Doctoral students will complete two primary research requirements in the program and will establish various supervisory committees to help guide them through these research milestones. It is the student's responsibility to meet all of the requirements for pre-dissertation and dissertation research, which are required for graduation.

The first requirement is a pre-dissertation research project (PDP) to be completed by the end of the second year of study. A pre-dissertation project proposal must first be approved by each students' Advisory (or Supervisory) Committee and then the project will be carried out under mentor supervision. Students are required to deliver a final written product to their Advisory (or Supervisory) Committee, and also complete a final presentation of the results at the Doctoral Research Forum.  The expectation is that the pre-dissertation project will result in a publishable paper. Students will register for SPHSC 600 credits while completing the PDP.

The second requirement is the Doctoral Dissertation, which is expected to be a significant contribution to knowledge in the field and must clearly indicate research competence. Students should familiarize themselves with the Doctoral Degree Policies established by the UW Graduate School.  In summary, students are required to first submit a dissertation proposal to their Doctoral Supervisory Committee for approval and this committee will then the student in carrying out appropriate research for the dissertation. Upon completion of their dissertation research, students are required to complete a final examination which involves an oral defense and public presentation. The written dissertation must also be submitted by the UW deadlines and using the format requirements established by the Graduate School. Students must register for a minimum of 27 credits of SPHSC 800 over a period of at least three quarters. 

Throughout the doctoral program, each student’s participation in research will be evaluated at least once a year.  Students may obtain from the Graduate Program Adviser a form titled “Evaluation of Student Research Participation.”  This form should be completed in duplicate by the student’s research mentor:  one copy to the student, one copy for the student file.

Students should consult their Doctoral Curriculum Guide and contact their Academic Advisor with any procedural questions related to their doctoral dissertation, including establishment of Supervisory or Reading committees.

Description

The capstone is a supervised research experience in the field of audiology that culminates in a final research paper and oral defense. Students will register for a minimum of 12 credits of 801 during their program and will work directly with a faculty mentor and committee throughout the design and execution of the research project. Students are responsible for ensuring that they complete all of the requirements for this project, which is a graduation requirement. Students will meet with their mentors and provide project updates at least once per quarter at a minimum. Faculty will work with each student to provide specific direction regarding activities, readings, deadlines, etc.

To register for 801 credits, students need to use the faculty code of their research chair/mentor that can be obtained via Student Services, shgradv@uw.edu

Goals

Students will learn to plan and execute research in the field of audiology in order to contribute novel and useful information to the profession. This process will include:

1. Development of a sound research proposal that needs to be approved by your committee by the end of Autumn quarter of your 3rd year.
2. Execution of the research project that includes:
   • Description of the research problem
   • A thorough and documented literature review
   • Creation and explanation of the research design and methods
   • Final written and oral presentation of data and results

Schedule & Deadlines

An independent study is required in the area of your research interest in autumn quarter of your 2nd year. During that time you will register for one to two credits of 801. At least one credit of 801 is a prerequisite for SPHSC 504 Research Methods that you will take in winter quarter of your 2nd year. A research problem or subject should be chosen and approved by your primary mentor by winter quarter of the 2nd year in the AuD program. A primary research mentor plus at least one additional committee member should also be selected. In all cases, the primary mentor needs to hold a Ph.D. degree and at least one of the committee members needs to be a faculty member in the SPHSC Department.

Each student will write a brief proposal (3-5 pages) that will be submitted to your committee. The student should complete the document at the end of spring quarter of the 2nd year. Once the proposal is written the committee will meet with the student to discuss the plan of research and ask questions about it. The committee and the student will then sign a Capstone Project Approval Form to be turned in to Student Services. The student may do preliminary work on the research project while committee approval is pending, but should not begin detailed and intensive work until approval has been given. The proposal should include a brief summary of relevant literature, statement of the problem and purpose, the planned experimental design, and discussion of how the data will be presented or analyzed. Students are strongly encouraged to seek consultation from the Biostatistics department in the early stages of their research project.

Students are expected to present their final research results to an open forum, generally scheduled during the last week of spring quarter of the 3rd year in the program. All members of the committee should be in attendance. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that their committee members attend the oral presentation as this serves an oral defense for this course. Students must be registered for at least one credit of 801 during this final quarter of the project. A summary paper (description provided below) must also be completed and submitted to the committee at least two weeks prior to the oral defense and the committee must approve the document prior to the oral defense.

The summary paper consists of four sections. There is no set length for the paper. Please check with your adviser about the format of this paper.

1. An abstract that describes the research
2. An introduction that reviews literature relevant to the project
3. A description of the methods used
4. Results of the project
    

Grading Policy

Students will be provided with a final grade at the end of the quarter in which the research project is completed. During the other quarters of research, students will receive a grade of “N” / “In Progress” as long as satisfactory progress is being made. The final grade is at the discretion of the advisory committee and will either be a 4.0 or a failing grade.

Students whose performance if of concern

During the course of each quarter, a supervisor may determine that a student is not performing as expected on required competencies. Guidelines for identifying, evaluating, and supporting students who are performing less than adequately include:

1. Supervisors should identify, as early as possible, a student whose performance is of concern. Problems identified by the supervisor should be shared with the student immediately.
2. The student should be notified that the Interest Area Head, the student’s advisor, and the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) will also be alerted.
3. The supervisor should begin documenting a student’s weaknesses/problems as soon as possible. Specific, detailed notes should be kept by the supervisor and shared with the student.
4. A Plan of Improvement with specific goals should be developed with the student, with clear expectations for reaching these goals and receiving credit for the research experience. From midterm until the end of the quarter, the supervisor should keep detailed notes and the student should receive frequent, written feedback related to the Plan. The student of concern may be discussed at an Interest Group meeting for the purposes of gathering ideas about how to best improve performance. Grades will be given based on the student’s ability to reach the identified goals and required competencies.

Mentor Evaluations

If at any time the student is not experiencing the level of support and guidance to complete this research project, they should contact their academic advisor. Students and mentors have the opportunity to evaluate each other at the end of the research experience.

Students interested in completing a master’s thesis, and who are in good academic standing, have the option to interview with members of the speech-language pathology and related faculty during their first year, for the opportunity to complete research during their graduate program. Each Spring quarter, faculty members conduct interviews and open their research labs to students who may be interested in completing a thesis. The selection process takes both faculty and student preferences into account. If selected, most students start their thesis work during Summer quarter of their first year and complete it by the Summer of their second year (final quarter in the program).

The number of thesis opportunities awarded each year is based on multiple factors, including the number of interested students and the number of available spaces in faculty research labs. If selected, students are assigned a thesis chair who will guide their research and a thesis committee is established with 2-4 total members (including the chair). Thesis chairs must be graduate faculty within the department, but other thesis committee members can be from different disciplines and departments.

Additional Coursework for Students Completing a Thesis

All students selected to complete a thesis are required to take the following additional courses. Upon enrolling in thesis coursework, the completed project becomes a requirement of graduation. Please note that the decision to complete a thesis could extend a student’s program beyond the standard 8 quarters.

Required: SPHSC 700 – Master’s Thesis. Students must register for at least 9 credits total of SPHSC 700. Once thesis works begins, students must register for some number of SPHSC 700 credits each quarter until the thesis is complete. Please be aware that students must be registered for at least 1 credit of SPHSC 700 during the quarter in which they defend their thesis and apply to graduate.

Optional: Statistics courses at 400 level or above. As necessary, the student’s thesis mentor will guide the student in registering for an appropriate statistics course based upon his/her research focus.

Example Timeline for a Thesis Project

MS Thesis Submission

In the quarter you plan to graduate, you will need to submit your master’s degree request. Login to the student view of MyGrad and choose the option to “Submit a master’s degree request.” You may not complete this step early. It must wait until the quarter that you will officially graduate from the program.

You must give a public presentation of your thesis and defend with your committee. After you agree upon a date and time, you will need to schedule the logistics of securing a room and publicizing your presentation with your Graduate Program Advisor. Send the following information:

• Date & Time of Presentation
• Title of Thesis
• Names of all the members of your committee .

After you have defended and completed any revisions requested by your committee, submit your thesis to the Graduate School.

*Students who defend early will need to wait until their final quarter in the program to submit their thesis to the graduate school. You must also be registered for thesis credits in your final quarter.

Review the Graduate School instructions on thesis submission here.

• Make note of the thesis submission deadlines established by the Graduate School.
• Utilize the thesis submission checklist provided by the Graduate School!
• Your thesis must be submitted online by the last day of the quarter.
• In addition, it is your responsibility to ensure that the thesis meets current Graduate School requirements. See the formatting guidelines.
• Information about publishing your thesis

   The Master's Degree Supervisory Committee Approval Form must be received by the Graduate School by the last day of the quarter.

Additionally, you must submit a copy of the Master’s Degree Supervisory Committee Approval Form to your Graduate Program Advisor for SPHSC department records. This document may be a copy.

Undergraduate and graduate students may take independent study that encompasses indvidual research, readings, study, or other activities with a faculty member. In an independent study experience, you will essentially create your own course on a topic of your choice, working in concert with a faculty member.

If you are looking for an opportunity to try research or explore a topic in more depth you may wish to consider doing an independent study under faculty supervision. Faculty may have you assist with research projects, or help guide your study on a topic of mutual interest.

Independent study opportunities require a faculty entry code for registration. To receive an entry code, send your academic advisor an email with approval from your chosen faculty mentor. You will receive your registration code and further instructions if required within a week. Students will register for the following undergraduate and graduate courses for Independent Study registration:

SPHSC 499

SPHSC 600