Dissertation

The most important requirement for the Ph.D. degree is the writing of a satisfactory Ph.D. Dissertation. Your dissertation must be approved, first by the Advisor and then by the entire Dissertation Committee. You and your advisor should be fully aware of all details of the Graduate School requirements for thesis format and submission. (You can also find macros for thesis production at this Graduate School web page). You presents the dissertation research at an oral public final examination (the "defense") and answers questions from the committee.

Dissertation Research & Writing

You should propose the Ph.D. Dissertation Committee as soon as advisor and topic are decided. (Following the Prelim, you have no official committee until a Dissertation committee is approved). Committee membership may be changed at any time, depending on the focus of research and advisory relationships between the student and involved faculty. It is usual that the primary Ph.D. advisor also be the Dissertation Committee Chair (this is not required, but is almost always the case). The Committee membership, governed by Graduate School and departmental requirements, comprises the Statistical Science Advisor/Chair, at least 2 other professors in Statistical Science and 1 professor from another related department or program. Full details are covered in the summary of Graduate School and departmental regulations on Committee membership.

Writing in dissertation format should begin as soon as research begins. Keep detailed written (and graphical, and software) records of all aspects of R&D, and evolve records for talks, future papers and dissertation presentation. You cannot start writing early enough; beyond the discipline and experience of routine writing, you will find that the act of writing, and editing, your work routinely will help to generate new ideas, rediscover old ones, and to identify open questions and the need for more work on aspects of research you thought you had completed.

Timeline

It is the responsibility of the student and advisor to attend to all bureaucratic details

Below is an overview of the main steps in preparing, defending, and submitting your thesis or dissertation from the Graduate School (Check here for updates). For detailed instructions on each step, see The Graduate School's Guide for Electronic Submission of Thesis and Dissertation (PDF). . 

  1. Schedule your defense and apply for graduation in DukeHub (defense and graduation deadlines).These deadlines are early in the semester of expected graduation and so need to be attended to several months before planned defense date.
     
  2. At least 30 days before your defense: Confirm or update your defense committee.
     
  3. Give your thesis/dissertation to your advisor for inspection, and prompt your advisor to send a letter to gradacademics@duke.edu stating that it is complete and ready to defend.  The advisor and student should agree that the dissertation is essentially complete, apart from final touches, several weeks prior to defense.
     
  4. Request your DGSA to send a departmental defense announcement to gradacademics@duke.edu
     
  5. At least 2 weeks before your defense: Submit your complete, correctly formatted dissertation/thesis to ProQuest (initial submission). Also provide it to each member of your committee.
     
  6. Optional: After you receive an email through ProQuest from the Graduate School administrator who reviewed your thesis/dissertation format, you may make an appointment for a brief, virtual meeting with the administrator to discuss any questions you have about the defense process or the recommended formatting revisions.
     
  7. A few days before your defense, The Graduate School will generate your final examination certificate and email it to the chair/co-chair(s) of your examination committee and the DGSA of your department. 
     
  8. Defend your dissertation. After your final examination, your committee members will vote on whether you passed or failed. Your chair and DGS will record the votes on your final examination certificate, sign it, and submit it to The Graduate School. Your committee may vote that you passed but still require minor edits or corrections before final submission.
     
  9. As soon as possible after your defense, submit to gradacademics@duke.edu the Non-Exclusive Distribution License and Thesis/Dissertation Availability Agreement (“embargo agreement”) signed by yourself and your thesis/dissertation advisor.
     
  10. Within 30 days after your successful defense, or by the established final submission deadline (whichever is first):Submit the final version of your dissertation/thesis to ProQuest.
     
  11. Join the Statistical Science Alumni Network to keep up with news!

Past Dissertations Catalogue

We maintain a listing of our Ph.D. alumni, along with information regarding their past dissertations. These are viewable and downloadable as a resource for potential Ph.D. applicants, current students and interested researchers worldwide. Each also indicates the current professional affiliation and activities of the Ph.D. alum to provide some details of professional tracks post-graduation.