Project Design & Implementation.

Six one-hour courses dispersed throughout the program guide the student step-by-step through the development, implementation, and assessment of the project. There are five stages in the project dissertation process.

1. The first stage is the preparation and successful defense of a research proposal for a project concept.

2. The second stage is the development and successful defense of a prospectus identifying appropriate scholarly background concepts and defining the purpose, structure, and elements of the project.

3. The third stage is the implementation of the project.

4. The fourth stage is the assessment of the project.

5. The final stage is the successful completion and defense of the dissertation.

Defense of the proposal, prospectus and dissertation will be done before a colloquial team comprised of two faculty persons and one student peer (See below). Defenses of the prospectus and the dissertation will be open to the public. While it is called a defense, the tone of each event is that of a colloquial consultation. However, approval by the colloquial team is necessary at each juncture before a student proceeds to the next stage of the project/dissertation.

Dissertation. The capstone for the degree is the successful defense of the student’s project and dissertation. Through the successful completion of the project, students will demonstrate having achieved the learning outcomes of the D.Min. By reporting on the project, the dissertation is designed to document achievement of the degree program outcome statements. Successful defense of the dissertation requires that the final document conform to designated style and form requirements which will result in the dissertation being suitable for publication.

Supervision. Each student is supervised through the project and dissertation by a colloquial team. The team meets to consult with the student at three critical junctures: defense of the research proposal, defense of the project prospectus, and defense of the dissertation. In each case the members of the team must approve of the document before the student is allowed to proceed to the next phase of the project/dissertation.

The colloquial team is comprised of three persons: a peer from the student’s cohort, a focus area faculty consultant, and a project supervisor from among the faculty. The peer member is selected by the student. The focus area consultant is a faculty member with expertise in the student’s focus area who consults with the student about relevant scholarly concepts and resources for the project. Students are expected to schedule a meeting with the consultant a minimum of once per semester throughout the duration of the project/dissertation. The project supervisor is a faculty member with expertise in project design and methods. Under normal circumstances the project supervisor is the faculty member who teaches the six one-hour courses related to the project development and implementation (DM 931, DM 911, DM 932, DM 911, DM 912, and 913). Project design, development, implementation, and assessment are integrated into those six courses.

At the completion of the project, students must request a faculty supervisor for the finalization and defense of the dissertation (DM 934). Because of impact on faculty workload, the focus area consultant and the dissertation supervisor are requested by the student but those requests are subject to final approval by the Vice President for Academics.