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The central activities and missions of a university rest upon the fundamental assumption that all members of the university community conduct themselves in accordance with a strict adherence to academic and scholarly integrity. As a graduate student and member of the university community, you are expected to display the highest standards of academic and personal integrity.
Here are some resources to help you better understand your responsibilities:
The University of Central Florida's doctoral program in Texts and Technology (T&T) is an important part of the mission of both the College of Arts and Humanities and the University of Central Florida as it focuses on the challenges of digital and other technologies in twenty-first century literacy. The program provides a solid grounding in theory and research relevant to understanding literate practice in the digital age, as well as practical experiences with digital technology and with the challenges of teaching in online environments.
The doctoral program in Texts and Technology is a leader in the interdisciplinary field that combines scholarly study, creative production, and assessment of digital media texts. Texts include visual, audio, multimedia and performance, as well as printed and spoken words. The curriculum emphasizes theory and practice in new media supplemented by historical grounding in pre-digital media studies. This unique and innovative program prepares students for research, teaching, and program development. Areas of research and production include web design, multimedia production, distributed education, entertainment, publishing, information architecture, digital archiving, game design, and visualization.
The Texts and Technology PhD program requires:
The degree requires a total of at least 57 semester hours of credit taken at UCF beyond the master's degree.
While not a formal requirement, students are strongly encouraged to develop a set of technical skills and proficiencies throughout their time as a PhD student in order to facilitate coursework, Candidacy Examination, and Dissertation performance. Knowledge of and experience with various forms of social media, web design and usability, and XML coding, for example, strengthen a candidate's credentials upon graduation and when they apply for academic and industry positions.
As part of their advanced studies, students are also required to submit at least one substantial scholarly article to a peer-reviewed journal with a national reputation with the approval and assistance of their Dissertation Committee Chair. Students are encouraged to participate in structured writing groups (or to form their own writing groups) to assist with developing regular and productive academic writing habits.
Select one course from the list
below, or an alternate 6000-level methods course subject to approval by the
instructor and the Texts and Technology Program Director.
After 18 credit
hours in the program, students are expected to select an Area of
Specialization. Students are required to select 9 credit hours from an Area of
Specialization as noted below, or other graduate courses in the discipline
subject to approval by the instructor and the Texts and Technology Program
Director. The list below shows examples of approved courses.
ENG 6812 Research Methods for Texts and Technology (3
credit hours) is the recommended Methods course.
DIG 6825 Digital Media Research Methods (3
credit hours) is the recommended Methods course.
If the student does not hold a master's degree in History, HIS
6159 Historiography (3 credit hours) is the recommended Methods course. If the
student holds a master's degree in history, the recommended Methods course is
ENG 6812 Research Methods for Texts and Technology (3 credit hours).
ENC 6720 Research Methods in Rhetoric and Composition (3
credit hours) is the recommended Methods course.
ENG 6812 Research Methods for Texts and Technology (3 credit hours) is the recommended Methods
Students select 9 credit
hours of interdisciplinary electives from any Area of Specialization, or from
other departments within the university, subject to approval by the instructor
and the Texts and Technology Program Director. This requirement encourages
students to find graduate-level coursework best suited to develop their
research agendas and to prepare for their dissertations.
Students are admitted to doctoral candidacy status upon completion of a
written examination with three parts—one part based on a reading list reviewed
biennially by the Texts and Technology faculty and the other two parts based
on reading lists prepared by each student and approved by the examination
committee. The candidacy examination for each student is written and evaluated
by a committee of three UCF graduate faculty chosen by the student; however,
at least two members of each candidacy examination committee must be members
of the Texts and Technology faculty. Students must be
registered for ENC 7919 during the semester in which they take their candidacy
examination and they must find a Texts and Technology core faculty member to
serve as the chair of their examination during the semester before enrolling in ENC
7919. Students cannot register for dissertation credit ENC 7980 until the
semester after they have successfully completed the candidacy examination.
Students who fail the candidacy examination a second time cannot continue in
the program.
The following are
required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours:
Students choose their dissertation adviser and committee from among the
faculty in the Texts and Technology PhD program, and must have one member from outside the College of Arts and Humanities. They choose the adviser and
committee after they have completed approximately 27 credit hours toward the
degree or after the first year-and-a-half of course work. All dissertation
committee members, including outside readers, must hold a PhD or another
relevant terminal degree.
Students must write a dissertation on their
research that will explain and defend a significant original contribution to
the field of Texts and Technology. It may be of a theoretical, historical or
pragmatic nature, but must meet conventional academic standards. Students are
required to submit and defend a written dissertation proposal during the first
year in dissertation. The dissertation committee administers the candidate's
oral defense of the dissertation, with passing determined by acceptance by a
majority of the committee. The dissertation adviser, the dissertation
committee and the dean of the college or designee must approve the final
dissertation. Format approval is required from the Thesis and Dissertation
Office and final approval of degree requirement completion by the College of
Graduate Studies (Millican Hall 230).
Students will submit at least one
substantial scholarly article to a national and/or international peer-reviewed
journal with the approval and assistance of the dissertation chair and the
director of the doctoral program.
This sample plan of study is
presented to show that a full-time student should complete the program in four
years. Students receiving fellowship or assistantship awards generally have
support for four years, contingent upon successful academic performance and
budget availability. While not all
financial assistance is extended during the summer terms, students can
accelerate their time to completion by taking courses in the summer. Once students are in dissertation hours, they
are required to register for summer semesters until they complete the program. Part-time students can expect to complete the program in six years by taking a minimum of 6cr per semester.
Year 1
Fall, Semester 1 (9cr)
Intro to T&TENG 6812 Research MethodsXXX xxxx Elective
Intro to T&T
ENG 6812 Research MethodsXXX xxxx Elective
ENG 6812 Research Methods
XXX xxxx Elective
Semester 2 (9cr)
ENG 6810 Theories of T&T ENG 6801 T&T in History
ENG 6810 Theories of T&T
ENG 6801 T&T in History
Semester 3 (9cr)
DIG 6853 Design & Develop for
ENG 6947 Internship in T&T
XXX xxxx
XXX xxxx
Spring, Semester 4 (9
ENG 6813 Teaching Online in T&T
It is expected that students will form their candidacy
committees by the end of Year 2
Prepare for Candidacy Exams
Year 3
Fall, Semester 5 (6cr or variable to 9cr)
xxxx Elective
7919 Doctoral Research (Candidacy Exams)
Spring, Semester 6 (4cr or variable to 9cr)
7980 Dissertation
It is expected that students
will prepare their dissertation proposals and hold their formal dissertation
proposal meeting at the end of the first semester in dissertation hours.
Summer, Semester 7
ENC 7980 Dissertation (3cr or variable
to 9cr)
Year 4
Fall, Semester 8
ENC 7980 Dissertation (4cr or variable
to 9cr)
Semester 9
ENC 7980 Dissertation (4cr or variable to 9cr)
Students who intend to graduate must complete the online Intent to Graduate Form by logging into myUCF and navigating to the Student Center – Academics > Undergraduate and Graduate Careers > Intent to Graduate: Apply.
Once the online form is completed, students will receive e-mail communications from the College of Graduate Studies at various stages of the review process. Students can also log in to myUCF and check the status of their Intent to Graduate at any time by navigating to the Student Center - Intent to Graduate: Status.
The ability to file online opens at mid-term of the semester prior to the semester of graduation. Intents to graduate should be filed online no later than the last day of registration for the semester of graduation.
NOTE: If more than two Intent to Graduate forms are filed, Graduate Studies requires that the program review the student's progress toward completion of the dissertation.
To qualify for graduation, students must also meet the deadlines associated with completing the dissertation and filing the final, electronic copy with the University Thesis Editor. The student should familiarize him/herself with the steps and deadlines required for the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD).
UCF requires that doctoral students register for at least one hour of ENC 7980 in their graduating semester even if they have completed all the hours required in their degree plan.
Commencement information is available on the College of Graduate Studies website.
Please refer to the Timeline for Completion section herein for details regarding when the required Texts and Technology courses will be offered. For elective course offerings, please refer to the schedule online via myUCF, or seek counsel from your adviser, the course instructor, or the graduate coordinator in the department offering the course.
Doctoral coursework can be very intimidating. In addition to a great deal of reading, writing, thinking, researching, and creating, students are also exposed to new groups of peers and faculty, various forms and files, administrative procedures and deadlines, and a variety of other stressful conditions. It is recommended that students carefully develop a clear organizational plan and timeline to help manage their scheduled courses and assignments. Such a plan should include sufficient dedicated weekly time for reading, taking notes, preparing lecture notes and teaching materials (if applicable), and completing assignments. The following set of best practices guidelines, adapted from original recommendations developed by core T&T faculty member Barry Mauer, will be useful in structuring your approaches to readings and in-class presentations.
When reading, students should consider using the following guiding questions to gauge how well they are absorbing and understanding the material:
In many courses, students lead roundtable discussion sessions or provide other class presentations of reading material to the instructor and class. Because much of the reading material for T&T coursework is often abstract and complex, making it usable is crucial if students are to succeed in using the readings effectively. The student will often need to explain to others what was done and why. To the extent that the work of the authors can be distilled, the student will do both his/her readers and him/herself a great favor. In general, students should understand the formal elements of presentations:
Satisfactory performance involves maintaining the standards of academic progress and professional integrity expected in a particular discipline or program. Failure to maintain these standards may result in termination of the student from the program. A T&T student's academic performance is evaluated during a First Year Review and again during the Candidacy Examination. The following policies governing satisfactory academic performance are enforced by the Graduate Office of the College of Arts & Humanities:
Students are required to maintain a 3.00 GPA in all coursework included in the plan of study. A grade of B- (2.75) negatively impacts one's GPA. Students are allowed to have no more than six hours of C (2.00) grades or lower (including U and I) in their plan of study. Grades of D+ and lower count against a graduate GPA and cannot be used toward completion of a degree requirement.
A program GPA below 3.00 at the end of any semester will result in a student being placed on "academic provisional" status. In this status, a student is not eligible for tuition waiver support or employment in a graduate position. Such students are given the next nine hours of their program coursework to improve their GPA to 3.00 or better. Exceeding six hours of C or lower grades or a program GPA or 2.00 or lower will result in removal from the program.
All T&T courses use the +/- system. In general, grading is more stringent in PhD-level courses than students may have experienced in masters-level graduate courses. Individual instructors, however, set the criteria for evaluation of assignments and assignment of final grades in their courses, but students can expect that instructors' individual policies will reflect the following general guidelines.
A A final grade of "A" in a graduate course indicates consistently strong and outstanding achievement. Students receiving an "A" have not only fulfilled all course requirements but have exceeded them by the skill and originality of their written and oral work.
A- A final grade of "A-" indicates that students have successfully fulfilled all course requirements satisfactorily.
B+ A final grade of "B+" indicates that a student has fulfilled all course requirements with minor exceptions.
B A final grade of "B" indicates that a student has done passable work in the course although there may be some significant problems in some aspects of his/her performance. While this grade often indicates a potential greater than the finished work demonstrates, a student who receives "B" grades on a regular basis should seriously consider the kind and amount of commitment he or she is able to give to graduate school.
B- A final grade of "B-" indicates that while some of the student's work was acceptable, other aspects of the work failed to fulfill the basic expectations for PhD -level work.
C/D Final grades of "C+," "C," "C-," "D+," "D," and "D-," indicates various degrees of substandard performance. Anyone who receives a grade below a "B-" must meet with the T&T Director to discuss the advisability of continuing in the program.
F Failure.
Students are also evaluated according to progress made in meeting each of the following Texts & Technology objectives:
Students enroll in courses online through their myUCF accounts. If Consent of the Instructor (CI) is required for a course in a department outside of Texts & Technology, then the student should contact both the T&T Program Director for approval to take the course, and the instructor of the course for permission to register. If a T&T course requires a permission number, please contact the Texts & Technology office (firstname.lastname@example.com) for the number. Permission numbers can be used only once. If a student drops the course after having registered for it but then decides to take the course, s/he will need to obtain a new permission number to register for that course again.
At the end of the first year of study, each full-time student's performance will be reviewed. Students must submit a narrative self-evaluation of their performance in the first year of the program to the Program Director. For part-time students this review will occur after eighteen hours of coursework or two years of study, whichever occurs first. The First Year Review is intended to help identify student strengths and weaknesses in completing the Texts and Technology program. Students who pass their First Year Review continue their coursework and face no additional programmatic evaluation until their Candidacy Examination.
During the First Year Review, evaluation of a student's progress is based on three components: GPA (3.5 or higher is expected), the student's progress in moving through the program's requirements (completing core courses successfully, clearing any incomplete grades), and evaluations written by the instructors of the student's Texts and Technology courses during the appropriate period. The written evaluations are submitted to the T&T Program Director who will summarize the student's progress (including both strengths and weaknesses) and inform the student of his/her progress.
Students whose First Year Review identifies significant problems will be given feedback about those problems and will be required to have a second review during the second regular (excluding summer) semester after their first review. Students who do not make sufficient progress in addressing the problems identified in their First Year Review by the time of their second review cannot continue in the program.
The purpose of the internship is to provide students the opportunity to integrate valuable practical experience with the theory and content of their courses in the Texts and Technology program. Additionally, students who are working as interns should make a meaningful contribution to the company or organization during the internship experience.
The internship will normally be completed in eight to fifteen weeks. In some cases, companies may need interns for a longer period. The minimum number of contact hours for the entire internship experience is eighty hours, and most students work 15-20 hours per week. Details of the internship, including timeframe and hours per week, must be outlined in the student's internship proposal which is due at the end of the first week of enrollment in ENG 6947 Internship in Texts & Technology.
To apply for an internship for credit in Texts and Technology, students must meet the following criteria:
Students in this course must contact and obtain an internship from an appropriate for-profit or non-profit company or organization in industry; local, state, or federal government; the military; the arts; or education. Involvement in various grassroots companies or organizations is encouraged. The internship experience must include some emphasis on technology—ranging from using technology to helping to develop technology.
If a student is unable to find an appropriate internship, the faculty member teaching the internship course will attempt to locate one with them. Students should plan on doing the research and laying the foundation for the internship themselves. If students have an interest in a company or organization or if they have a contact for a possible internship, they should follow up on any possible opportunities. In most cases, potential interns will need to submit an application, cover letter, and/or resume and then interview for the position.
By the conclusion of the first week of classes during the semester in which the student is participating in an internship, a proposal (in memorandum format) must be submitted to the T&T faculty internship supervisor. The proposal must clearly describe the student's background and research interests (submitting a current CV is desirable), a brief background of the company, the internship responsibilities, the time commitment for the internship, the name and title of the internship supervisor and details regarding how often the student will communicate and/or meet with the supervisor during the semester, the relevance of the internship to the student's graduate study and professional goals, and other helpful details concerning the student's planned contribution. The student will also be asked to complete a T&T Internship Rubric that will be provided by the faculty internship supervisor.
Compensation may be negotiated for some internships, but any negotiation for compensation is strictly between the student and the company or organization. The Texts and Technology program does not handle compensation for internships. Most internships are on a voluntary basis.
Students who have significant experience in industry may petition the T&T Program Director to waive this requirement. If this petition is granted, the student must replace this requirement with three additional hours of coursework in T&T or Interdisciplinary Elective courses.
Students are expected to form their candidacy committees at the end of the second year in the program. Each part of the Candidacy Examination is written and evaluated by a committee of three UCF graduate faculty chosen by the student. This Candidacy Examination Committee must be comprised of at least two members of the Texts and Technology core or associate faculty (associate faculty members are eligible to chair Candidacy Examination Committees, but not Dissertation Committees). Prior to registering for ENC 7919, students must submit a completed Candidacy Examination Committee form for approval by the Program Director. This form is available in the Texts and Technology office or by contacting firstname.lastname@example.com.
Students may choose to add a fourth external member to their Candidacy Examination Committee. This requirement is optional for the Candidacy Committee, but will be required when forming the Dissertation Committee. There may be advantages to inviting the participation of an external member early so that s/he can contribute to the development of the specialized reading lists and dissertation prospectus.
A list of current Texts and Technology Faculty and their research specializations may be found on the T&T website and in the UCF Graduate Catalog.
The Candidacy Examination is best viewed as a preparatory experience for the dissertation, one that serves as a bridge between formal course work and the dissertation. Students spend the equivalent of a full semester in ENC 7919 (Doctoral Research) to sit for the three parts of the Candidacy Examination. Although students may begin preparing for their Candidacy Examination at any point during the program, they are not permitted to enroll in Doctoral Research hours or to schedule their Candidacy Examination until their last semester of formal coursework.
Students must be registered for ENC 7919 during the semester in which they take their Candidacy Examination, and are expected to begin the process of identifying a Candidacy Examination Chair and committee during the semester in which they complete their final coursework (typically the end of the second year in the program).
In the first semester in which a student enrolls in ENC 7919 Doctoral Research, s/he must enroll for at least three hours of credit. If the student does not take and pass all parts of the Candidacy Examination in that semester, s/he must be registered for at least one credit hour during the semester when s/he takes the examination or any portion thereof (the student must be enrolled in order to sit for any portion of the exam). Students who are on graduate assistantships or fellowships may enroll for up to nine hours of ENC 7919 in order to maintain their full-time status.
NOTE: students must be enrolled for at least one credit hour to use the university library facilities even during summer semesters.
The Candidacy Examination consists of three parts: (1) a general core exam based on a selection of texts from the core Texts & Technology PhD Candidacy Exam Reading list; (2) an exam based on the student's primary field of concentration; and (3) an exam based on a distinct secondary field or subfield of the student's research.
These two examination areas or fields must be based on reading lists prepared by each student and approved by that student's Candidacy Examination Committee. A "field" is typically defined by established period, subject, or approach, such as "narratology," "digital humanities," or "professional and technical communication," but other areas of specialty, such as "TEI coding," will be allowed as long as they meet Candidacy Examination Committee approval and reading list guidelines.
The reading lists for these two parts of the Candidacy Examination must each consist of 25-30 texts. At least 10% of the primary and secondary field reading lists (at least three sources on each) must be composed of scholarly digital sources (academic blogs, digital installations, or other relevant online materials). It will be up to the student to explain to his/her Candidacy Examination Committee how these sources are relevant and appropriate for these reading lists.
At the discretion of a student's Candidacy Examination Chair, parts two and three of the Candidacy Exam may be conducted following the same procedure as the core exam (for example, two additional timed and proctored five-hour sessions conducted on campus), or in a take-home examination format agreeable to the student's examination committee. If the latter option is used, it must be limited to a 48-hour period (for instance, over the weekend) to complete each section of the take-home portion. As with the core examination, each section should ask students to write answers to two questions. Students will not be apprised of the specific questions until distributed by the Candidacy Examination Chair.
Students must complete all portions of the Candidacy Examination within one semester or its equivalent. A standard practice is to take the entire examination over the course of a semester, or over a 16-week period during the academic year: e.g., Part 1 in September; Part 2 in November; and Part 3 in January. In order to take any portion of the Candidacy Examination, the student must be enrolled in ENC 7919. If a student extends over two semesters, this will also delay the student's time to completion.
To promote testing equity within the program, core examination questions will be written by the entire Candidacy Examination Committee and access to previous examination questions may be requested from the Program Director. Committee members will not solicit examination questions, in part or whole, from the student.
Students are encouraged to speak with Examination Committee Members about questions they may have as they prepare for their examinations. If practice examinations are used by a committee, actual examination questions will be sufficiently different to ensure rigor and fairness. All actual examination questions will be written by the entire examination committee, and will be retained by the committee, with final copies also provided to the Program Director.
All Candidacy Examination Committee members will review and make notes regarding the student's responses on each part of the examination. A student can expect to receive notification of examination status within two weeks following the taking of any portion of the exam unless the three exams are taken in an accelerated fashion. If the three parts of the examination are taken in close succession, the student can expect to receive notification of his/her examination status, to include all reviews at once, within three to four weeks of submitting the final exam portion. Students are given an examination rubric that is used by the committee in evaluating student responses and may request a copy at any time from the Texts & Technology office (firstname.lastname@example.com).
If the written answers provided by a student are not satisfactory, the Exam Committee Chairs will have the option to assemble the committee and ask the student more questions about the exam. At this point, the exam chair may specify whether an oral defense by the student or a written follow up from the student is most appropriate. An oral defense of the examination is not required; however, an Exam Committee Chair may choose to schedule one.
Students who do not pass all three sections of the examination on the first attempt may retake the examination once. In such a case, the student's Candidacy Examination Committee will decide whether the student needs to retake the entire Candidacy Examination or a portion thereof.
Students who do not pass the Candidacy Examination on the second attempt will be dismissed from the program.
Any student who enrolls for more than nine hours of ENC 7919, or who registers for ENC 7919 in three or more semesters before successfully completing the Candidacy Examination, must secure approval from the T&T Program Director before s/he can register for additional ENC 7919 hours. Students on university support who fail the Candidacy Examination can be supported for a maximum total of eighteen hours of ENC 7919.
Students are admitted to doctoral candidacy status upon successfully passing all parts of the Candidacy Examination. Students will not be able to register for ENC 7980 Dissertation until the semester after they have successfully passed the Candidacy Examination and submitted a completed Dissertation Committee form.
Exams test a student's overall knowledge of the larger field of Texts and Technology,as well as sufficiency of breadth and depth within the student's fields of specialty.
The core exam aims to assess the student's knowledge of 30 foundational texts selected in consultation with his/her Candidacy Exam Committee and taken from the list of Core PhD Candidacy Exam Readings current at the time the student enters the program. As the student reads each of these texts throughout the first years in the program, the following guiding questions should be considered in order to fully understand the material in each:
Students are strongly encouraged to adopt a note taking/citation management system early in their doctoral careers to systematically capture and access key information. UCF offers students two of the most popular programs, and RefWorks , at no charge.
The core exam typically asks the student to select two questions from a list of three-five prepared by the Candidacy Exam Committee and to thoroughly respond to each with a five-six page essay. Students are given a maximum of five hours to complete their essays. Books, notes, Internet access, or other electronic devices are not allowed to be used. The exam responses will be evaluated on the student's ability to answer the questions and provide substantive responses in an organized, clear, coherent manner. The Candidacy Committee grades the essays separately as Pass/Fail.
It is important that the essay responses are not merely a rehashing of the theorists' work, but reflect the student's individuality in applying these concepts and theories to a particular field. The essay responses should demonstrate the student's ability to think and apply information independently.
The exam process is an exciting time for faculty because they see students frame their research areas and choose texts that address specific interests while preparing to begin their dissertations. Most of the faculty will see titles of texts on these exam lists that they have not read, so they also hope to learn new things from the students.
Each exam is unique to the student and tailored towards each student's interests. The process is meant to develop the tools needed to approach the dissertation. The exams are not just hoops to jump through, and they should be taken seriously and not be rushed. While faculty members know there is often anxiety about exams, they also want to see students approach their writing with enthusiasm. They want to know what you have to say.
Please follow these guidelines as you write:
The College of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation page contains information on the university's requirements for dissertation formatting, format review, defenses, final submission, and more. A step-by-step completion guide is also available at Completing Your Thesis or Dissertation.
All university deadlines are listed in the Academic Calendar. Your program or college may have other earlier deadlines; please check with your program and college staff for additional deadlines.
The following requirements must be met by dissertation students in their final term:
Students must format their dissertation according to the standards outlined at Formatting the ETD. Formatting questions or issues can be submitted to the Format Help page in the Thesis and Dissertation Services site. Format reviews and final submission must be completed in the Thesis and Dissertation Services site. The Dissertation Approval Form is also available in the Thesis and Dissertation Services site.
The College of Graduate Studies offers several thesis and dissertation Workshops each term. Students are highly encouraged to attend these workshops early in the dissertation process to fully understand the above policies and procedures.
The College of Graduate Studies thesis and dissertation office is best reached by email at email@example.com.
Students must write a Dissertation on their research that will explain and defend a significant original contribution to the field of Texts and Technology. It may be of a theoretical, historical, or programmatic nature but must meet academic standards of rigor, scholarship, relevance, and excellence.
The following is from the UCF Graduate Catalog Dissertation Requirements section:
"The Dissertation consists of an original and substantial research study designed, conducted, and reported by the student with the guidance of the Dissertation Advisory Committee. The written Dissertation must include a common theme with an introduction and literature review, details of the study, and results and conclusions prepared in accordance with program and university requirements. The Dissertation is expected to represent a significant contribution to the discipline. Since this work must be original, it is very important that care is taken in properly citing ideas and quotations of others. Failure to do so is academic dishonesty and subject to termination from the program without receiving the degree. An oral defense of the Dissertation is required."
Students should finalize the process of identifying a Dissertation Chair and committee when they are taking their Candidacy Examination. Depending on their progress or the interdisciplinary nature of their study, some students may require additional time to form their committees, but as the Candidacy Examination draws to completion, students should begin formulating their dissertation project and prospectus. Depending on a student's program or development, the Dissertation Chair and committee may, or may not, be the same members as the Candidacy Examination Chair and committee.The Dissertation Chair works with the student to focus the dissertation project and prospectus. The student must be accepted by the Dissertation Chair and, in consultation with him or her, select a Dissertation Advisory Committee.
The Dissertation Chair serves as a mentor, providing guidance on research and development of the Dissertation, the written Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD), course selection, meeting various benchmarks, and other areas of academic and professional interest.
Doctoral students must have a Dissertation Advisory Committee prior to advancement to candidacy status and prior to being eligible to enroll in dissertation credit hours. The Committee will consist of a minimum of four members who are approved members of the Graduate Faculty or Graduate Faculty Scholars (see Graduate Faculty). At least three members must be Texts and Technology Graduate Faculty, one of whom must serve as the chair of the committee. One member must be an external member from either outside the College of Arts and Humanities or outside the university.
Students choose their Dissertation Chair from the core T&T faculty, matching as closely as possible their research interests with a faculty member's research specialties. Because Texts and Technology is an interdisciplinary field, students also need to pay attention to selecting a chair and committee members who reflect as best as possible their chosen field with respect to its subspecialties. Students should seek a chair with whom they can establish a mutually productive working relationship. In this regard students should assess their strengths and weaknesses as a writer honestly, and find a faculty member who can work with them to improve their performance.
Students who plan to have an outside committee member who is not a faculty member at UCF must consult with the T&T Program Director. All Dissertation Committee members, including outside readers, must hold a PhD or other relevant terminal degree, and their credentials must be approved by the College of Arts and Humanities Graduate Office. One adjunct or one visiting faculty member may serve as a departmental or outside committee member. Adjuncts, visiting faculty, and external committee members who are not approved as graduate faculty at UCF must be nominated to serve as Graduate Scholars. The nomination form may be obtained from the Texts and Technology office or by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com.
Committee membership must be approved by the Program Director and submitted to the College of Graduate Studies. All members must be in fields related to the dissertation topic. The UCF College of Graduate Studies reserves the right to review appointments to a Dissertation Committee, place a representative on any Dissertation Committee, or appoint a co-chair. A student may request a change in membership of the Dissertation Committee with the approval of the Program Director and submission of a revised Dissertation Committee form to the College of Graduate Studies.
All members vote on acceptance or rejection of the dissertation proposal and the final dissertation. The dissertation proposal and final Dissertation must be approved by a majority of the committee.
After students have successfully completed the Candidacy Examination, they are admitted to doctoral candidacy and may begin taking the required dissertation hours (ENC 7980) during the subsequent semester. To register for ENC 7980, students must: (1) have formed an approved Dissertation Committee; (2) have a Dissertation Committee approval form completed and approved by the College of Graduate Studies; and (3) have a Dissertation Chair who is under contract to teach at UCF during the semester in which the credits are taken.
UCF requires that doctoral students who have begun dissertation hours (i.e., have taken any ENC 7980 hours) must continue to enroll in dissertation hour each semester (including summers) until they complete their dissertation and graduate. Students must enroll in 3 credits per semester until the minimum of 15 credit hours in ENC 7980 has been achieved and thereafter must enroll in at least 1 credit hour per semester.
Canndidates on UCF fellowship or departmental assistantships are considered full time if they enroll in three hours of ENC 7980 per semester. However, a student may be held to other requirements for full-time status outside of UCF (e.g., financial aid agencies, veteran status, or employers). Students on assistantships may register for up to 9cr hours of dissertation in each semester.
After completion of the Candidacy Examination, doctoral candidates prepare a prospectus that serves as a proposal for the dissertation project. The prospectus is required to be submitted to the student's Dissertation Committee within one year of beginning ENC 7980 Dissertation. The prospectus must provide a description of the dissertation project that specifies its potential contribution to the field of Texts and Technology, a review of literature relevant to the project, a discussion of the methodologies that will be used, and a proposed timetable for completion of the project. Proposals are generally 20-30 pages in length, but they can be longer or shorter depending on the preferences of the student's Dissertation Committee.
The purpose of a prospectus for the Texts &Technology Doctoral Program is to propose original and independent research under the guidance of the Dissertation Committee. A dissertation prospectus should delineate a theoretically informed framework to guide the study that will make significant and substantive contributions to the body of knowledge in the field of endeavor.
The student's Dissertation Committee will determine the format for the prospectus review and approval. They may require an oral presentation and defense, or an alternate review process. In all cases, the student should provide members of the Dissertation Committee a copy of the prospectus at least two weeks prior to the review session. At the conclusion of the review, the committee may either approve the prospectus, often with modifications and changes, or disapprove the prospectus. The prospectus must be approved by all members of the Dissertation Committee, and a copy of the final approved prospectus must be filed with the T&T office (firstname.lastname@example.com).
A satisfactory prospectus contains four basic components: a research question; a statement of theoretical context including a short literature review; a research design; and a working bibliography.
1. The Research Question
What is the Dissertation about? The prospectus should begin by stating the central question or puzzle that is to be addressed in the Dissertation. The question should be phrased precisely, since it will determine what is or is not germane to the Dissertation. The central research question should be stated clearly and succinctly. This is also the appropriate place to identify the general approach adopted in the Dissertation: historical, geographical, temporal, and/or substantive scope.
Treat this as an opportunity to state with clarity and conviction exactly what the core of the Dissertation will be. This section should be no longer than two to three pages in length. It should be similar to writing an abstract.
2. Statement of Theoretical Context
This part of the prospectus addresses the important question, "so what?" In other words, why should one devote a thesis to the question set out in the preceding section? An effective answer requires two distinct arguments. First, you should provide a well-focused summary of the current debate(s) in your chosen subfield. This will allow your committee to see how you situate your project in the existing literature. Second, you should outline in precise terms the specific contribution(s) your dissertation will make to the subfield. If you believe you are studying a neglected yet significant subject, specify what part of that subject has been missed, and how your study will fill the gap. If you are building on an important literature in the field, say what has been achieved, and how your proposal adds to it. If your proposal is a case study or a comparison of multiple cases, this is an appropriate place to justify your selection of cases with reference to theory.
This section should contain specific research hypotheses the student is considering to test. The rationale for developing hypotheses should be included.
Six or seven pages should suffice for this part of the prospectus. Although in cases where the resolution of contending interpretations is an especially important part of the thesis, a bit more detail is appropriate. Whatever you do, do not set out to review the literature in depth here. Instead, write this part with the assumption that both you and your committee are familiar with the field.
3. Research Design
This part answers the question, "How will you answer the question set out in Part 1?" While Part 2 shows the importance of the issue, this section indicates the process you will use to examine the issue(s)/question(s). Depending on the area, this part will cover different elements, but all will need to address the following: What specifically do you intend to do and what does each research step contribute to the project as a whole? In what order do you intend to proceed? If your investigation is empirical, what sort of evidence will you consider? If theoretical, what material will you cover and what will you do with it? Are you planning to do library work, field work, and/or quantitative analysis or statistical modeling?
Obviously, you will not know everything you would like about this part at the time you have to defend your prospectus. But you should be able to provide your best, educated guess. In the end, your committee will be looking for solid evidence that (1) if everything goes according to plan, you will be able to complete a satisfactory Dissertation, and (2) there is a reasonable chance that everything will in fact go well. Ten to twelve pages should be enough to cover this material. You should try to provide the following types of information:
Data: What will be the raw material for your analysis? How do you propose to obtain it? Any information you provide that pertains to reading, coding, interviewing, observing, and the like is helpful. A clear statement of the methodology should be used to both identify and capture the data that will be analyzed.
Measurement Instrument(s): What is your measurement instrument? How do you determine the reliability and validity of the instrument? Are the study variables operationally defined and measured?
Proposed Analytical Model: You should specify the analytical model for validation if you formulate an analytical model.
Feasibility: Is there adequate data or other materials available? Do you know where to find it? Can you obtain it? Do you possess the necessary linguistic and/or quantitative skills, if relevant? Do you have any preliminary hunches or results with which to substantiate your claims?
IRB: Are you using human subjects? If so, have you addressed Institutional Review Board approval and included it in your timeline?
Selection of Method: What specific research methods will you use? If there are other ways to research your topic, why is yours preferable? What is your sampling frame? How do you determine the adequacy of your sample size?
Chapter Summary: Even at this early stage in the dissertation, it is helpful to construct a chapter-by-chapter organization of the project, however provisional. This will communicate to your committee the relative importance you attach to various aspects of your investigation, and the structure with which you will offer answers to your central thesis.
Timeline: How long do you expect various parts of your proposed research to take? Is there a part of it which is already substantially completed?
Funding Sources: If appropriate, specify the granting/funding agencies to which you have applied or intend to apply in the near future.
4. Working Bibliography
This is self-explanatory, and essential.
In preparing the prospectus, the student is expected to consult with the Dissertation Chair and other members of the committee. Additional guidance on the contents of a dissertation prospectus and formatting can be found in (1) MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed); (2) Robert Gaines's the Chicago Manual of Styles 14th edition; and (3) James E. Mauch and Namgi Park's Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation. The dissertation should follow the MLA Style Guide, but an alternate style may be adopted based on the requirements of the student's Dissertation Chair and committee.
In writing the Dissertation, students must communicate clearly with their Chair and the rest of the Dissertation Committee in a timely manner. It is not uncommon for a student to submit drafts to his/her Chair one chapter at a time and revise these chapters until the Chair thinks they are ready for the committee to see. The revised chapters are then circulated to the committee members for their comments while the student is working with the Chair on the next chapter. Such a process provides the committee members with the necessary time to read the chapters. Students benefit from this arrangement because they learn about the various expectations that the committee members have and can learn to anticipate criticism and concerns while drafting, thus reducing the amount of subsequent rewriting. Also, by reading the chapters as the Dissertation is written, the committee members can communicate opinions and concerns to the Chair rather than waiting for the Dissertation Defense to introduce them at a point in the process that might delay graduation. One of the great challenges of writing a Dissertation arises when the advice of committee members' conflicts; in these circumstances, the student should communicate clearly with all parties until a resolution is determined.
Remember that each committee is unique; some chairs may demand more or fewer drafts, as will some committee members. As a rule of thumb, students should be in frequent contact with their Chair throughout the writing process, and they should consult their committee members at least once a semester to apprise them of their progress in writing.
As part of their advanced studies, students are required to submit at least one substantial scholarly article to a peer-reviewed journal with a national reputation with the approval and assistance of their Dissertation Committee Chair. A list of publications for consideration may be obtained in the Texts and Technology office.
Prior to the Dissertation Defense, it is good practice for the student to meet with his/her Dissertation Chair, and to meet with the committee members as well, to determine whether the Dissertation is ready to defend.
Students should discuss with their chairs the protocols to expect in the Dissertation Defense. The following norms provide a good set of expectations for students preparing for their Dissertation Defense, but students should consult with their Chair to determine if any variations from the following structure are planned:
The doctoral student begins the defense with a presentation of a conference-length paper. Students should prepare for this presentation as they would for a scholarly conference, as well as for potential job interviews. The goal is to present a succinct yet compelling overview of one's contribution to the field. Typically, such presentations last no more than thirty minutes; some chairs prefer for them to run a shorter length, in the fifteen- to twenty-minute range. The presentation should be addressed to the committee. Although defenses are public, and friends and family may attend, the Dissertation Defense primarily involves a dialogue and discussion of the student's project to show committee members its intellectual merit and its contribution to the field.
Following the student's presentation, each committee member and the Chair asks his/her questions. This section of the exam lasts approximately forty-five minutes to one hour. The floor may then be opened for audience members to ask questions for a period of ten to fifteen minutes.
Following the Q&A session, the candidate and audience leave the room for the committee to discuss the examination. Frequently, committee members discuss ways in which they believe the student should advance his/her studies after graduation. Once consensus is reached, the candidate and audience are invited to return. The Dissertation Committee Chair informs the student of the committee's assessment of his/her work and the requirements for revision, including who on the committee requests an additional round of revisions. This portion of the examination requires approximately fifteen minutes. Dissertations must be approved by the majority of the committee members, and all committee members must sign their approval on the necessary form for a Dissertation to be considered successfully defended. Members of the committee may withhold signing the Dissertation Approval Form until additional revisions have been made.
Dissertation defenses run approximately ninety minutes to two hours. Again, remember that these are norms, not rules, and so it is to the student's advantage to discuss with the committee their expectations for the defense prior to beginning the oral defense.
The Dissertation Chair, all members of the Dissertation Committee, the T&T Program Director, and the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities or designee must approve the final Dissertation. Further approval is required from the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies before final acceptance of the Dissertation is confirmed as fulfilling degree requirements. Format approval is also required from the Thesis and Dissertation Editor and final approval of satisfaction of all degree requirements must be confirmed by the Division of Graduate Studies (Millican Hall 230). For complete details and information, please be certain to review all components of the College of Graduate Studies' Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) process here: ETD Process.
The university requires all students
submitting a dissertation as part of their graduate degree requirements to
first submit their electronic documents through iThenticate for advisement
purposes and for review of originality. The thesis or dissertation chair is
responsible for scheduling this submission to iThenticate and for reviewing the
results from iThenticate with the student's dissertation committee. The
committee uses the results to assist the student in the preparation of their final
Before the student may be approved
for final submission to the university, the dissertation chair must indicate
completion of the Review for Original Work through iThenticate by signing the
Thesis Approval Form or Dissertation Approval Form.
For information about iThenticate at
UCF, see iThenticate
on the Responsible Conduct of Research website, Office of
Research and Commercialization.
The College of Graduate Studies maintains the Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) website and the Thesis and Dissertation Services Site specifically for graduate students. Students should make certain to bookmark these pages and refer to them often as they are proceeding through dissertation. Preparation, submission, and acceptance of a dissertation must be in accordance with instructions within the University's guidelines on these sites. Invaluable information about policies, deadlines, processes, formatting requirements and resources, workshops, campus resources, copyright and a final semester checklist are also included.
Dissertations from T&T alumni are listed here and may be accessed and viewed online through the UCF Library by entering the author's name or dissertation title and clicking "search."
Students are responsible for being aware of all important deadlines found on the UCF Academic Calendar.
As part of their advanced studies, T&T students must submit at least one substantial scholarly article to a peer-reviewed journal with a national reputation with the approval and assistance of their Dissertation Chair. A list of publications is available in the Texts & Technology office (CAH 190).
As an interdisciplinary field, Texts and Technology embraces a wide variety of research methods and requires the interplay of theory, history, and empirical research. T&T students are expected to demonstrate basic competence (i.e., the ability to read and understand research) in bibliographic, historical, theoretical, qualitative, and quantitative methods. In addition, T&T students must develop expertise in the research methods necessary to carry out innovative dissertation projects. Competence in bibliographic research provides a base for such expertise, but students must move beyond this base to ground their work in theory and to extend existing theory through the use of other research methodology (e.g., historiography, close reading/rhetorical analysis of texts, discourse analysis, and qualitative or quantitative empirical research).
If students conduct research that involves human subjects (i.e. surveys, interviews, etc.), they must gain Institutional Review Board(IRB) approval prior to beginning the study. For access to the IRB submission form and sample consent forms, please visit the UCF Office of Research and Commercialization website.
The College of Graduate Studies offers a Presentation Fellowship award that provides funding for masters, specialist, and doctoral students to deliver a research paper or comparable creative activity at a professional meeting. Students must be the primary author and presenter.
The Student Government Association also funds individual student and group travel requests. Student Outreach Services in the Student Union, room 208, provides a brochure describing the steps in applying for this travel funding. Students can also pick up this brochure in the Graduate Student Center in Colbourn Hall 146 or by contacting email@example.com.
Students are encouraged to contact the Texts & Technology office (email@example.com) as there may be additional funds for travel and poster production.
All doctoral students are required to take training designed to inculcate an awareness and understanding of the fundamental issues of academic integrity and the responsible conduct of research in a manner that is consistent with federal regulations. Students must complete an online module and four face-to-face workshops prior to entering into candidacy.
More information on the Academic Integrity Training through CITI, and access to the enrollment may be found on the Graduate Studies website: Academic Integrity Training.
Researchers in every discipline are responsible for ethical awareness because the status of the profession rests with each individual researcher. The ethical collection and use of information includes, but is by no means limited to, the following: confidentiality, accuracy, relevance, self-responsibility, honesty, and awareness of conflict of interest.
Professors in the Texts and Technology PhD program will assume for its courses that students adhere to the academic creed of UCF and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. Representing the work of others as one's own is a serious breach of the ethics and practices of academic research and will not be tolerated in the T&T program. All work that students submit for T&T classes must be their own. Any sources consulted for writing essays, exams, and dissertations must be properly documented. "Rewriting," in which a student consults a source, changes a few words, and presents the ideas as his/her own, is plagiarism. All of the following activities can constitute plagiarism:
As a rule, students are expected to produce new papers in each seminar, including substantively different arguments and secondary sources. If students want to use work for more than one class, they must discuss this situation with both professors before submitting the work. As graduate students are building a field of knowledge to successfully complete a dissertation, it is sometimes beneficial to one's studies to continue a project from one class to another, or to work on related projects simultaneously; under these circumstances, explain clearly and beforehand to both professors how these projects interrelate but do not constitute "double-dipping." If students have any questions about plagiarism, they should contact their professors prior to submitting work for a grade.
The standard punishment for plagiarism and cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment is an "F" for the assignment and, at the professor's discretion, for the entire course; students may also be subject to expulsion from the T&T PhD program. A professor who suspects plagiarism during any aspect of the T&T program (coursework, Candidacy Examination, Dissertation) will inform the concerned student of the charge and the penalties that the professor plans to impose. If the student does not deny the charge of plagiarism, the penalty (or penalties) will be imposed. If the student denies the charge of plagiarism, s/he may appeal to the T&T Program Director in person and/or in writing. The Program Director will assess the case and render a decision, which either party may appeal by petitioning to the T&T Faculty Committee. Both the professor and student will submit their cases for review, and the Faculty Committee will render a final decision for the T&T program. Decisions to fail a student for a course or project must be reached by a simple majority of the faculty; decisions to expel a student from the T&T program must be reached by a two-thirds majority of the faculty. In addition to programmatic action, students who commit plagiarism may be referred to university authorities under the provisions of the Golden Rule and to the Office of Student Conduct for further disciplinary action. See the UCF Golden Rulefor further information.
Although most of the research conducted by T&T students does not require significant financial support by UCF, T&T students should be aware that the products of some graduate student research may be the property of UCF. UCF has three fundamental responsibilities with regard to graduate student research. They are to (1) support an academic environment that stimulates the spirit of inquiry; (2) develop the intellectual property stemming from research; and (3) disseminate the intellectual property to the general public. UCF owns the intellectual property developed using university resources. The graduate students as inventor will, according to this policy, share in the proceeds of the invention.
The full policy is available online from the Graduate Catalog: Patent and Invention Policy.
The College of Graduate Studies at UCF awards over one million dollars in university fellowships to graduate students each year. Most fellowships awarded through the UCF College of Graduate Studies are reserved for incoming degree-seeking graduate students who plan to enroll full time. The Delores A. Auzenne Fellowship is currently the only graduate fellowship offered through the College of Graduate Studies that is available to continuing, as well as new, graduate minority students. For award details, visit Fellowships. To be considered for a fellowship, complete applications must be submitted early, so be mindful of deadlines.
The College of Arts and Humanities provides a limited number of Graduate Assistantships. Graduate Teaching Assistantships pay a stipend ($14,000/year in 2013-14) and provide a tuition waiver in exchange for which students teach two courses in both the fall and spring semesters or perform equivalent work on other projects. A Graduate Teaching Assistantship also provides health insurance coverage for the student. Graduate Assistantships are offered only to full-time students.
Students on Graduate Assistantships are evaluated and contracted annually, contingent upon continued academic progress and budget availability. In most cases a student's award is renewed for a period of four years as a full-time student in the T&T program.
The budget for tuition remission is provided by the College of Graduate Studies and may vary from year to year. In past years, the tuition waiver support has covered the costs for nine hours of graduate credit each semester per student; however, support may be reduced for non-resident students after their first year (see section on establishing Florida residence) and after students become doctoral candidates and no longer need to enroll in nine hours of coursework to maintain full time status. Students are responsible for fees associated with registration. Current Tuition and Fees and Residency information is online.
Most students apply for a Graduate Assistantship when they make their initial application to the program. However, students may apply for a Graduate Assistantship at any point during their plan of study. The admissions committee for the T&T program assigns priority for Graduate Assistantships when they consider applications for the next academic year; therefore, all students must apply for GA funding before the admissions deadline for the following academic year (e.g. January 15, 2014 for the 2014-15 academic year). The admissions committee is charged by the T&T faculty to give priority first to those coming off fellowships, second to new students, and third to students not currently on GA support who have proven their competency. Within these categories, the T&T committee assigns priority according to the merits of each application.
All students employed as GTAs must complete GTA training. Completing the 12-week Preparing Tomorrow's Faculty Program offered by the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning will satisfy the requirement for GTA Grader, Assistant, and Associate Trainings, but will only meet the GTA Training requirement if completed in a prior semester. It is not sufficient to attend the Certificate course concurrently with your first teaching experience, if you have not taken the GTA Grader, Assistant, and Associate Trainings.
Only those graduate students who have satisfactorily completed and passed more than eighteen credit hours of graduate course work in the major may be classroom Instructor of Record (Graduate Teaching Associate-9183). Departments must complete the 18-Hour Verification section on the graduate contract for these students to be employed as instructor of record.
New T&T students teaching within the College of Arts and Humanities on a graduate assistantship contract will be supervised by the T&T Program Director or a T&T faculty member assigned by the Director, and will be required to attend a T&T GTA orientation prior to the start of the fall semester. They are also required to attend workshops throughout the year focused on teaching at the undergraduate level.
Students assigned to teach courses in the Department of English will be supervised by faculty members in the English Department. The Chair of the English Department, currently Dr. Patrick Murphy (firstname.lastname@example.com), can provide more information about specific policies and procedures for English GTA assignments.
Students assigned to teach courses in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric will be supervised by faculty members in the department. Dr. Elizabeth Wardle, Associate Chair of the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, can provide additional information regarding teaching assignments (firstname.lastname@example.com). Graduate Teaching Assistants in the Department of Writing & Rhetoric will be required to attend a separate GTA orientation focused on teaching composition. For additional information regarding the Department of Writing and Rhetoric's policies regarding GTAs, please contact Adam Salazar at firstname.lastname@example.com or by phone at 407-823-0118.
Students assigned to teach undergraduate courses in the School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) will be supervised by faculty members in that department. Kelley Rasgaitis, the Graduate Program Coordinator for SVAD, can provide more information about specific policies and procedures for SVAD GTA assignments.
Any other departmental GTA assignments will follow the policies and procedures of those departments. However, students should remain in regular contact with the T&T Program Director to report progress, attend trainings, and complete necessary paperwork.
All Graduate Assistants, regardless of departmental placement, will need to attend the mandatory T&T GTA workshops.
UCF requires that the teaching-related performances of all Graduate Teaching Associates (Position Code 9183), Graduate Teaching Assistants (Position Code 9184), and Graduate Teaching Assistant-Graders (Position Code 9187) be assessed at the end of each term that the student serves as a GTA. To retain a graduate assistantship, students must complete their duties satisfactorily. All graduate assistants who teach courses for the university are evaluated annually by both the College of Arts and Humanities and the College of Graduate Studies. Those who do not pass these evaluations may lose their assistantships unless they can be assigned other responsibilities. GTAs are evaluated according to criteria on the GTA Performance Assessment Form in addition to departmental criteria. Graduate assistants with assignments other than teaching are evaluated by their supervisors and/or the Program Director.
The student's supervisor will observe the student's teaching at least once every semester. Prior to observing the student, the student should provide the supervisor with the course syllabus as well as the current unit assignment sheet and any materials relevant to the day of observation. After each observation, the supervisor will write a teaching observation letter, at least one each semester.
The observation letter will describe and evaluate the clarity, rigor, and effectiveness of the course goals, materials, and activities. The letter may mention:
The supervisor will make suggestions for improvement if necessary, and might recommend that the student draw upon resources such as Teaching Circles and the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning.
The observation letter will be used along with the GTA's student perception of instruction evaluations to monitor the GTA's teaching and alert the Program Director to the need for additional training and mentoring. At the end of each semester, the Program Director will write a summary of the GTAs. If the evaluations indicate problems with the student's teaching, the Program Director will request a meeting with the student to determine ways for the student to improve his/her teaching or, if necessary, to terminate the assistantships of the students who demonstrate a pattern of ineffective instruction from their GTA position.
Because of the demanding nature of the PhD program, T&T students receiving a departmental Graduate Assistantship should not to have full-time employment elsewhere. If it is discovered that students do have full-time employment, the assistantship may not be renewed for the next term.
International Students / General Employment
According to INS regulations, graduate students who are on an F-1 or J-1 visa may accept employment on campus without prior INS approval. International students may work on campus for 20 hours per week while school is in session and up to 40 hours per week during summer semesters and school breaks. Students beginning academic programs during summer semesters may only work up to 20 hours per week. International students should not violate their immigration status by working on-campus for more than 20 hours a week while school is in session or more than 40 hours a week during summer and school breaks.
There are various types of off-campus employment available to international students. Eligibility for these types of employment varies and restrictions apply. Off-campus employment always requires authorization from an International Services Center immigration adviser prior to the student beginning employment. Students required or interested in completing an internship must obtain authorization from an immigration adviser prior to beginning employment. ISC defines employment as any work performed or service rendered for money, tuition, fees, supplies, room, food or any other benefit. Failure to follow employment regulations may lead to termination of an international student's immigration status.
Additional information for international students may be found on the International Affair and Global Strategies site.
Students who are non-native speakers of English and do not have a degree from a U.S. institution must pass the SPEAK test before they will be permitted to teach as Graduate Teaching Associates (position code 9183) or Graduate Teaching Assistants (position code 9184). The SPEAK test is not required for students who will be appointed as a Graduate Teaching Grader (position code 9187).
The SPEAK test is administered by the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies and takes about 20 minutes.
English-speaking ability will be evaluated at UCF using the SPEAK test provided by the Educational Testing Service at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters. Should you need to take a SPEAK exam in the summer, please contact the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies directly.
The university provides you with free English-speaking training if your scores are between 45 and 55 on the initial SPEAK test. Further details and useful links may be found in the Graduate Student Handbook.
The Graduate Student Association (GSA) is UCF's graduate organization committed to enrich graduate students' personal, educational and professional experience. To learn more or get involved, please visit their website. For individual department or graduate program organizations, please see the Program Director.
Sigma TauDelta is the International English Honor Society.
Coordinated by the College of Graduate Studies, the Pathways to Success program offers the following free development opportunities for graduate students including workshops in Academic Integrity, Graduate Grantsmanship, Graduate Teaching, Personal Development, Professional Development, and Research. For more information and how to register, please visit www.students.graduate.ucf.edu/pathways/.
The Graduate Research Forum provides an opportunity for students to showcase their research and creative projects and to receive valuable feedback from faculty judges. Awards are presented in various categories, and all participants will receive recognition.
UCF sponsors awards for excellence for graduate students. Additional information regarding the awards and the application/nomination process is available online (Graduate Student Awards) or from the T&T Program Director.
This award recognizes excellence by Graduate Teaching Assistants who are responsible for a laboratory or other similar teaching assignment under the direction of a faculty member who serves as the instructor of record. It focuses on the quality of the assistance provided by the GTA to the lead instructor and students in the class.
This award recognizes excellence in teaching by Graduate Teaching Associates who have independent teaching responsibilities. It focuses on the quality of the student's teaching activities and the academic contributions to those activities.
The Award for the Outstanding Dissertation recognizes doctoral students for excellence in the dissertation. The focus of this award is on the quality and contribution of the student's dissertation. Excellence of the dissertation may be demonstrated by evidences such as, but not limited to: publications in refereed journals, awards and recognition from professional organizations, and praise from faculty members and other colleagues in the field.
The Order of Pegasus recognizes exemplary performance by University of Central Florida students. Graduate students are selected based on academic achievement, professional or community service, leadership, and publication or research experiences. The Order of Pegasus is the most prestigious and significant student award that can be attained at the university. Please visit the Order of Pegasus website for more information.
Students should take opportunities to present a poster or a topic of research at a conference. To obtain financial support to present at a conference (other than through the T&T program) or to engage in comparable creative activity at a professional meeting, visit Travel Support.
For information about the Council of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS) thesis and dissertation awards, see their website: www.csgs.org/ > Awards.
For grant-proposal writing resources: uwc.cah.ucf.edu.
UCF's Career Services department offers a wide range of programs and services designed to assist graduate students. These services include evaluation and exploration of career goals, preparation for the job search and job search resources.
The Modern Language Association offers a variety of resources for students and graduates, such as career and job market information and its Job Information List.
The Chronicle for Higher Education and Academic Keys are useful sources for faculty positions.
To see where Texts & Technology PhD. alumni are currently working, visit the T&T Alumni site.
Plagiarism is the act of taking someone else's work and presenting it as your own. Any ideas, data, text, media or materials taken from another source (either written or verbal) must be fully acknowledged.a) A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, opinions, theories, formulas, graphics, or pictures of another person without acknowledgment.b) A student must give credit to the originality of others whenever:
When using the ideas, opinions, theories, formulas, graphics, or pictures of another, students must give credit to the original source at the location or place in the document where that source's material is found as well as provide bibliographic information at the end of the document. When students are verbally discussing the ideas, opinions, theories, formulas, graphics, or pictures of another, they must give credit to the original source at the time they speak about that source. In this manner, students must make clear (so there is no doubt) within their written or verbal materials, which parts are gained from other sources, and which are their own original ideas, theories, formulas, graphics, and pictures.The Office of Student Conduct has a set of criteria that determines if students are in violation of plagiarism. This set of criteria may be set to a higher standard in graduate programs. Therefore, a student may not be found in violation of plagiarism by the Office of Student Conduct, but a professor or program requiring higher standards of attribution and citation may find a student in violation of plagiarism and administer program level sanctions. The standard in doctoral programs should be the highest as students earning these degrees are expected to be experts in their fields and producing independent work that contributes knowledge to their discipline.
Source: Osborne, Richard, ed. How to Grow Annuals. 2nd ed. Menlo Park: Lane, 1974. Print. Page 24: As a recent authority has pointed out, for a dependable long-blooming swatch of soft blue in your garden, ageratum is a fine choice. From early summer until frost, ageratum is continuously covered with clustered heads of fine, silky, fringed flowers in dusty shades of lavender-blue, lavender-pink or white. The popular dwarf varieties grow in mounds six to twelve inches high and twelve inches across; they make fine container plants. Larger types grow up to three feet tall. Ageratum makes an excellent edging.
You can depend on ageratum if you want some soft blue in your garden. It blooms through the summer and the flowers, soft, small, and fringed, come in various shades of lavender. The small varieties which grow in mounds are very popular, especially when planted in containers. There are also larger varieties. Ageratum is good as a border plant (Osborne 24).
The writer has done a good job of paraphrasing what could be considered common knowledge (available in a number of sources), but because the structure and progression of detail is someone else's, the writer has acknowledged the source. This the writer can do at the end of the paragraph since he or she has not used the author's words.
Northwestern University, Sept. 2016. "Academic Integrity: A Basic Guide." Accessed 20 September 2017.
For more information about Academic Honesty, Click here.
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It's A Long Road That Has No TurnWhat's Closest To The HeartThe Farthest WaveRough And RockyAs The Evening DeclinesRathlin Island (1847)Be Like The SeaThe Wild FlowersSo Here's To YouHigh On A MountainIn My TribeThe 12th Of July (lament For The Children)Grace O'malleyFollow The HeronSomewhere Along The RoadHome Sweet Home
Related Information for Cathie Ryan Cathie Ryan is a singer and bodhrán player from Detroit, Michigan. Her parents came from Ireland and she is generally seen as an Irish or Celtic musician.She moved to New York City at age seventeen in order to attend Fordham University. After her divorce her music career began and she joined Cherish the Ladies in 1987. She acted as lead singer at times and in 1995 she started her solo career. Most of her albums were released by Shanachie Records.Discography1997 Cathie Ryan Shanach.. read more

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Fruit trees often do not need much fertilizer. Many mature trees can get what they need from a well-fertilized lawn. Younger trees, or those not producing fruits can benefit from a boost of fertilizer. Citrus trees require different applications.Continue Reading
A fertilizer that is lower in nitrogen is better for fruit trees. Try a 1-1-1 or 1-2-1 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorous and potash. More nitrogen causes more rapid leaf growth and does not help with fruit production. Look for a fertilizer that contains half water insoluble, or slow release nitrogen and half water soluble for continuous fertilization.
Early spring is the best time to fertilize fruit trees. Trees can be fertilized into late spring or early summer, depending on the location. Fertilizing in the late summer can lead to late season growth that is much more susceptible to winter damage. The exception to this is in warmer areas. Some fruit trees can be fertilized in the early fall before the trees go dormant. Check with the local extension agency for details on planting zones and the cold hardiness of fruit trees for best results.
Citrus fruit trees should be fertilized much more frequently. Young trees need many applications of a light fertilizer. Old, more mature trees should be fertilized three to five times a year. Choose a fertilizer that is specifically designed for citrus trees.


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Departure from DEL
Arrival at AUH
Most Prefered Airlines + 16 airlines
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Rs 6,077Rs 379,670
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About Delhi (DEL)
"Delhi is a city which shows you two different sides of the world. One side reflects the Islamic India and other the British Raj. These two worlds can be seen in two parts of Delhi, one is 'The Old Delhi' and other is 'New Delhi'. Being the capital of India, Delhi boasts of various attractions for tourists. The city is a perfect blend of the present and past of India as here you can find the ancient heritages and historical monuments. All the attractions of this vibrant city reflect some of the most enchanting and true colours of Indian Culture. It is also a perfect place for those who want to study on various dynasties as Delhi was ruled by them in the past. With presence of the cultural beauties, Delhi is also referred as 'the Multicultural City'. To get a glace of its historical beauties, Delhi has various attractions like India Gate, Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Old Fort also known as 'Purana Qila'. The religious values and beliefs of people can be seen throughout the city as you can find number of temples, Gurudawaras and Mosques. Lotus temple, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Akshardham temple, Iscon temple, Gurudawara Seesh Ganj, Bangla sahib Gurudawara and Nizamuddin Dargah are some of the most renowned religious places in the city where you can go and worship Lords. The warm hospitality and vivacious nightlife will surely attract your attention and make you fall in love with this majestic city. Beside all these things, the finger-licking cuisines are also something which you love to talk about. You can book flights at very economical price only through MakeMyTrip India
Delhi Address
Delhi International Airport (P) Limited, Registered Office : New Udaan Bhawan, Terminal 3, Opposite ATC Complex, International Terminal, Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi - 110 037, India
Tel: + 91 11 47197001 |F: + 91 11 47197034
About Abu Dhabi (AUH)
Lack of traffic, large gardens, splendid parks and long streets, these are the beauties of Abu Dhabi. Being the federal capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi is one of the modern and fast developing cities in the world. The city is also the hub of United Arab Emirates's Government. The city gives a beautiful picture of historical and cultural values. Moving in and around the city, you will see the architectural beauties in the way of historical building, Mosques and sky-touching malls. The city looks quite vibrant and happening throughout the year. Travellers across the world come here and find this metropolis better than Dubai. There are quite a good number of worth visiting places where you can go and enjoy the real charm of this magnificent city. The most popular attraction of Abu Dhabi is Sheikh Zayed Mosque. It is considered as the 6th largest mosque on the map of the world. The mosque is a symbol of real beauty and incredible art. The entry into Sheikh Zayed Mosque is restricted for non-Muslims. Some of the other popular places are Corniche, Flagpole, Khalifa Park and The Abu Dhabi Cultural Centre. Apart from all these places, there are some upcoming projects in line-up as Saadiyat Island, Yas Island and Lulu Islands. If you visit Abu Dhabi, then don't miss the chance to enjoy the pleasure of swimming in private clubs. The best thing which will you find about Abu Dhabi is its camel race. It's a sheer pleasure to watch it. The festival time is also the best time to pay a visit here. If you love roller-coaster ride on the sands then enjoy Desert Safari or Dune Bashing. The months of November to March are considered as the best time to visit Abu Dhabi. You will also find world' largest and biggest hotels with ultra-modern amenities here. So, enjoy a fabulous time in Abu Dhabi with your near and dear ones. To book your air tickets to Abu Dhabi, you can simply log onto Make MyTrip.com where you can also get attractive discounts on your group booking. You can also look for special Abu Dhabi tour packages on this dedicated portal. A professional customer care team of MakeMyTrip will solve all your tour related queries.
Abu Dhabi Address
PO Box 20, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Tel: (02) 575 7500
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There are many things that provide you with endless possibilities and among those things your house decoration is also one that always has endless possibilities for its decoration and furnishing. You would find thousands of ideas for every area and what you need is to implement that idea into reality to enjoy your work.
Start from your garden area, decorate it as much as you can by placing plants, flowers, lots of lush green grasses, swings, swimming pool, pond and trees as being the entrance of your house it requires your top most attention. Then moving to your living room area you can decorate it by placing aquarium, large mirrors, good furniture, curtains, many decorations pieces, statues and lightning fixtures as it is the second entrance area and demands good attraction from your visitors.
Your kitchen area is the primary women concern area decorates it with good stoves, cabinets, desk and chair, decoration pieces, towel hangers, tissue roll carriers and lightning fixtures. Decorate your room with good furniture, decoration pieces, mirrors and lightning fixtures. Get good tiling done in your bathrooms with fine commodes, wash basins, bath tubs, towel hangers, showers and taps and bathroom accessories, lights and bathroom curtains. See this is how you can easily decorate your houses!


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Whether you're installing new flooring, changing your countertops, getting new home equipment, or remodeling your whole kitchen, Trusted Residence Contractors are here to help! Inexperienced updates: LED lighting, environmentally friendly taps, inexperienced home equipment and double-paned windows are all attainable with out gutting the kitchen. Like I mentioned before, having a real double oven wasn't an choice with the configuration of our kitchen —however that doesn't often cease this lady from determining a option to get issues just how I want.
Step one in determining kitchen renovation estimates is contemplating your kitchen as an entire. Kitchen cabinetry with tailor-made storage on your most used small home equipment and utensils can hold your counter tops muddle-free. If you happen to plan to stay in your home for years after the transform, then it is best to take into account splurging on gadgets like new counter tops, appliances, cabinets and flooring.
A prime tip on your kitchen rework ideas is to make use of all-round image simulation software program so that you see your kitchen plan realized as though you stand within the middle and turn full circle. You also needs to put aside further money for any sudden problems in the … Read more


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LaserCap – The Latest Wearable Hair Loss Treatment
Hot on the heels of the Theradome laser helmet which claims to reduce hair loss in women, comes the LaserCap.
What is the LaserCap?
The LaserCap is a flexible dome-shaped plastic membrane containing 224 low level lasers, which can be worn inside a cap or hat. Like the Theradome, it is designed to be a wearable solution to treating hair loss using low-level laser treatment (LLLT). LaserCap claims its portable, hands-free device will treat female and male hair loss, thinning, shedding and receding hair lines. The brand also describe the insert as 'an anti-ageing treatment for the hair and scalp'.
Fits inside your own headwear
The LaserCap insert should be charged using the rechargeable battery pack provided, then worn inside your own headgear, or one of the caps provided with the device.
Once in place and turned on, the low-level lasers, which cover the top of the head, bathing it in red light, emit the therapeutic light which is used in all forms of LLLT and is scientifically-proven to boost hair regrowth.
The general guidance with regards to how long you should wear the LaserCap for, is to have three 20-minute sessions per week, and definitely no more than a 1 hour session every other day. However, the brand notes no formal tests have been carried out on use of the LaserCap beyond the 3 x 20 minute sessions. Users are directed to consult their doctor for specific advice on the timing best suited to them.
The main focus in the marketing of this insert, aside from the convenience angle, is that it uses 'optimal power'. This means the LaserCap has been designed to deliver up to 4 Joules/cm2 of laser light energy to the scalp per treatment session. This is the power level shown to produce maximal cell activation in other LLLT devices.
Efficacy of the LaserCap
The LaserCap has not seemingly undergone any clinical trials yet as the double-blind LLLT study available from their website researches the efficacy and safety of a competitor's low-level laser therapy device – the HairMax LaserComb.
The general science behind LLLT appears to be the main foundation for LaserCap's claims that its treatment is 'scientifically-proven'. Low-level laser light is clinically proven to promote hair growth. It does so by aiding respiration, micro-circulation, metabolism and protein synthesis at the cellular level and by increasing blood-flow to the scalp and hair follicles.
Developed in Ohio, USA, the LaserCap is not currently cleared for hair loss treatment by the FDA.
As hair transplant surgeon, Robert Haber, MD explains, 'LaserCap uses the same laser diode wavelength and output power per laser as an FDA-cleared low-level-laser device for hair re-growth; however, LaserCap has 224 laser diodes versus 9 laser diodes in the FDA-cleared device and LaserCap treats the entire affected scalp with an accurate and adjustable light dosimetry'.
LaserCap states that the device is suitable for use with minoxidil and Propecia, and advise anyone taking male or female pattern hair loss treatments continue to use them in conjunction with their insert. This is because these are the only proven treatments for combatting hair loss. This information suggests – as we would expect – that the gadget is better suited to use as part of a pharmaceutical hair loss treatment plan, to boost the effects of established medications for stopping and reversing hair loss.
Other laser devices for treating hair loss
Whilst the convenience of the LaserCap sounds promising, until further clinical trials have been carried out and FDA-clearance granted, hair loss sufferers may want to consider alternative options.
The recently-released Theradome was the first wearable LLLT device for hair loss treatment. Designed by a NASA scientist, the helmet has been cleared by the FDA for use by women and is pending approval for use by men. It has not yet been tested on either men or women with dark brown or black skin, however, this is also true of the HairMax LaserComb which has been found to work well on users with dark skin tones, despite a lack of studies.
The most popular laser therapy device is currently the award-winning HairMax LaserComb. Cleared by the FDA for use by men and women in treating hair loss, we recommend the LaserComb as part of a comprehensive hair loss treatment programme and include the device free of charge with most Belgravia plans. The LaserComb's patented hair-dividing action allows the lasers to get straight to the scalp, rather than being stuck in the hair. We have found that using the HairMax LaserComb in conjunction with medically-proven hair loss treatments, helps to boost their effects and aids healthy hair regrowth.
The Belgravia Centre
The Belgravia Centre is the UK's leading hair loss clinic, with two locations in Central London. If you are worried about hair loss you can arrange a free consultation or complete our online consultation form from anywhere in the UK or the rest of the world. View our extensive Hair Loss Success Stories gallery, which is the largest collection of 'Before & After' treatment pictures in the world, demonstrating the levels of success that so many of our patients achieve. You can also phone 020 7730 6666 any time for our hair loss helpline or to arrange a free consultation.
Related stories:
|How Do Minoxidil and Propecia Treat Hair Loss?
|Laser Hair Loss Treatment: Does It Really Work?
|What Are Hair Regrowth Boosters?


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Given that the Lindos is a spaceship, and its aero- and hydrodynamics are irrelevant, there's no reason not to make it a floating H. Or a floating % sign. Or whatever shape makes it easiest for the designers to stuff all the systems/weapons/etc. in.Most pop sci-fi spaceships are only longer than they are wide/tall because of designers' perceptions of what a spaceship "should" look like. I'd like to see more designs like the Lindos that push the aesthetic boundaries of FS warships, TBH.
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