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Dissertation Milestones Guidebook

Capella University | 225 South 6th Street, 9th Floor Minneapolis, MN 55402 | 1-888-CAPELLA begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-888-CAPELLA end_of_the_skype_highlighting (227-3552) Comprehensive Examination & Dissertation Program Office Last Updated February 26, 2010

Table of Contents

1.0 The 16 Milestones ............................................................ 3-12

1.1 Introduction & Timelines ............................................................... 3 1.2 How Deadlines are Calculated ..................................................... 4 1.3 Description of the Milestones .................................................. 5-11

Group 1 (milestones 1-3) Group 2 (milestones 4-7) Group 3 (milestones 8-9) Group 4 (milestones 10-16)

1.4 How to Find the Milestone Transcript ......................................... 12

2.0 Milestone Procedures.................................................... 13-16

2.1 Completions ............................................................................... 13 2.2 Extensions............................................................................. 13-14

First extensions (mentor-approved) First extensions (mentor-denied) Second extensions (learner-initiated, school-approved) Second extensions (learner-initiated, school-denied)

2.3 Dismissals ............................................................................. 14-15 2.4 Appeals ................................................................................. 15-16

First-level Appeal Second-level Appeal

3.0 Additional Resources ......................................................... 17

3.1 Dissertation Manual 3.2 Dissertation Format Guidelines 3.3 University Catalog

Dissertation Milestones Guidebook

1.0 The 16 Milestones

1.1 Introduction & Timelines

Welcome to the Dissertation Milestones Guidebook. This guidebook is directed to Capella learners as a quick reference tool outlining Capella's process for dissertation completion. Capella faculty may also find it a helpful resource. The Milestones Guidebook contains information about all four milestone groups, their descriptions and timelines, and guidance about policies. All Capella graduate schools follow similar processes in dissertation, with a few exceptions which are highlighted in section 1.3. Every dissertation is unique, but the process of creation moves through a similar sequence of steps. Capella refers to these steps as milestones. The graduate schools: School of Education (SOE); School of Business and Technology (SOBT); Harold Abel School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SOSBS); and School of Public Service Leadership (SOPSL) use the following milestones:

GROUP ONE # 1 2 3 4 TWO 5 6 7 THREE DESCRIPTION 1.1 Dissertation Committee Approved 1.2 Learner Completed CITI Modules 1.3 Mentor Approved Proposal 2.1 Committee Approved Proposal 2.2 School Approved Proposal (MRF Approval for Dept of Psychology) 2.3 University Approved IRB 2.4 Proposal Conference Call Completed WEEKS 6 6 52 12 12 24 24

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

3.1 Mentor Approved Chapter 4 3.2 Chapter 5 and Full Dissertation Approved By Mentor 4.1 Committee Approved Dissertation 4.2 School Approved Dissertation (not used by Dept of Psychology) 4.3 Format Editing Completed 4.4 Final Conference Call Completed 4.5 Final Manuscript Approved 4.6 Manuscript Submitted For Publication 4.7 Dean's Final Approval

36 46 8 8 13 19 24 24 24

FOUR

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Dissertation Milestones Guidebook

1.2 How Deadlines are Calculated

The 16 dissertation milestones are divided into four groups. These groups are logically related to the four main phases of dissertation projects: * * * * Group Group Group Group 1: 2: 3: 4: Preparing the proposal for the project Obtaining the necessary approvals to conduct research Collecting and analyzing data, and reporting the results Obtaining final approvals for dissertation publication

Milestone group 1 deadlines are calculated from the first week of the learner's first dissertation course. Deadlines for milestone groups 2 through 4 are calculated from the date of completion of the previous group. Milestone deadlines will never fall during a quarter break. Learners who start dissertation in the same quarter may have different start dates and due dates from each other as they progress through dissertation, this is due to the self-paced and independent nature of this type of research. Most milestones are completed in order, though milestones 1 and 2 can be completed simultaneously. The guidebook explains individual milestones in section 1.3. Milestones are tracked throughout the process by one of two methods: (1) Mentors submit a milestone completion form or (2) Capella tracks and updates the milestone internally. Mentors are responsible for submitting completion forms for Milestones 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, and 14. Capella tracks completion of Milestones 1, 2, 5, 6, 11, 12, 15, an 16 internally.

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Dissertation Milestones Guidebook

1.3 Description of the Milestones Group 1 Milestones

Group 1 milestones relate to the process of preparing the groundwork for the dissertation research project: school-approved dissertation committee; ethics training completion; school-approved Methodology Review Form (Department of Psychology in SOSBS only); school-approved pre-proposal (SOE only); and mentor-approved proposal. Milestone 1: Dissertation Committee Approved After passing the comprehensive examination, choosing a mentor, and registering for dissertation, learners nominate a dissertation committee. * * * * * Discuss committee member selection with your mentor and advisor. Refer to the Dissertation Manual for your school's requirements. If your school requires it, seek agreement from committee member candidates. Submit the Dissertation Committee Nomination form. Capella notifies learner and mentor of dissertation committee approval and updates the milestone transcript.

Milestone