Doctoral students must successfully write and orally defend both a dissertation proposal and a completed dissertation. The dissertation must demonstrate substantial academic quality, original research, and a significant contribution to the body of knowledge in hospitality administration.

Students are encouraged to utilize the Hospitality Graduate Student Library Resources especially for research and teaching support. Our dedicated Hospitality Librarian, Lateka Grays is located right in Hospitality Hall, room 251.

Timeline

• By the end of the first academic year:
  • Secure a Dissertation Committee Chair. The chair must be a hospitality faculty member with graduate faculty status and hold the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor. You may refer to our Hospitality Faculty Directory to identify eligible faculty.
  • Submit the Hospitality Dissertation Chair Approval Form.
• Before beginning the third year:
  • Prepare a one-page abstract of your dissertation to formalize your dissertation idea.
  • Form your Dissertation Committee and submit the Graduate College Appointment of Advisory Committee Form through the GradRebel Gateway.
    • Dissertation committee chair
    • Two Hospitality Faculty with graduate faculty Status
    • One UNLV faculty with graduate faculty status that is not affiliated with the Hospitality College.
• After passing the Comprehensive Exam and prior to the next semester:
  • Submit the Hospitality Dissertation Prospectus Form to gain approval for registering in dissertation credits.
  • The prospectus is a 10-page extended abstract of the dissertation and should include:
    • Background
    • Problem Statement
    • Research Questions
    • Brief Literature Review and Hypotheses
    • Proposed Methodology
    • Key References
• Next steps in the process:
  • Complete the Dissertation Proposal Defense
  • Obtain IRB approval (if applicable). All dissertation research involving human subjects must receive Institutional Review Board (IRB) review. One of the following documents must be submitted to your dissertation chair before beginning your research:
    • IRB Approval Letter
    • Exempt Research Letter
    • Notice of Exclusion
      More information is available from the UNLV IRB Office. A copy of the IRB letter must also be included in the appendix of the final dissertation.
  • Request Dissertation Research Funding, if applicable.
  • Complete Final Dissertation Defense.
  • Submit the dissertation for review and formatting check, and deposit the final version with the UNLV Graduate College.
    • As a part of the process, you will need to submit a plagiarism check report. Please sign up for your account at https://www.unlv.edu/graduatecollege/ithenticate.

Important Reminders When Completing a Dissertation

• Dissertation guidelines are available on the UNLV Graduate College Thesis & Dissertation Resources page.
• Work closely with your committee chair throughout the research and writing process.
• All dissertation documents, including approvals and defense forms, must be submitted in accordance with Graduate College deadlines.