By the fifth week of the sixth semester, a draft of a dissertation proposal should be submitted to your Preliminary Examination Committee. The proposal should include an outline of the proposed dissertation, as well as a rationale for the project that situates the proposed research within the context of relevant literature, as determined by the dissertation advisor. After review and revision, and once the committee has judged the written submission to be satisfactory, an oral examination will be conducted by the Preliminary Examination Committee. After passing the examination, the dissertation proposal should be revised in accordance with suggestions from the Committee no later than the end of the sixth semester.
Students who have completed their preliminary examination are required to meet annually during the fall term with their doctoral committee to report on the progress of their work on the dissertation. Whether or not they are in residence, you need to arrange for such a meeting, and submit to committee members, by at least a week prior to the meeting, a written report on the progress of their dissertation work.
If you have any questions concerning the program, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Professor David Wong at d.wong@duke.edu.