Guidelines for Masters and Doctoral students

The portfolio is the principal artifact used by the Institute to monitor progress of doctoral
students. This document is intended as a guide to the portfolio component of these
requirements. Adhering to these guidelines is a requirement for continuing in the doctoral
program.

Portfolio Requirement
Every doctoral student is required to assemble and submit a portfolio for review no later
than the date specified by RIIHL.

Portfolios are reviewed on a regular basis (generally once a year, by the Portfolio
Evaluation Committee (PEC), a faculty committee appointed by the department chair.
Feedback to the student on portfolio contents and on progress towards admission to
candidacy is provided as a result of these reviews.

New portfolios should be submitted to the student's academic advisor for preliminary
review. The advisor may suggest that the student make modifications. Students should
print the cover page form and include the form with the Portfolio for submission to the
academic advisor for review.

Portfolio Content & Organization

Every student in the doctoral program is required to prepare a three-ring binder
containing as much as possible of the information described below. For each major
section, please begin the corresponding section in your binder with a tabbed separator
labeled so as to identify the section heading. All sections are required to be included.

1. Summary Data
a. Complete the following table on personal information:

Personal Information
Your Name:
Your SSN:
Date entered program
(semester/year):
Full or part time student?
Principal source of support:
b. Give the names of your dissertation advisor and other committee
members. If the committee has not yet been formed, please indicate this
.Note that advance into candidacy can only be approved when a committee
has been appointed.
Doctoral Committee
Major Professor / Advisor
Committee Member
Committee Member
Committee Member
External Committee
Member
c. Complete the following table on core courses . You must complete five (5)
core courses in total: one course from each of the three core areas and two
additional courses from the remaining core courses. List these five core
courses in the table below, starting with three from the three core areas.
Note that only those core courses you completed with a grade of B or
higher will count towards the complete set of five, so only list the core
courses with a grade of B or higher:
Core Graduate Courses and Grades
Core Core Semester Taken or Name of Grade
Area Course Planned Instructor Received

d. If you are requesting that courses taken at other institutions be counted

toward the core, please provide supporting documentation showing the
equivalence. In addition, our department's Director of Graduate Studies or
another qualified graduate faculty member has to make an examination
and determine that the course is equivalent. Obtain a letter or memo
signed by this person and put a copy in the portfolio. In any case, include
in your portfolio a copy of the course syllabus, including at least the
information about the prerequisites, topics, and textbook or other
references used, and copies of whatever graded work (examinations,
projects, etc.) you have retained from the course.
e. In general, to be equivalent, a course must be a graduate course, with
similar prerequisites, a similar list of topics, and similar performance
expectations. For example, a course in operating systems will not be
considered equivalent unless it is a "second semester" course, i.e. one for
 which there is another operating systems course as prerequisite. For the
theory area, the course grade must be based on the ability to do
mathematical proofs.
f. Complete the following table on elective courses, including all the
graduate courses you have taken (including thesis courses) that are not in
the list of core courses above.
Elective Courses and Grades
Elective Semester Taken or Name of Grade
Course Planned Instructor Received

GPA for elective courses:

g. Complete the following table for all area exams you have taken or plan to
take. The last row should be the exam you have taken or plan to take for
your current degree.
Area Exams
Exam Coverage Area Date of Exam (semester/year) Result of Exam

h. State whether you have chosen a doctoral research topic and, if known,
give a brief description of the proposed research. (one or two sentences)

2. Curriculum Vitae

The CV should contain the following information:

a. Academic degrees: List all degrees you have earned to date, including for
each degree the date it was conferred, the subject area, and the institution's
name and general location.
 b. Professional employment: List any teaching or research assistantships, any
fellowships, and any nonacademic jobs providing training or experience in
the area of specialization or closely related areas. For teaching and
research assistantships, indicate level of effort, e.g., whether these were
1/2 time, 1/4 time, etc. appointments.
c. Honors and Awards: List any special academic honors, awards, or honor
society memberships.
d. Publications: List all published writings for which you are the author or a
co-author.
e. Service: Indicate anything you have done which either directly or
indirectly benefited the department, university, or the profession--e.g.,
officer of the student chapter, reviewer for professional conference or
journal, assistance at any professional conference, help at science fairs,
service in local public schools, etc.

3. Research Publications and Writing

a. Begin this required section by repeating the publication list cited in your
CV.
b. Place a reprint or photocopy of one research publication of which you
were a contributing author. State the role you played in this publication,
i.e., what was your role in the research and in the writing of the paper.
c. If you were not the person primarily responsible for writing this paper, or
if you have no publications, then you must contribute a work of a research
nature which you personally created. This should be your Masters Thesis,
or if you have not written a thesis, then some other research oriented
writing such as the area survey paper.

Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines

1. Submit a proposal by postal mail to the Doctoral Dissertation Committee of RIIHL
2. The proposal must contain:
a. A title
b. A carefully developed thesis statement. The sole purpose of the dissertation is to
prove your thesis statement. Proposals that do not contain a correct thesis statement will
be denied. A correct thesis statement will be a statement, not a question, not a title, not a
phrase and not an idea. (The title and the thesis statement serve two different purposes.
Be sure you understand the difference.)
c. An outline of your proposed work. A Table of Contents will suffice. You have the
freedom to make certain adjustments from the outline as you start your work, but it
should be followed as carefully as possible
d. The style manual you will use (choices are listed below).
3. You may begin research at any time, but don’t start the actual work you have receive
approval of your Proposal.

Any dissertation that is submitted without a complete and correct

Proposal will be returned with no grade.

Presentation

1. Your work must be judged worthy of commercial publication by the Doctoral

Dissertation Committee.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 5 points.

2. It must be submitted in duplicate. RIIHL will retain a copy.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 5 points

3. It must be bound. Your name should be embossed in gold on the cover. You are
welcome to find your own binding service.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 7 points

4. The finished dissertation must contain your previously approved thesis statement.
It must be in the exact wording as it was originally approved. It must be alone on
its own page.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 8 points

5. The first sentence of the first paragraph of your dissertation must be your thesis
statement and it must be word-for-word. Use it in its entirety within the
dissertation as needed to refresh or establish a point.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 5 points
 6. Leave an approval page in the front. It should simply be headed “Approval Page.”
This is where the official RIIHL approval stamp will be placed.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 2 points

7. You must use footnotes or endnotes (your choice). Consult your writer’s manual
to find the proper structure and placement of each.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 12 points

8. You must include a properly constructed bibliography.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 12 points

9. Leave the backside of each page blank.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 4 points

10. Always start chapters a new page with the heading spaced down one/third of the
way from the top of the page.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 2 points

11. Never use the title Doctor anywhere in the dissertation unless you have already
obtained one previously. You do not hold that title until the dissertation is
approved and your degree is conferred.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 5 points

Details of the dissertation

1. It must contain a minimum of 37,500 words - About 150 pages.
Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 13 points

2. It must be double spaced.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 5 points

3. It must reflect at least 60 cited works.

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 10 points

4. It will include:
a. A Table of Contents
Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 5 points

b. An Introduction
Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 3 points

c. Footnotes or endnotes
Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 12 points

d. A Bibliography
Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 12 points

5. Use one of he following style manuals:

Failure to successfully comply with this section will result in a loss of 15 points

a. The Chicago Manual of Style, Author: University of Chicago, Library of Congress

location: Z 253, U58c, 1993

b. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Author: Kate
L.Turabian, Library of Congress location: LB 2369, T929m, 1987

REF-7000 Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations

REF-7001 The Chicago Manual of Style

Doctoral degree option based on research

already completed
1.1 The purpose of the program is to allow formal recognition of established
researchers and/or scholars who:

a. do not already hold a PhD qualification

b. have substantial international standing in their respective fields on the basis of their
ongoing record of academic publication (work), and
c. for whom enrolment in the existing 'standard' PhD (by thesis) program would be
inappropriate.

1.2 The thesis to be presented for examination will consist of:

a. a portfolio of refereed publications (as defined above) based on original research and
b. a substantive integrating written component.

1.3 The substantive integrating written component is to set out:

a. an argument linking the papers together into a coherent theme and

b. the way the publications submitted represent an advance in knowledge in the
candidate's discipline or field, or
c. the application of new knowledge or critical inquiry in original ways, or
d. new expressions of knowledge or critical creative insight.

1.4 The integrating written component must also contain a substantial theoretical
component relevant to the candidate's discipline or field. There is no stipulated word
length as what is appropriate will vary with the nature of the submitted work and the
candidate's discipline or field. Any additional research to be undertaken should only be
directed towards the development of the integrating theme.

1.5 The total submission must be at a standard appropriate for the award of the degree
of PhD.

2. The degree and admission criteria

2.1 The degree will be awarded to a candidate who, through published work of which
the candidate is either sole author or joint author, has made a significant original
scholarly contribution to knowledge and demonstrated a capacity for independent
research, as judged by independent experts applying appropriate international standards.

2.2 The published work may be based on or manifested in rigorous experimental,

theoretical, creative, empirical and/or design inquiry. The standard for the degree will be
the same as that required for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at RIIHL

2.3 Admission criteria

2.3.1 An applicant for admission to candidature for the PhD (by Portfolio of
Publications) degree must satisfy the Research Degrees Committee that they:

a. are an established researcher and/or scholar, and

b. hold or are eligible to hold from an approved higher education institution an award in
an appropriate discipline which is assessed by this Institute as being equivalent to:

i an Honours degree or a Bachelors degree or

ii an appropriate Masters degree; or

c. hold such other qualifications as are acceptable to the Research Degrees Committee -
in such cases the applicant must satisfy the Committee of fitness to undertake further
advanced work on the basis of the standard of achievement in, and the relevance of,
previous higher education studies, professional experience and published research work.

2.3.2 An applicant who has already been awarded a PhD will not be admitted to the
degree.

3. Application for admission

3.1.1 An application for admission to candidature shall be made on the prescribed
application form and shall include a research statement, prepared in negotiation with the
proposed Principal Supervisor.

3.1.2 In order to demonstrate the applicant is an established researcher, the application

must also include the following:

a. a copy of the applicant's curriculum vitae

b. in chronological order, copies of the publications the contents of which are intended
for inclusion in the thesis. The published work intended to be included in the thesis shall
not normally be more than 15 years old at the time of application and must have been
published in English, or if not, a certified translation must be supplied
c. a statement that published works or the contents have not been included in any other
work leading to an academic award
d. a statement making clear the extent of the applicant's contribution to each jointly
authored publication. All authors for each jointly authored publication must sign a
declaration that demonstrates the percentage of their contribution for each publication
e. a statement and evidence to enable assessment of ethical acceptance.

3.1.3 The Research Degrees Committee reserves the right to seek referees' reports.

3.1.4 The Research Degrees Committee reserves the right not to offer a place.

4. Enrolment

4.1.1 Candidature will commence from the date of enrolment, unless otherwise
determined by the Research Degrees Committee.

4.1.2 The minimum period of enrolment will be twelve months.

Master's Degree Thesis

Students must submit their completed thesis directly to the Head office in the
Netherlands.
The thesis must contain a thesis statement. A thesis statement is one sentence that
expresses what your thesis shall prove. This statement is the theme of the thesis.

Presentation

1. Your work must be submitted in duplicate. RIIHL will retain a copy.

2. It must be bound. Your name should be clearly indicated on the cover.

Guidelines for writing the thesis

1. Write a minimum of 12,000 words - About 50 pages

2. Reflect at least 10 cited works.
3. It will include:
a. Table of Contents
b. Introduction
c. Bibliography
d. End or foot notes
4. Use one of the following style manuals:
a. The Chicago Manual of Style, Author: University of
Chicago, Library of Congress location: Z 253, U58c, 1993
b. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses,
and Dissertations, Author: Kate L. Turabian, Library
of Congress location: LB 2369, T929m, 1987