What is a Dissertation and when do I need to start thinking about mine?
A dissertation is an original paper that critically evaluates and summarizes an area of research, identifies a problem (or gap in the research), proposes and then conducts an original study that aims to find solutions to this identified problem. Thus, the dissertation provides an articulate summary of what we know in a given area and then extends knowledge in this area. After writing a dissertation, the author is essentially an “expert” in the area of study. There are three types of dissertations from which a student can choose; these differ based on the type of study that will be conducted as part of the project. The three types are: quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods. The type of dissertation you choose to do should be dictated by the problem under study and not by convenience. In order to decide which type you will do, you will need a solid understanding of the area, as well as guidance from your dissertation committee (this committee is composed of a Chair and two additional members). Whichever type of dissertation you end up doing, you should know that a dissertation is very different from any paper you have written thus far; while it shares some similarities with a thesis, a dissertation extends scientific knowledge and so is significantly more lengthy, detailed and time consuming. The dissertation is a work that will go through many revisions over the course of a minimum of six quarters. You will work closely with a Chair and also receive feedback, throughout the process, from other committee members.
You should begin thinking about your dissertation immediately. Identify a few areas of interest and spend time researching these areas (using the Walden Library website). Once you select an area or two, you will want to identify faculty members that share similar interests. Take classes with these faculty members so that you will have a relationship with your potential committee (note that your committee is not something you should choose until you are ready to sign up for your dissertation course, near the end of your program of study). Although it may not happen often (with the exception of the Research Design course), occasionally you may have the opportunity to write a paper in a course on your area of interest; if you have such an opportunity, seize it. Again, the goal is to become an expert in the area.
Other activities that will prepare you for writing your dissertation are to: hone your scholarly writing skills (if you struggle with writing, it will save you an incredible amount of time later on if you take care of this issue now – see the Writing Center link on the Walden website for ways to do this), perfect your APA style (you will be asked to write APA style papers throughout your program; take the time to do this correctly), master Research Design, Statistics 1 and Statistics 2 (you may find you need to lighten your work or academic load while taking these courses in order to fully master the material). You may also want to take elective courses in qualitative methods and/or mixed-methods so that you can best determine which methods would be appropriate for your area of study.
The length of the dissertation is determined by the area of study, the type of project conducted, the analyses and needed appendices. However, it is safe to say a dissertation, on average, be somewhere between 100-200 pages.
