Program Benchmarks

Qualifying Exams: The Qualifying Examination is taken in Year Two, Spring semester. The purpose of the examination is to demonstrate substantial progress in meeting the Student Learning Outcomes and other core expectations of the program. By passing the Qualifying Examination, a candidate is advanced to Candidacy because they have demonstrated the readiness and competence needed to complete remaining courses successfully and undertake dissertation-level research and writing.

Eligibility: The Doctoral Program Office reviews grades of the doctoral courses taken in Year 1 and the fall of Year 2 to verify the satisfactory completion of the courses. To be eligible to take the qualifying exam, each student must have a grade of B or higher in each of the courses, and no incomplete grades/

Procedures and Timeline: Please review CANVAS as well as the Doctoral Student Handbook for more information.

Dissertation Proposal Defense: The written proposal is typically the first three chapters of the dissertation in draft form, which constitute the foundation for the dissertation study. The Dissertation Proposal Defense is a meeting with the Dissertation Committee in which candidates present highlights of their proposal, “explain” their plans for the dissertation study, and receive feedback from the committee. The focus of the proposal defense is on the research questions, literature, and proposed research methodology. The discussion is not so much an assessment as an opportunity for committee members to make suggestions for approaches to the topic, bibliography, pitfalls to be avoided, etc. This meeting is not open to the public.

Final Dissertation Defense: The Final Dissertation Defense is a required meeting between the candidate and their full Dissertation Committee, in which the candidate presents highlights of the final dissertation before a community of scholar-practitioners, and defends the work by responding to committee questions and concerns. No Final Dissertation Defense is scheduled until the Dissertation Chair and committee members have determined that, in their judgment, the dissertation is acceptable and thus warrants a final defense.

The Final Dissertation Defense is an important event demonstrating sustained student and faculty effort and critical thinking have gone into the research project. Generally, the Final Dissertation Defense consists of two major parts: 1. A public presentation of the purpose(s), method(s) of study, synthesis of findings, analysis, and conclusion by the candidate. 2. A closed question and answer period involving all members of the Dissertation Committee.

Graduation: All candidates must successfully defend their completed dissertation and submit properly formatted copies of the dissertation to Graduate Studies, CSUN in order to graduate. Doctoral Degree candidates should apply to graduate by the deadlines set by the Graduate Studies, and plan to complete all degree requirements by the deadlines set by the Doctoral Program. All members of the doctoral cohort with approved Dissertation Proposal Defenses will be allowed to participate in Hooding and Commencement activities.

Dissertation

A written doctoral dissertation is the major benchmark required in CSUN’s doctoral program. All candidates complete a dissertation based on a review of the literature and original research on a problem of practice related to educational leadership, student achievement, and school/community college improvement. The primary goal of the dissertation is to generate applied knowledge that contributes to the understanding and improvement of educational practices, policies, or reforms. The dissertation is a contribution to the field that demonstrates the candidate’s scholarship, research skills, and insight into a particular problem. With its successful completion, we welcome the candidate into the community of scholar-practitioners who are dedicated to profound educational change.

In general, a dissertation for the CSUN Doctoral Program should:

• Contribute to professional knowledge in the field and the improvement of P12 schools/districts or community colleges, as well as candidate’s professional growth.
• Represent the candidate’s original investigation and writing, done in a spirit of authentic inquiry (not preconceived conclusions).
• Address a clear, significant topic in P12 school or community college education in a systematic, rigorous manner.
• Place the study in the context of previous research and relevant theory.
• Use appropriate applied research methodology (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods) and action research approaches and techniques.
• Make an argument throughout well-supported by evidence.

The dissertation in this program is generally a work of independent scholarship in the traditional five-chapter format. The dissertation proposal is a draft of the first three chapters (Statement of the Problem, Review of the Literature, Methodology). The final dissertation is a revision of these chapters, plus Chapters IV and V (Results/Findings, Discussion and Conclusions), references, and appendices.