Dissertation
   A doctoral candidate/student must be enrolled in a nine-semester hour dissertation course (6999) in the semester in which the dissertation is defended. The dissertation represents the culmination of the student's academic efforts and so is expected to demonstrate original and independent research activity and be a significant contribution to knowledge.
   Once the student is enrolled in the dissertation course, continuous enrollment is required. A student receiving advice and assistance from a faculty member in the preparation of a dissertation must register for the appropriate course even if the student is not on campus.

Registration in Doctoral Courses
1. Registration in an individual study, research or
   similar course implies an expected level of effort
   on the part of the student that is at least
   equivalent to that of an organized course of the
   same credit value.
2. Doctoral students shall not be required to
   register for more than nine credit hours during
   any long semester or summer, except that:
   a.Doctoral students who are enrolled in nine
      credit hours of organized courses and are
      also doing research related to their
      dissertation may be required to register for
      up to three hours of research for a total of 12
      credit hours.
   b.Doctoral students supported as a graduate
      research or teaching assistant may be
      required to register for 12 credit hours (no
      more than nine credit hours to be in
      organized courses), as determined by the
      students' graduate program.
3. Doctoral students who are required to register
    solely to satisfy a continuous enrollment
    requirement shall register for no more than
    three credit hours during each term.
4. Doctoral students may not register for more
    than 12 semester hours in a semester or
    summer session unless such registration is
    approved in advance by the Dean of Graduate
    Studies.

Dissertation Requirements
   Final copies of the doctoral dissertation must be prepared according to regulations described in the current edition of the Thesis and Dissertation Manual of Style available on the World Wide Web at www2.uta.edu/etd/ and K. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (6th ed.), available at the University Bookstore. The catalog section on Tuition and Fees provides information on dissertation binding, microfilming, and copyrighting fees.
   All theses and dissertations must conform to University requirements regarding placement in the University Library, microfilming, publication of abstracts in Master Abstracts International or Dissertation Abstracts International, and access and citation for scholarly purposes. The three copies of the thesis or dissertation required to be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies are University property, and a student may make no private agreements with employers, funding sources or others that restrict or infringe upon University rights. Dissertation copyrights, where applicable, are held by the student author.
   Each semester the Graduate School offers to all students enrolled in thesis or dissertation courses the opportunity to attend a seminar

on thesis and dissertation preparation, the dates and times for which are posted on the Graduate School Web site. Requirements described in the Thesis and Dissertation Manual of Style are explained, and general Graduate School procedures of particular importance to degree candidates are outlined.
   Personnel in the Graduate School examine each dissertation and determine whether it meets Graduate School requirements for format and mechanical presentation. To reduce the number of last-minute inconveniences for students, they must submit the master copy of the final draft of the dissertation before having additional required copies prepared. The master copy must be received no later than 10 days before the final deadline to allow at least three days for Graduate School examination, time for the student to make necessary corrections and time to have the final required copies made. (See the Graduate School calendar for specific deadline dates.) After the Graduate School receives the master copy of the final draft, the student will normally be given a written format evaluation 72 hours later (excluding weekends, holidays and graduate registration periods).

Dissertation Defense
   An application for the dissertation defense must be filed in the Graduate School by the student no later than three weeks before the final date for submission of approved dissertations and dissertation defense reports and at least two weeks before the scheduled defense. The dissertation supervising committee must have copies of the dissertation at least two weeks prior to the dissertation defense.
   The dissertation defense will be a public oral examination open to all members (faculty, students and invited guests) of the University community. Questioning of the candidate will be directed by the student's dissertation supervising committee. All members of the student's committee must be present at the defense.
   Although the defense is concerned primarily with the dissertation research and its interpretation, the examining committee may explore the student's knowledge of areas relevant to the core of the dissertation problem.
   The dissertation defense may result in a decision that the candidate has 1) passed unconditionally; 2) passed conditionally with remedial work specified by the committee; 3) failed, with permission to be re-examined after a specified period; or 4) failed and dismissed from the program. The dissertation must be approved unanimously by the student's dissertation supervising committee and by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
   Regardless of the outcome of the defense, the dissertation defense report must be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies within five working days after the examination. When a scheduled defense is postponed or canceled, the Dean of Graduate Studies must receive written notice of this postponement or cancellation and a new application for the dissertation defense must be filed in the Graduate School in accordance with the Graduate School requirements specified above.
   Three unbound copies of the final approved dissertation must be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies by the date specified in the Graduate School Calendar. When the final three copies are deposited with the Graduate School, the student will be billed for the required fees as explained in the Tuition and Fees section of this catalog.