Oral Presentation of Dissertation Research Proposal

The oral presentation of the dissertation research proposal must be completed no later than nine months after the successful completion of the written comprehensive qualifying examination. All students should submit a Dissertation Research Proposal Oral Presentation Registration form at least four weeks prior to the Dissertation Proposal Oral Presentation, and no later than February 28 of year three.

Registration for the Dissertation Research Proposal Oral Presentation

To schedule the oral presentation of the dissertation research proposal (or re-presentation), the dissertation mentor and the student should check the proposed date with the MAC members and communicate the proposed date with the CLR Program office to find out which member of the PhD Oversight Committee will be available to attend the presentation. Once a date has been established the student will need to submit a copy of the Dissertation Research Proposal Oral Presentation Registration form with the appropriate signatures to the Program Manager at least four weeks prior to the presentation. The student is responsible for scheduling the presentation and should communicate with the Program Coordinator to find a room for the presentation if needed. The student is responsible for communicating the final date, time and location to the individuals involved in the presentation and to the program office. The student should also email their written thesis prospectus to their committee members, the member of the PhD Oversight Committee attending the presentation, and to the Program Manager at least four weeks prior to the oral presentation to give committee members sufficient time to review the written thesis. Failure to register and provide the appropriate information to the committee members and program office in a timely manner may result in a cancellation of the presentation. If a student does not register for a presentation that is conducted, the Clinical Research Education Program reserves the right to require a re-presentation or to require a notarized statement from the student and the MAC certifying the number of times the student has presented.

Rules and Procedures for the Oral Presentation

The Dissertation Research Proposal Oral Presentation will be conducted by members of the student’s MAC and will be led by the chair of that committee. The chair of the committee must enforce all rules of the examination, including those pertaining to the role of the mentor. In addition, a member of the PhD Oversight Committee must be present during the Thesis Proposal Oral Presentation.

The student's mentor should be present during the Dissertation Research Thesis Proposal Oral Presentation. However, the mentor must remain silent throughout the entire process including the questioning phase of the presentation. The purpose of the mentor’s presence is to allow him/her to assess first-hand the student’s performance in order to subsequently assist them in addressing the observed deficiencies. If the mentor fails to remain silent, they may be asked by the chair of the committee to leave the room. Before the Oral Presentation begins, the student and mentor will be asked to leave the room for a few minutes so the committee can discuss the student’s performance to date, the structure of the exam, the written thesis proposal and raise any specific points that would be important to discuss during the presentation. Once this review is completed, the student and mentor will be called into the room and the presentation will commence. The student should present using PowerPoint slides. Copies of the slides should be provided to the MAC on the day of the presentation. The student’s portion of the presentation should be approximately thirty minutes long.

The purpose of the Oral Presentation is to assess the working knowledge of the student’s respective field of inquiry and the ability to demonstrate critical thinking and sufficient acumen regarding clinical research design, and analytical methods as they relate to their chosen field of inquiry. The committee should evaluate the student’s ability to:

• Evaluate and synthesize relevant literature

• Articulate and elaborate on specific aims

• Evaluate any preliminary data of relevance to the project which may be available

• Discuss experimental designs, qualitative and/or quantitative methods, and alternative strategies and methods for analysis, as it applies to the work planned

Once the committee is finished asking questions, the student and mentor will be asked to leave the room. At this point the MAC will take into account both the written proposal and the Oral Presentation and vote on whether the proposal is accepted, and if accepted, whether with minor, major or no revisions. Following this discussion, the student and mentor will be asked to re-enter the room and the chair of the committee will discuss the committee's decision. All members of the MAC should sign the Dissertation Research Proposal Oral Presentation Voting form at the end of the presentation. The form must be returned by the Chair of the committee to the CLR Program Manager immediately following the presentation. In addition, if the committee determines that further work is necessary, the Chair will provide this information in writing to the student, mentor and the CLR program within 7 days of the presentation.

No extensions will be granted for the oral presentation except under extenuating circumstances. Requests for extensions of established examination deadlines should be made at least 4 months prior to the deadline. Students who fail to meet the examinations deadlines will be placed on academic probation.

Outcome of the Dissertation Research Proposal Oral Presentation

The following voting options are available to the MAC:

• Satisfactory without revisions

• Satisfactory with minor revisions (no re-presentation to the committee required)

• Satisfactory with major revisions (re-presentation to the committee required)

• Unsatisfactory

The student whose oral presentation is deemed unsatisfactory or satisfactory with major revisions will be given one additional opportunity to address the particular area(s) of weakness. Students will need to submit a Dissertation Research Proposal Oral Re-Presentation Registration form to the Clinical Research Education Program Office formalizing this request. The conditions and timing for a re-presentation must be established at the time of the initial presentation.

The re-presentation must occur within 6 months of the initial presentation if the initial outcome was "Unsatisfactory" or within 4 months if the outcome was "Satisfactory with Major Revisions." The information concerning a re-presentation should be communicated to the student and the CLR program by the MAC, in writing, within two days of the initial presentation. A student (with support of the mentor) may request to change the membership of an individual(s) in the re-examination MAC from that of the MAC Examination Committee. However, the student can request a change only if 1) there are major changes to the proposal and the existing committee members do not appropriately represent the expertise necessary, given the changes to the project or 2) if there is a major conflict identified by the student and mentor. The student must receive approval from the CLR program leadership, prior to registration for the re-examination in order to proceed with a change in committee member. In rare instances, the MAC may refuse the student the opportunity to redress the proposal where students have failed to show sufficient research progress and ability.