Dissertation & Thesis Procedures

Coursework

Complete all required coursework

Students must complete all required coursework before advancing to the dissertation phase.

Examination

Qualifying Examination (QE)

Students must pass the Qualifying Examination before proceeding to dissertation title development.

Advisor

Dissertation title development with advisor

Work with your assigned advisor to develop your dissertation title and research direction.

Title Submission

Submit proposed dissertation title

Submit your proposed dissertation title with supportive information to your advisor for approval before submitting it to the Graduate School.

Approval

Committee approval & Graduate School announcement

Obtain program committee approval. The Graduate School will officially announce approved titles.

Use G.S.5-2 only if a student is required to change the title.

Writing

Develop 3-chapter proposal

Write your 3-chapter proposal. Consistently consult your advisor and incorporate all feedback to ensure the research meets required standards before requesting examination.

Request

Submit 3-chapter examination request

Upon advisor approval, submit G.S.7 with 5 copies of your 3-chapter proposal to the Graduate School for scheduling the examination.

⏱ Submit at least 30 days before the examination. Doctoral degree: 5 copies required.

Examination

3-Chapter examination → Revisions → Results announcement

Take the 3-chapter examination. Make all required revisions based on committee feedback. Graduate School announces students who have passed.

Instrument

Develop research instrument

Develop the research instrument tailored to your research in order to obtain IOC (Index of Item-Objective Congruence).

Expert Evaluation

Invite 5 experts to evaluate the instrument

Submit G.S.8 to invite 5 qualified experts. The Graduate School will issue official invitation letters. IOC determines whether the instrument can proceed to data collection.

Pilot Study

Instrument testing — pilot study (n = 30)

After IOC approval, submit G.S.9 with IOC result and instrument (questionnaire) to conduct a pilot study with 30 participants. Data analysis will determine Cronbach's Alpha.

Data Collection

Collect data from target population

After instrument approval, submit G.S.10 + approved instrument (questionnaire) to collect data from the full target population and analyze research results.

Writing

Prepare 5-chapter dissertation

Write the complete 5-chapter dissertation summarizing all research findings.

📌 Begin working on your publication article during this stage.

Publication

Obtain approval to publish & receive acceptance letters

Submit G.S.11-1 to your advisor then to the Graduate School for official publication approval. Upon receiving acceptance letters for two articles, attach them to G.S.11 for the defense request.

⚠️ Beware of predatory/cloned journals. All articles must be based on your dissertation research.

Dissertation

Submit 5-chapter dissertation to advisor & revise

Submit the full dissertation to your advisors for review. Revise based on all feedback and suggestions before requesting the oral examination.

Compliance

Plagiarism check (1st) & AI usage declaration

Conduct plagiarism detection — similarity must not exceed 30%. Submit G.S.14 with the report. Complete AI usage declaration. Both required for the examination request (Step 21).

Request

Submit oral examination request

Submit G.S.11 with all required documents: G.S.11-1, publication acceptance letters, G.S.14, G.S.AI, and 5 copies of dissertation.

⏱ Submit at least 30 days before examination. Doctoral fee: 8,000 THB.

Defense

Dissertation defense & post-defense revisions

Present and defend your dissertation. Make all required revisions within the deadline set by the committee (15, 30, or 45 days).

Format Check

Format review & revision

Submit G.S.12 with 1 copy of the completed dissertation for format and abstract review. Revise as directed.

Compliance

Plagiarism check (2nd) & AI declaration

Second plagiarism check and AI declaration required after all revisions. Both must be attached to the graduation application (Step 27).

Graduation

Apply for graduation — submit 1 hardbound copy

Submit 1 hardbound copy of the dissertation together with all required forms to the Graduate School.

Approval Chain

Graduate School → Academic Council → University Council

Graduation application is reviewed through three approval levels before degrees are officially conferred.

Completion

Transcript issuance & collection

Official transcripts are issued and ready for collection from the Graduate School office. Processing takes approximately 7–15 working days after all approvals are complete.