Doctoral Dissertation

The Dissertation Committee is made up of three faculty members of the Berkeley Academic Senate, one of which must serve as Chair and one of which must be a member outside of the Rhetoric department. The Chair of the Qualifying Exam Committee cannot be the Chair of the Dissertation Committee, but may be a Co-Chair.

Within one semester of the Qualifying Examination, the student is required to submit a Dissertation Prospectus for approval to the Dissertation Committee. 

Annual Reviews of the students’ progress are conducted by the Dissertation Committee until the Dissertation is filed. 

Students must be registered in order to file their dissertations. All committee members must approve the dissertation before it can be filed.