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Neurons
George Mason University

Dissertation

Requirements

For a successful completion of their doctoral program, candidates must satisfy all applicable university degree requirements and all requirements established by the department/faculty for the Neuroscience Ph.D. program. Doctoral candidates must pass a final public defense of their doctoral dissertation and successfully accomplish the following:

1. Dissertation Research: After advancing to candidacy, the candidate works on his or her doctoral dissertation while enrolled in NEUR 999.

  • No more than 24 combined credits from NEUR 998 Dissertation Proposal and NEUR 999 Doctoral Dissertation may be applied toward satisfying doctoral degree requirements. 
  • A candidate must be enrolled in a minimum of six credits per semester if he or she is to maintain a “full-time student” enrollment status. Candidates must enroll in a minimum of 3 cr of NEUR 999 in their first semester after advancement. 
  • Candidates should meet with their committees (individually or as a group) at least once a year (recommended once a semester) to update members on the status of the dissertation. 
  • A candidate holding a graduate research assistantship who has completed all 48 course credits and 24 research credits may maintain a decrease to 1 credit per semester and maintain full-time status, with submission of form “Doctoral Dissertation Research Full-Time Equivalent Status” each semester
  • The candidate is expected to make an original and significant contribution to the field worthy of publication in a peer-reviewed journal. One first-authored, primary data publication in a peer-reviewed journal is required before the thesis can be accepted for the committee review.  Two or more such publications are strongly recommended. If the candidate has additional research not yet turned into a manuscript, the other publication can be a co-authorship on a primary data paper or a first authorship on a review article/commentary.

2. Pre-Defense: The public defense is preceded by a pre-defense meeting, in which only the candidate and the dissertation committee members need to be present.

  • The dissertation must be made available to the committee at least 14 days in advance of the pre-defense.
  • The pre-defense meeting and the defense should be scheduled 4 weeks apart; the pre-defense must be at least 2 weeks before the defense.  Both appointments should be created at the same time. 

3. Defense: The defense must be announced at least 14 days in advance. Email cosgrad@gmu.edu and neurosci@gmu.edu with your name, email address, degree and program type, date/time/location of your defense, committee members, the title and abstract for your dissertation. 

  • The dissertation must be made available to the committee at least 14 days in advance of the defense.
  • The doctoral committee reviews the dissertation and examines the candidate in a public oral thesis defense.
  • Bring one copy per committee member of dissertation rubric and oral presentation rubric.  The completed forms should be returned to the Director of the Neuroscience PhD Program.

4. Dissertation: The final dissertation is comprised of the student’s first authored manuscripts together with a brief intro and conclusion/future directions. The dissertation begins with an abstract summarizing the dissertation results.  This is followed by an background and significance chapter which explains the background and defines the state of the field setting up the questions to be addressed in the dissertation. Each specific aim chapter of the dissertation should have the following: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections similar to what would be found in a journal publication.  These are followed by a summary chapter of the results of the dissertation and how they advance the field as well as a discussion of future directions that the research could pursue.  Finally there will be acknowledgements and references cited. The paging format is provided by Mason.  Students must consult with the University Dissertation & Thesis Services office in the Library to make sure that their dissertation conforms to formatting requirements. There is no page minimum or limit. The dissertation committee is charged with the responsibility that the dissertation is complete and concise, regardless of length.

  • The final dissertation must be submitted prior to the last day of classes of the semester, and a format review must be scheduled no later than 5 days prior.
  • The candidate should refer to the University Thesis and Dissertation Services website for deadlines and to help to prepare, format, and properly submit his/her dissertation to the university library

5. Degree: The degree will be awarded upon completion of the required course work (NEUR 999) and successful defense of the thesis.

Timeline

The candidates should refer to the Registrar’s graduation website for coordinating their dissertation defense timelines with the graduation process timelines and requirements.

  • Note that, the total time for items 2-4 above is seven weeks: you must give your dissertation to your committee seven weeks before the end of the semester. Ideally, you should meet with your committee (members individually or as a group) at least once a semester to give them updates on your dissertation. 

The following doctoral graduation checklist will help to guide the Neuroscience doctoral candidates through the process of completing the requirements for the degree.

  1. File a Graduation Intent form through the PatriotWeb system by the deadline.
  2. Select a pre-defense and defense date with your committee at the beginning of the semester (allow two hours for each event). 
  3. Seven to eight weeks prior to the defense date, send your dissertation to the committee. 
  4. Schedule your dissertation format review with the library.
  5. Update your current mailing address, phone number, and email address on PatriotWeb.
  6. At least 21 days prior to your defense date:
  • Email the necessary information about your defense (your name, department, dissertation title, committee chairperson, date, time, place of defense, and abstract) to neurosci@gmu.edu.
  • To insure proper formatting of the signature page, e-mail (mhayes5@gmu.edu) or fax (703-993-9033) a copy of your dissertation signature page to the COS Office of Graduate Academics. That office will review the formatting and inform you of any necessary changes (which should be made prior to your defense and the attainment of any committee member signatures).
  • Ensure all “IP” (In Progress) and “IN” (Incomplete) grades are resolved by the end of the semester.
    7. Email links or print copies of the rubrics and distribute to the committee. 
    8. Defend your dissertation.
    9. Submit your dissertation and signature page to UDTS by the final submission deadline. 
     

The candidate should maintain contact with his or her Dissertation Advisor, dissertation committee, the Director of the Neuroscience PhD Program and the College of Science Graduate Program Director throughout the semester for information and for any changes in the requirements and deadlines.