Students take their final required advanced seminar course (LTEC 760) as part of the process of moving to candidacy once other required coursework is completed. This final seminar provides a support system for choosing a dissertation committee, designing independent research, completing the comprehensive examination, developing a proposal for the dissertation research, and furthering knowledge of the discipline. Students typically enroll more than one semester in LTEC 760.  

 LTEC 760 is designed to support students in developing a short 10-page prospectus outlining their research idea and a full literature review of typically 30+ pages for their comprehensive examination.  Once the comprehensive examination is complete, LTEC 760 continues to provide support as students develop their full research proposal including instruments and all IRB material. Continuous enrollment in LTEC 760 is required until the student successfully passes the proposal defense. Any student who has been enrolled in the regular LTEC 760 for five or more semesters and has not completed the comprehensive examination and made significant progress on the proposal will be enrolled in a separate section of LTEC 760 which will differ in format from the previous five semester experience. Beginning with semester 6, students will still enroll in LTEC 760 but will be on a different schedule with required weekly synchronous meetings on Mondays (except for holidays) where they will be required to keep their camera on and write with a faculty member present to facilitate. Students will be required to do this until their proposal is approved or their time to degree has expired.

The requirements for Advancement to Candidacy are completion of all coursework except dissertation credits (LTEC 800), passing the comprehensive examination, approval of a dissertation proposal, and IRB approval. Once officially advanced to candidacy and with completion and approval of Doctorate Form 2 – Advance to Candidacy, students continue their enrollment by taking LTEC 800, Dissertation, for a minimum of one credit in each fall and spring semester until successful defense of a completed dissertation. Students are able to note their preference for which section of LTEC 760 they would like to enroll in as there are typically two or three sections each term. The faculty make every effort to assign students to their preferred section, but must also balance enrollment across the sections.