LSP 914 Dissertation
The student implements the research design submitted and approved in LSP913 Prospectus Defense:
Chapters 1-3. Data are collected and dissertation conclusions developed. The student writes and defends
the final dissertation product.
The process of writing the Dissertation is not a sudden enterprise, but a progressive investigation of a line
of empirical inquiry begun in the research seminars. Students first encounter the empirical research
model in the first term during the Critical Inquiry and Research Design course. Through seminar course
work, students continue to identify potential research questions.
In the Empirical Research seminars, the student receives formal training in research methodologies. As
the student progresses through the sequence of required seminars, each student will develop their study
of the literature base related to their intended dissertation topic. In the final Empirical Research seminar,
students gain skills in instrument design, data collection, and the selection of statistical techniques. Based
on these seminars, the student completes the "Prospectus" described above. Once approved, the
student embarks on the dissertation research and writing task.