college of doctoral studies
Dissertation Pathways Guide
The Applied Dissertation Pathway
The Applied Dissertation Pathway (ADP) is a practice-focused doctoral research pathway in which students investigate a documented problem of practice within a defined professional or organizational setting. The purpose is to use systematic, theory-informed inquiry to understand the problem and produce scholarly and practice-facing deliverables that can inform decision-making, leadership, and professional practice.
Applied research seeks to clarify patterns, relationships, and contributing factors within a specific context. It does not aim to solve the problem during the study or establish cause-and-effect relationships. Findings are intended to be context-sensitive rather than broadly generalizable, and the research is designed to be useful to the setting and professional audiences beyond the academy.
Applied research is a systematic approach to examining a documented problem of practice within a real organizational setting. Its purpose is to understand how a process, system, or experience functions and what conditions may be shaping the issue. It is grounded in organizational evidence, follows an appropriate research design, and maintains clear ethical boundaries. The goal is to produce credible evidence that helps stakeholders better understand the problem within the studied context.
What Must Be True Before Selecting the Applied Pathway
A student should select the Applied Dissertation Pathway only when all of the following conditions are present or realistically attainable. These are not preferences or suggestions. Each one must apply to the proposed study.
The study must examine a problem that exists within a specific professional, organizational, programmatic, community, or practice context. The context is not merely a place to collect data. It is central to the study because the research seeks to understand how the problem functions within that setting.
Students must have or be able to obtain evidence that the problem exists. Personal experience, informal observation, or professional interest alone is not sufficient. Evidence may include organizational reports, performance data, strategic planning documents, process records, or other documentation showing a persistent and significant issue.
Students should not choose an organization only because it is convenient or accessible. The setting must be meaningfully connected to the problem. The organization or professional context should be the place where the issue exists, can be observed, and can be studied responsibly.
The applied dissertation is not a change-management project, intervention plan, implementation initiative, or consulting engagement. The purpose is to investigate and understand the problem through systematic research. Findings may later inform action, but implementing or testing a solution is not part of the study.
Applied research does not set out to prove what causes a problem. Studies that aim to demonstrate cause-and-effect, test an intervention, or prove that one variable directly produces another are not appropriate for the ADP. The research should examine patterns, relationships, experiences, and contributing conditions.
Students must be able to realistically pursue the organizational awareness, permissions, and ethical approvals needed to conduct the study. Assumed access is not the same as confirmed access. Data involving people, identifiable information, or sensitive organizational records cannot be collected or analyzed before IRB approval.
Applied dissertation students often study settings where they have professional relationships, insider knowledge, or organizational responsibilities. Students must consider how their role may affect access, participant relationships, interpretation, and ethical boundaries. The applied pathway requires explicit attention to positionality and researcher reflexivity.
Applied dissertation findings are not intended to be broadly generalizable in the same way as some traditional studies. Because applied research examines a defined problem within a specific context, findings are expected to be context-sensitive. The study may offer insights useful to similar settings or professional audiences, but the primary goal is not to make universal claims.
Data access alone does not justify an applied dissertation. A student may have access to people or records in an organization, but that access does not automatically establish a problem of practice. The organization must be the place where the issue exists, can be observed, and can be studied responsibly.
ADP-Approved Research Designs
The following research designs are approved for use in the Applied Dissertation Pathway. Each is appropriate for investigating a documented problem of practice within a professional or organizational context.
| Approved ADP Design | In Simple Terms | Example of How It Might Be Used |
|---|---|---|
| Action Research | Studies a problem in a professional setting through a structured process of inquiry and reflection. | A school leader examines an ongoing instructional challenge to better understand what is happening and what practitioners are experiencing. |
| Case Study | Takes a close look at one specific organization, program, group, or setting. | A researcher examines how one hospital department experiences and manages a recurring communication problem. |
| Design-Based Research | Examines how a practice, process, resource, or approach works in a real setting and how it develops through use. | An educator studies how a newly developed instructional resource functions when used in an actual learning environment. |
| Improvement Science | Examines a recurring performance or process problem to understand where breakdowns or inconsistencies occur. | A healthcare organization studies why the same patient-intake process produces inconsistent results across locations. |
| Mixed Methods | Uses both numerical data and people’s experiences or perspectives to understand a problem more fully. | An organization uses survey results and employee interviews to study concerns about workplace engagement. |
| Needs Assessment | Identifies the difference between what currently exists and what is needed. | A nonprofit studies whether employees have the training, resources, or support needed to perform a new responsibility. |
| Program Evaluation | Examines how well an existing program or initiative is working. | A school district evaluates whether an established mentoring program is being implemented as intended and producing useful outcomes. |
| Quantitative: Correlational | Examines whether two or more factors are related. | A researcher studies whether employee workload is related to job satisfaction. |
| Quantitative: Comparative | Examines whether groups differ from one another. | A researcher compares employee engagement across different departments or locations. |
| Quantitative: Predictive | Examines whether certain factors can help predict an outcome. | A researcher studies whether workload, tenure, and supervisor support help predict employees’ intentions to leave. |
What the Applied Dissertation Pathway Is Not
Many students misunderstand what the Applied Dissertation Pathway involves. The following list clarifies common misconceptions. If any of these descriptions fit your proposed study, the Applied Dissertation Pathway is likely not the right choice.
- A shortcut or easier version of the dissertation
- A traditional dissertation with an organization added as the data site
- A way to study any topic the student personally cares about
- A study based only on personal experience or professional assumptions
- A project where the student selects a topic first and then searches for any organization that might provide data
- A consulting project
- A program improvement project
- A change-management initiative
- A solution implementation plan
- A causal study designed to prove what causes the problem
- A study designed primarily to produce broadly generalizable findings
- A study that allows students to bypass IRB requirements
- A study that allows students to collect interviews, surveys, observations, or identifiable records before IRB approval
Examples
The following examples illustrate common missteps and stronger approaches. In each pair, the weaker example reflects a misunderstanding of what the applied pathway requires. The stronger example shows what an appropriate applied study looks like.
Example Set 1: Starting with a Topic vs. Starting with a Documented Problem
A student is interested in employee engagement and wants to study engagement in any organization that will allow survey access. The student believes engagement is probably a problem but does not have organizational evidence showing that engagement, retention, productivity, or absenteeism is an issue in the setting.
Begins with a broad topic, not a documented problem. The organization is treated as a data site. The problem is assumed rather than evidenced.
A regional healthcare organization has documented higher turnover among nurses within their first 18 months of employment across specific inpatient units. Internal workforce reports show this pattern has persisted for two years. The student’s study would examine factors associated with early-career nurse turnover in that organizational context.
The problem is documented. The setting is central. The issue is bounded and can be examined through systematic inquiry. Findings may inform organizational decision-making after the study.
Example Set 2: Implementing a Solution vs. Investigating a Problem
A student wants to prove that a new training program improves employee performance and plans to implement the training during the dissertation study.
The study begins with a solution. It focuses on proving effectiveness rather than understanding a problem. This functions more like a program implementation project than applied research inquiry.
An organization has documented inconsistent use of an existing training process across departments. The student proposes to study how employees and supervisors experience the current process and what organizational conditions may contribute to inconsistent implementation.
Investigates an existing documented issue. Focuses on understanding conditions and experiences. Does not assume or test a solution. Can inform later decisions after research is complete.
Deliverables Across the Dissertation Sequence
Students pursuing the Applied Dissertation Pathway produce a distinct set of deliverables across the dissertation course sequence. These deliverables reflect the applied research orientation of the pathway and are designed to produce both scholarly and practice-facing work at each stage.
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Phase IDOC/714S
Research Plan
Establishes alignment among the problem of practice, purpose statement, research questions, design selection, theoretical or conceptual framework, and feasibility within the organizational context. -
Phase IIDOC/715
Applied Research Plan
Defines and defends a coherent, feasible applied study grounded in a specific problem of practice, organizational context, aligned inquiry, research design, and data/evidence strategy. The initial Organizational Acknowledgment and Preliminary Approval Form must also be submitted. -
Phase IIIDOC/723
Concept Manuscript
Positions the problem of practice within broader professional, disciplinary, and systemic contexts. Conceptual in nature and does not include organizational data, methods, procedures, or local analysis. -
Phase IVDOC/741
Applied Research Methods Package
Consolidates finalized methodological components and demonstrates methodological completeness, ethical soundness, and feasibility in preparation for IRB submission. -
Phase VDOC/742
Applied Dissertation Deliverables and Oral Defense
Includes the Applied Research Report, Executive Summary, Publication and Dissemination Plan, Final Reflective Research Log, and oral defense. The applied pathway requires students to communicate findings for both scholarly and practice-facing audiences.