Skip to main content

PSYC 899

PSYC 899: Dissertation

Prerequisites: Admission into Psy.D. program

Credit Hours: (1-9) can be repeated for a second semester for a total of 18 credit hours.


This course is designed to be the capstone research component of the Psy.D. program. As such, students are expected to complete an original research project that is of sufficient size and quality to justify being considered competent to conduct research independently.

Note(s): Students must re-enroll in the course every term until the final product is complete and approved by the Psy.D. program faculty and the Graduate College. This is a pass/fail course.


Detailed Description of Course


This course cannot be described through content but rather the components of the process and final project:
    Successful proposal meeting
    IRB approval (when appropriate)
    Chapter I: Overview and Summary
    Chapter II: Comprehensive Literature review
    Chapter III: Methodology
    Chapter IV: Results
    Chapter V: Discussion
       References and Appendices
           Successful defense meeting


Detailed Description of Conduct of Course


This course is designed to be the capstone research component of the PsyD program. As such, students are expected to complete an original research project that is of sufficient size and quality to justify being considered competent to conduct research independently. Data collection cannot begin until the project has been approved by the student’s committee and, when appropriate, the IRB has approved the research plan. Students must re-enroll in the course until the final product is complete and approved ty the PsyD faculty and the College of Graduate and Professional Studies.


Goals and Objectives of the Course

At the end of this course the student should in both verbal and written forms:

1. Be able to develop an idea for an independent comprehensive research project
2. Be able to conduct a thorough literature review to justify the need to conduct the research
3. Be able to design a study or series of studies that will provide appropriate data to answer the research questions/hypotheses
4. Be able to analyze the resulting data
5. Be able to discuss the results and place them in the larger context of the extant literature
6. Be able to describe the limitations to the study and provide direction for future researchers
7. Be able to propose a research project to an IRB, when appropriate, and have it approved


Assessment Measures

Students will be assessed using several measures which may include their oral and written performance in a proposal meeting and final defense meeting and, when appropriate, IRB review and approval.  The final product must be approved by the PsyD faculty and the College of Graduate and Professional Studies.


Other Course Information

None


Reviewed and Approval

March 14, 2016
December 2007