Steps of the Process

Dissertation Process

• After receiving doctoral candidacy, you will form your Dissertation Advisory Committee by completing and submitting the Dissertation Committee Selection Form. The dissertation advisory committee consists of the dissertation advisor (sometimes referred to as the dissertation chair) and at least one other graduate faculty member from the department and one committee member outside of the department. A total of at least three committee members must be named, including the advisor and out-of-department member.
• You and your advisor will determine when to schedule the defense of your proposal and then work with the committee members to determine a date, time, and location (or mode, i.e., via Zoom) that is convenient for everyone. As a doctoral dissertation student, you are required to schedule your proposal defense through the Graduate School. You must complete and submit the Schedule Form for the Dissertation Proposal Defense by the 20^th of the month prior to the scheduled defense date. A copy of the proposal document must be submitted with the form.

• After you have made all revisions requested by your committee, and with your advisor's recommendation, you will complete and submit the Dissertation Proposal Submission Form and include the following documents:

  • Dissertation proposal document (in Word format);
  • A current iThenticate report (provided by your advisor); 
  • CITI training reports (RCR, plus additional as required by the Office of Sponsored Programs); and
  • IRB/IBC/IACUC approval letter, as applicable (your advisor will provide you a copy if needed).
• Consulting with your advisor and other committee members, you will determine when to schedule the final defense. You will work with your committee members to determine a date, time, and location (or modality, i.e., Zoom) convenient for everyone. When a date is set, you will complete and submit to the Graduate School the Final Dissertation Defense Schedule Form by the 20^th of the month prior to the scheduled defense date. To be cleared to hold the defense, you must have an approved proposal on file with the Graduate School. 

• Once you have made all changes recommended by your committee, you will complete and submit the Final Dissertation Submission Form and include the following documents.

  • Final dissertation document (in Word format);
  • A current iThenticate report (provided by your advisor); 
  • Dissertation Information Sheet (sent to you in an informational email from Dayla Burgin); and
  • Survey of Earned Doctorates Certificate (for PhD students only; sent to you in an informational email from Dayla Burgin).

Thesis Process

• After being admitted into a master's or specialist thesis program, you will form your Thesis Advisory Committee by completing and submitting the Thesis Committee Selection Form. The thesis advisory committee should consist of the thesis advisor (sometimes referred to as the thesis chair) and at least two other graduate faculty members from the major department. A total of at least three committee members must be named, including the advisor. In some cases, and with the department’s approval, one of the committee members may be outside of the department.
• As a thesis student, a proposal defense is not scheduled through the Graduate School, but rather it is held according to the requirements of your major department. However, before a proposal defense is held, you must have an approved Thesis Committee Selection Form on file with the Graduate School.

• After you have made all revisions requested by your committee, and with your advisor's recommendation, you will complete and submit the Thesis Proposal Submission Form and include the following documents:

  • Thesis proposal document (in Word format or as a PDF if using LaTex);
  • A current iThenticate report (provided by your advisor); 
  • CITI training reports (RCR, plus additional as required by the Office of Sponsored Programs); and
  • IRB/IBC/IACUC approval letter, as applicable (your advisor will provide you a copy if needed).
• Although thesis students are not required to schedule a final defense through the Graduate School, you are required to notify TDS when a final thesis defense has been scheduled by completing and submitting a Notification of Final Thesis Defense. This form must be received by TDS no less than seven days before the date you have set for the final thesis defense. 

• Once you have made all changes recommended by your committee, you will complete and submit the Final Thesis Submission Form and include the following documents.

  • Final thesis document (in Word format or as a PDF if using LaTex);
  • A current iThenticate report (provided by your advisor); 

All forms referenced above can be found on the TDS/Dissertation web page, the TDS/Thesis web page, and on the Graduate School web page, Forms and Guidelines.

Deadlines

Dissertation Defenses - Proposal and Final

• Schedule forms for either the proposal or final defense are due the 20th of the month prior to the defense date. If the 20th of the month falls on a weekend or university holiday, the form is due the last working day prior to the deadline. The Graduate School recommends beginning this process no less than five (5) days prior to the deadline to ensure time for the schedule form to move through the approval process.
• For the final defense, please note the deadline to defend for that semester and submit the schedule form by the 20^th of the month prior to the month of that deadline. Again, the Graduate School recommends beginning this process no less than five (5) days prior to the deadline to ensure time for the schedule form to move through the approval process.
  • For fall graduation, doctoral students must defend their final dissertation on or before the 4th Friday in October, so the Graduate School must receive the final defense schedule form by the 20th of September.
  • For spring graduation, doctoral students must defend their final dissertation on or before the 4th Friday in March, so the Graduate School must receive the final defense schedule form by the 20th of February.
  • For summer graduation, doctoral students must defend their final document on or before the 3rd Friday in June, so the Graduate School must receive the final defense schedule form by the 20th of May.

Proposal Submission Deadlines

Fall

• A complete proposal submission for students who wish to graduate the following summer or fall semester at the earliest is the 4^th Friday in November.

Spring

• A complete proposal submission for students who wish to graduate the following summer or fall semester at the earliest is the 4^th Friday in April.

Summer

• A complete proposal submission for students who wish to graduate the following fall or spring semester at the earliest is the 4^th Friday in July.

Final Thesis/Dissertation Deadlines

Fall

• A complete final submission for students who wish to graduate in the fall semester is the 1^st Friday in November.

Spring

• A complete final submission for students who wish to graduate in the spring semester is the 1^st Friday in April.

Summer

• A complete final submission for students who wish to graduate in the summer semester is the 4^th Friday in June.

If a submission is received after the deadline, the submission will be reviewed for approval for the following semester. Documents are reviewed only after the submission file is considered complete.