San José State University

SCHOOL OF LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE



• Gateway Ph.D. Handbook
• Program
  Overview
• Research
  Area
  
• Faculty
  Specialization
  
• Course
  Structure
• Planned
  Research
• Functional
  Overview
• Entry
  Req.s
• Fees
  
  
• Important
  Note



SLIS Home – San José Gateway Ph.D. – Planned Research Program

Planned Research Program

Assignments in the PhD program demands a capacity for critical analysis and a specialization of research interests not normally appropriate for a magistral program.

Such coursework will be conducted in a number of ways:

• as advanced lecture courses
• as seminars in which faculty and candidates present critical studies of selected problems within the subject field
• as independent study or reading courses under faculty supervision
• as research projects conducted under faculty supervision

In all cases, assignments will be based upon a written plan briefly setting out the educational outcomes expected from the project, a list of topics to be covered, the prescribed reading material and the method of assessment of progress through and at the end of the activity. These expectations, in addition to the requirements outlined above, will be planned by the candidate and the Principal/Associate Supervisors to contribute to, and provide structure to, the overall program of research.

San José Students

Prospective students for the San José cohort will review the list of San José tenured faculty accredited as QUT supervisors. The applicant will submit a brief statement of research interest to a San José faculty member in his or her area of interest for review and endorsement.

This endorsement constitutes an agreement by the faculty member to act as the San José supervisor. Tenured faculty may act as partners with untenured faculty whose research interests are more closely aligned with those of the student.

No student will be admitted without a designated San José supervisor. The School's Ph.D. Admissions and Advisory Committee will inform the applicant to proceed with formal application to QUT.

In addition to annnual reviews, there will be formal reviews of student performance at the end of four months (December, 2008) and then at the end of two years (August, 2010). An independent panel will review a written report and observe a confirmation seminar in which the candidate will defend work to date and the plan for the dissertation.

Supervision

The Principal Supervisor will be a senior faculty member from QUT. The Associate Supervisor will be a tenured faculty from San José who has been accredited by QUT for doctoral supervision. Those San José faculty acting as QUT associate supervisors for the San José cohort are noted on the SLIS Website.

A second associate supervisor will be named by QUT. This second associate could be a faculty member from San José or QUT or elsewhere.

QUT senior faculty and faculty from major research institutions (Arizona, Syracuse, Toronto, UNC–Chapel Hill, UT–Austin) are working closely with San José faculty for quality control and mentoring in the early years of doctoral supervision.

Final Seminar

All on–site meetings will take place in San José.

Dissertation

The confirmation for candidature and proposal for the dissertation will be reviewed at the end of 24 months. The proposal is typically 30–40 pages in length.

The final dissertation will be a maximum of 400 pages (100,000 words).

The final internal examination committee will include the principal supervisor and three non–supervisors (one expert in the area, one academic from outside the area, and one junior faculty member).

The final external examination committee will include three readers including one international expert.

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