Welcome to the Doctoral Research Office
Your Research. Your Contribution. Our Support.
The dissertation or doctoral research project is the most significant intellectual undertaking of your doctoral journey, and the Doctoral Research Office is here so you don’t navigate it alone.
At Sofia University, we understand that a dissertation/doctoral research project is more than a research requirement. It is an act of inquiry that grows out of who you are, what you care about, and what you believe the world needs now. Our role is to support that process from the moment your committee takes shape through the day your work is approved and submitted, through and every form, review, and milestone in between.
We oversee the research ethics review process, coordinate new committee members, guide you through each phase of proposal, draft, and edit approval, and serve as the administrative connective tissue between you and Sofia throughout your dissertation/doctoral research journey.
The Doctoral Research Office is one department of the Sofia Research Center, which oversees the Sofia University Institutional Review Board and creates courses and resources that support all phases of research.
Meet the Team
John Elfers, PhD
John Elfers is a licensed Marriage Family Therapist and a credentialed school administrator in California. He holds a doctorate in psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, graduating in 2009. Since that time, he has enjoyed conducting research in a variety of transpersonal topics. He has chaired over 60 dissertations and enjoys guiding students through the research process. He co-teaches the Research Practicum course to help students build competence in conducting research.
Andrea Howard, PhD
Andrea Howard brings a rare combination of scholarly depth and practical institutional experience to the Doctoral Research Office. A Transpersonal Psychology PhD from Sofia and passionate educator, she has spent her career at the intersection of transformative learning, creative expression, and human development. In her role as Doctoral Research Office Coordinator and Secretary of Sofia’s newly established Institutional Review Board, she oversees the daily operations of the office and the research ethics review process and is dedicated to ensuring that every doctoral student and faculty receive responsive, informed support throughout their dissertation journey.
Michael Deklerk
Michael Deklerk is a third-year student in Sofia University’s Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program. He recently began his practicum at the College of San Mateo, where he is gaining hands-on experience while supporting the mental health needs of community college students. Through his practicum, Michael hopes to serve students in individual, group, and couples counseling settings.
Your Dissertation Journey
Your dissertation unfolds in clearly defined phases, marked by specific forms, approvals, and milestones.
Committee Formation
Once you have completed the mini-proposal course and your research topic and methods have been defined, you are ready to formation of your committee. Your committee chair must be a Sofia University faculty member and will serve as your primary guide and mentor throughout the entire dissertation/project process. Choose someone whose expertise aligns with your research and with whom you work well. A faculty list, their bios, and areas of expertise are in the resources section of the website (hyperlink to revised form) You will also select two additional committee members who will guide your research from proposal through completion. Your additional committee members should be selected and invited in conjunction with your chair and not in isolation. Your chair will help you create a team that will best serve your research study. The Dissertation Office approves your committee and maintains your student record from this point forward.
Statistics Support
If your dissertation involves a survey, assessments, is a mixed-methods or any quantitative study that involves statistical analysis, Sofia has a cadre of statistics consultants to support you. You should access a statistics consultant while you are writing your proposal. The consultant will be reimbursed by Sofia and therefore is at no cost to you. Your consultant will connect with you to review your choice of instruments, survey construction, and research design with an eye toward making sure your data collection is effective in best answering your research question. They will also help you in describing the types of data analysis you will apply after your data collection, and then how best to understand and describe the findings. They will mentor you in the appropriate statistical analyses to apply to your data. Please reach out to John Elfers to be paired with a consultant.
Proposal Meeting and Research Ethics Review
Once your committee is formed and your proposal is ready, you will hold a formal proposal meeting. Following that meeting, your proposal is submitted to the Research Ethics Committee (REC) for review and then final approval by the Institutional Review Board before any data collection begins.
Data Collection and Draft Development
With REC approval in hand, you may begin your research. Your chair and committee guide your work through data collection and into the drafting phase, culminating in a draft meeting where your committee reviews and approves your full dissertation draft.
Final Edit Check and Completion
Before your dissertation is finalized, it undergoes a Final Edit Check (FEC) by a certified editor to ensure APA compliance and scholarly quality. Once all approvals are in place, you submit your dissertation through ProQuest and the Dissertation Office notifies the Registrar of your completion.
Forms and Resources
All dissertation forms are available in the Sofia University Dissertation Forms Library on SharePoint.
• Dissertation Form (English Version)
• Dissertation Form (Chinese Version)
*Note: You must be logged in to your Sofia account view these links.
Research Ethics Committee
All Sofia University dissertation and DBA project research involving human subjects must be reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee (REC) before any data collection begins. This requirement applies to all doctoral students regardless of program. The REC evaluates your proposal for potential risks and benefits to participants, the adequacy of your informed consent process, recruitment and screening procedures, and your data confidentiality and security plan.
Form 4, the REC Application, is submitted to the Doctoral Research Office by your committee chair along with your complete proposal and informed consent form. The review process generally takes one to two weeks and results in one of three outcomes: an unconditional pass with an Approval to Begin Research letter, a conditional pass requiring revisions confirmed by your chair, or a rejection requiring the proposal to be revised and resubmitted.
Contact the Doctoral Research Office
Email: doctoralresearch@sofia.edu
This is the primary contact for all dissertation-related questions, form submissions, and correspondence. Please include your full name, student ID, and program in your message.
Response time: The Doctoral Reserach Office responds to all inquiries within three business days.
Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm PST
Frequently Asked Questions
The timeline varies by student, program, and research design. Sofia’s dissertation process is designed to support steady progress, and the Doctoral Reserach Office tracks milestones for all active students. Talk with your chairperson about a realistic timeline for your specific research. The national average within a PhD program to complete a dissertation is 13-20 months.
Your chair submits all forms on your behalf from their Sofia email address. This is how the Doctoral Research Office verifies your chair’s approval at each stage. Students should not submit forms directly unless specifically instructed to do so.
Committee changes require Form 2C and must be approved by the Dissertation Director. Contact the Doctoral Research Office before making any changes to your committee.
For login or access issues, contact Sofia University IT, helpdesk@sofia.edu. For questions about what forms to use or where to find them, contact the Doctoral Research Office at doctoralresearch@sofia.edu.
The Final Edit Check is a review of your completed dissertation by a certified editor for APA formatting, grammar, spelling, and overall clarity and consistency. Sofia requires this step because your dissertation is a permanent scholarly record that will be archived and accessible through ProQuest if you choose to publish. The FEC ensures your work meets the highest professional standard before it enters that record. Once complete, the editor submits the signoff form directly to the Dissertation Office.
