Expectations for Completing the Work
As with all doctoral programs, our expectations include that you:
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Bring sufficient knowledge and experience to begin the program.
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Commit and dedicate the time necessary to research and write a doctoral dissertation.
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Diligently apply yourself.
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Share our program values and reflect them in your work. These include:
√ Scholarship
√ Character with compassion
√ Authentic leadership
√ Service and advocacy
Timeline to Completion
Good things take time. The dissertation timeline is described in the structure above. It is expected to take between one and a half and two years depending upon your schedule, initiative, and management of external circumstances, particularly data collection and other contingencies that may occur.
Delays & Extensions
We acknowledge you'll often be challenged by two push-pull counterbalancing dynamics of any doctoral dissertation experience:
The first dynamic demands you be wholly committed to studying. That you are willing to devote the time and resources required to complete the dissertation in a timely manner.
The second dynamic balances this daily goal with reality. To put it simply: “Life Happens.”
Both are true and may or may not be part of your experience in the Doctoral Achievement Program.
If you can master the first (your dedication to the expeditious completion of your doctoral degree) then success is on the horizon.
If for reasons beyond your control, you experience the second (a “life happens” event), we will work with you to overcome whatever contingency may present itself. We remain dedicated to your successful experience in earning your doctoral degree.
Policy on the Use of Editors
The writing of a dissertation is the presentation of an original piece of research. In the Doctoral Achievement Program, all work follows the style guide of the American Psychological Association (APA). However, even the most professional of writers use editors. Dissertations are not exempt from this modality. At the Doctoral Achievement Program, the use of editors is circumscribed to the following:
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Editors may be consulted to ensure APA has been used correctly, to examine the flow of the document, to question the veracity of claims made in the dissertation, and to ensure that the text follows the standards of the American use of the English Language.
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You voice as an author is a unique as your thumbprint. You must not use an editor or an editor's voice to rewrite sections of the dissertation.
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The dissertation must be your work and your writing. However, you may confer with an editor to learn and to improve the the quality of your writing.
