portion of the meeting is open to any member of the public; however, the oral examination is closed to members of the public. Primary responsibility for conducting this examination belongs to the Doctoral Committee. The student will be examined by all members of the committee, and may also be examined by any other members of the faculty who attend the defense. Non-voting eligible attendees (e.g., family members, friends) may attend the presentation but may not ask questions and must leave the meeting before the oral examination begins. The DET will attend when possible. If they cannot attend (or is a member of the committee), they may designate a member of the Experimental Faculty to act as proxy. All other Experimental Faculty are encouraged to attend.

After the oral examination, the student is required to leave the meeting so that the committee and other attending faculty can deliberate privately. During deliberation, committee members may request changes to the final dissertation document prior to the student submitting it to the Graduate School. The student should rejoin the meeting to hear the results of the examination and be informed of requested changes if applicable.

The Graduate Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) and DET (carrie.cuttler@wsu.edu) should be informed of the results of the exam to keep track of outcomes.

If the student or committee anticipate significant conflicts at the defense, an outside member of the Graduate Mentor Academy should be requested to attend the defense. Please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator to set this up, and be aware that the scheduling form is due 17 business days prior to the scheduled defense date when a member of the Graduate Mentor Academy is requested.

Failed Examination

In the event of a failed examination, the student will receive a grade of “U” for Psych 800 for that semester, and in most cases, will be re-examined for a second and final attempt per WSU Graduate School guidelines (see the Graduate School Policies and Procedures for exceptions to this policy; Chapter 1.E.2, Examination Failure). The second attempt may be scheduled after a period of at least three months. Scheduling for a second examination requires submission of the scheduling form to the Graduate Coordinator (psych.grad.sign@wsu.edu) at least 17 business days in advance of the exam. A member of the Graduate Mentor Academy (appointed by the Graduate School) must be present. A second failure of the exam will result in a grade of “U” for Psych 800 for that semester, and dismissal from the program as stipulated by the Graduate School. The student as the right to appeal the decision by filing a formal grievance with the Graduate School.

Grievances by the student

If not informally resolvable, grievances may be discussed with one or more of the following: the committee chairperson, the DET, the Department Chair, the Dean of the College, and the Vice Provost of Graduate and Professional Education. See the Graduate School website.

After a successful defense, the student must:

1. Address any required changes to their dissertation document and seek approval from their committee
2. Submit the formal dissertation to the Graduate School (after approval of any changes by their committee).
3. Create a service request in my.wsu.edu for e-approval of dissertation.

Submitting the formal dissertation to the Graduate School

Within 10 business days of a success defense, the student is required to submit a formal dissertation to the Graduate School (conforming to the formatting requirements by the Graduate School) in addition to the copy submitted to the department. The format required by the Graduate School is available on the Graduate School website.

E-approval of dissertation

The following steps must be completed within 10 business days of the successful defense:

• The student should download and complete the Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form from the Graduate Student forms website and upload it in my.wsu.edu.
• The student should create a service request in my.wsu.edu. This will generate approval requests that are sent to the Graduate Program Coordinator and Doctoral Committee members. Their approval serves as final approval of the dissertation.
• Students can check the status of their request by going to the service request portion of their my.wsu.edu profile page.
• The 10-day deadline includes receiving faculty approval through myWSU. Thus, a student should submit these final documents as soon as possible prior to the 10-day deadline.

Graduate School Requirements

See also Graduate School forms and paperwork requirement for dissertation defense and deposit of dissertation to Graduate School on the Graduate School website.