PhD Thesis
Source: https://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/phd-thesis Parent: https://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate-program
Thesis Proposal
Within 3 months of completion of the Research Exam, the student will submit to theDGS and department office a Thesis Proposal, along with the name of the Thesis Advisor and a list of any requested changes to the Advisory Committee membership (the AC will become the Thesis Advisory Committee, TAC, from this point onward). The PhD Thesis Supervisor can be different from the Research Project advisor.
The Thesis Proposal should describe the field of research and propose in broad terms specific projects that might be included as part of the thesis. It should include a brief timeline for completion of the main milestones/projects as well as your expected graduation date. The typical length of the Thesis Proposal is about 2-3 pages, excluding figures and references.
Thesis Advisory Committee
As with the AC, the student should meet with the TAC every semester. It is the student's responsibility to arrange these meetings. The first TAC meeting should be no later than 6 months after the student has completed the Research Exam. Before each TAC meeting, the student should forward to TAC members the instructions outlined in the bullets below.
- At least 1 week prior to the first TAC meeting, the student should provide the TAC with a copy of the Thesis Proposal. At the meeting, the student should make a presentation describing the research field, a draft of the intellectual questions to be addressed in the thesis, a proposed list of projects likely to be completed, and a planned timeline toward a timely completion of the thesis. The student should bring the TAC Report form to the meeting. This is only required for the first meeting.
- In advance of each subsequent TAC meeting, the student should provide committee members with a brief summary of current progress and problems. This document should include basic information such as when the student expects to graduate, how many years it has been since the student joined the graduate program, papers published or submitted, papers nearing completion, etc.
- Subsequent TAC meetings should normally take no longer than 1 hour, except in those cases where the student faces problems and needs detailed advice. The student's presentation at these meetings should focus on work accomplished since the previous meeting and on immediate plans for the future. As part of the presentation, the student should provide a timeline that includes a list of tasks to be completed and an estimate of when each task is expected to be completed. The timeline should extend up to the time of graduation..
- During and following the student's presentation, TAC members are expected to participate actively and to provide constructive advice and suggestions on the thesis research. Following this, the committee and the supervisor meet for a few minutes in the absence of the student. The TAC chair will draft an email to the DGS and department coordinator in consultation with the other members. These reports can be reasonably detailed, paying particular attention to problem areas. These reports are the primary source of information to the CAS for monitoring the academic progress of individual students.
- After each meeting, the TAC chair should meet with the student to provide any TAC feedback, as well as to discuss any matters relating, for example, to advising or professional development.
Thesis Completion
It is desirable that the student complete the thesis and other degree requirements by the end of five years. Information on due dates for degree applications and submission of theses may be obtained from the appropiate GSAS websites. The final manuscript should conform to the requirements described at this GSAS site: A Guide to Preparing and Submitting Your Dissertation.
Before the defense, the student is required to give a Public Lecture on the thesis topic. This lecture is considered to be part of the examination process.
Final Oral Exam
At the last TAC meeting prior to the thesis defense, the student and the committee members should discuss an external examiner, who will join the TAC for the defense, and should forward these suggestions to the DGS. By University rules, at least two defense committee members must be faculty members. Typically, the chair of the TAC will serve as chair of the Final Oral Exam Committee. The Final Oral Examination will be confined to the thesis research and topics bearing directly on it. The typical duration is 2 hours.
Thesis submission
PhD candidates must provide a copy of their dissertation to their examiners at least two weeks prior to the defense date. They are also required to submit their thesis into DASH (Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard) once completed.