Dissertation Structure, Organization, and Completion (Online)

This one-day course will be offered online only. Attendance is required – this course will not be recorded.

The Dissertation Structure, Organization, and Completion workshop will focus on a pivotal aspect of doctoral degree completion, the dissertation proposal. Each component of the dissertation proposal defense will be discussed as well as strategies to ensure a successful outcome of this signal event. Workshop participants will learn how academic scholars present research focusing heavily on development of the theoretical framework, conceptual framework and study methodology. The workshop program will share specific academic practices that successful doctoral students employ to describe the proposed area of inquiry and situating the problem in a current context. When strategies and practices are implemented successfully, the dissertation proposal will garner the satisfaction of the dissertation chair, dissertation committee members, and Institutional Review Board.

Instructors: Dr. Barbara Holmes and Dr. DeJuanna Parker

Dr. Barbara Holmes is a Professor of Leadership Education at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota. She has over fifty years of teaching experience in K-12 and higher education. Dr. Holmes created the doctoral program in education at Winona State University and guided it through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) approval process. Dr. Holmes also directed the doctoral program at Hampton University in Hampton, VA, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Dr. Holmes has served as the dissertation chair or committee member for over a hundred students. Dr. Holmes has researched doctoral student persistence and dissertation development for the past twenty years and has published findings from this doctoral student research.

Dr. DeJuanna Parker is a career educator. Starting as a K-12 English teacher, she later became a community college advisor and adjunct instructor. After earning a Ph.D. in Education Management from Hampton University, Dr. Parker became the Director of Student Success at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU), in Washington, DC. Dr. Parker was a member of the inaugural faculty of the EdD program at Winona State University. She currently serves as the editor of the Journal of Advancing Education Practice.

Registration fees:

• UNC Chapel Hill Students: $0, with a $35 deposit to hold your spot (deposit is refundable upon your attendance for at least 66% of the course)
• UNC Chapel Hill Faculty/Staff/Postdoc/Resident/Visiting Scholars: $80
• Non-UNC Chapel Hill University Student/Employee (must have active university email): $105
• Government/Non-Profit/Corporate: $130

Additional course information:

• Registration will close at 12:01am 2/5/24. No late registrations will be accepted.
• Cancellation/ Refund Policy: A full refund will be given to those who cancel their registration no later than 10 days prior to the course. If you cancel within the 10 days prior to the class, no refund will be given. Please allow 30 days to receive your refund.
• Zoom link for those attending online will be sent prior to the course. Registration must be made at least 3 days prior to the course date to receive the Zoom link.

For questions regarding this class, please contact Jill Stevens at jill_stevens@unc.edu