Steps in the Applied Dissertation Final-Approval Process

  1. After the dissertation committee recommends the applied dissertation for final approval, the student must send a copy of the manuscript by regular mail to the attention of “Final Review” at the Applied Research Center (ARC). The receipt of the manuscript by the ARC initiates the final-approval process. (The student is notified by e-mail when ARC receives the applied dissertation for final review.) Details on how to submit the document may be found in the Notice to Students Concerning the Process for Submission of Applied Dissertation for Final Approval.
  2. The ARC staff verifies that (a) the committee recommendation for final approval has been officially granted, (b) a completed and signed Format and Style Checklist has been submitted with the applied dissertation, (c) the student’s registration records are in order, (d) the student’s financial records are in order, and (e) a grade recommendation from the committee chair has been received. This verification process may take several days to complete, at which time the applied dissertation is assigned to an ARC program professor.
  3. The dissertation is reviewed for content in the order it was received by the ARC program professor. Most applied dissertations are reviewed for content within 15 business days. In some cases, the ARC may communicate with the student’s committee chair to suggest changes or revisions. The content-review phase will continue until all specified issues have been resolved, at which time the applied dissertation is forwarded to a format reviewer. The student is notified by e-mail that the dissertation manuscript has been forwarded to a format reviewer; an estimated date of the format review will also be noted.
  4. The dissertation is reviewed for format in the order it was received by the format reviewer. Most applied dissertations are reviewed for format within 15 business days. If revisions are required, the format review will be sent to the student’s NSU e-mail account. The format-review phase continues until all format issues have been resolved.
  5. Upon resolution of all format issues (whether by the first submission or by a subsequent revision), the student will receive notification through NSU e-mail that the format-review phase has been completed.
  6. After the format-review phase has been completed, the student will be notified of final approval by the executive dean (by NSU e-mail and regular mail). The notification will include directions to send final copies, electronic copy, and required paperwork. After receiving notification of approval, the student should secure the signatures of the dissertation committee chair and member for the approval page (see Guidelines for the Approval Page).
  7. When all required documents are received by the ARC, notification of the student’s fulfillment of requirements will be sent to the Abraham S. Fischler School of Education's degree conferral office. The university registrar will post a grade for the applied dissertation in compliance with federal guidelines.