Dissertation Defense

You Must Be Enrolled

Students are required to be enrolled in the semester in which they defend. Students are not enrolled the semester(s) after they defend unless they fail or pass with major revisions.

International Students
It is the student’s responsibility to meet with the International and Postdoctoral Services office to discuss graduation plans to determine if/how their visa and student compliance status will be affected. If a student is planning to apply for OPT he/she must allow sufficient time for the application process. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he/she remains in compliance with all his/her official paperwork for student status and has completed all appropriate applications and paperwork that may be required for his/her post-graduation plans in the US.

Prepare Your Dissertation

In the preparation of a thesis/dissertation, the student should consult the Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Booklet and follow the instructions for the required format. In no instance should another thesis/dissertation be used as a guide for the style and format of a manuscript. It is the responsibility of the Major Advisor to see that the student adheres to these policies. The Graduate School will not approve theses/dissertations that do not follow the format outlined in the manual.

Visit the Library Resource Page

Set Up Your Defense

Get Your Readers Approved
The student must send a memo for the selection of reader(s) to the Dean of The Graduate School's office for approval. While The Graduate School only requires one reader, specific programs may require more readers.

Apply for Graduation
Graduation Applications are due by midterm of the semester prior to the planned graduation term.  Application for Graduation.

Schedule Your Defense
The student must coordinate a time and date that is agreed upon by his/her advisor, all committee members, reader(s) and The Graduate School. The student must then schedule and coordinate the final oral defense through the Dean of The Graduate School's office.

• The oral defense must take place no later than 3 weeks before the end of the term (graduation).
• All final documents and forms must be submitted 1 week prior to the end of the term (graduation).
• No oral defenses will be scheduled to take place between semesters.

Reserve Your Room
The student is responsible for scheduling the room location and coordinating distance technology for the committee members that will not be present face-to-face at the final oral defense. Prior to the final oral defense, the student should send copies of his/her PowerPoint presentation to any committee members/readers participating via distance technology.

Prepare For You Presentation

Distribute Your Thesis/Dissertation Draft
Please note that the student's thesis/dissertation draft must follow the policies and required style and format outlined in the Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Booklet. An advisor-approved draft of the thesis/dissertation should be submitted to the advisory committee five weeks (or more) before the final oral defense.

The corrected draft copy of your thesis/dissertation must be submitted to the Major Advisor, advisory committee, reader(s) and The Graduate School two weeks (or more) before the final oral defense.

The following must be submitted to The Graduate School at least two weeks before the final oral defense:

• Corrected and printed hard copy of the thesis/dissertation draft (in required format)
• Signed Faculty Agreement for Final Oral Examination Form (signed by committee members and reader(s))
• Signed Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form (indicating advisory committee's approval that the thesis/dissertation is acceptable (content & format) for the purpose of administering the Final Oral Examination)
• An electronic copy of the thesis/dissertation announcement

Announce Your Defense
The student is responsible for producing and sending his/her thesis/dissertation announcement to faculty and students. The announcement should be mailed via campus mail at least two weeks before the final oral defense. The announcement template will be emailed to the student upon request. Successfully scheduled defenses will be posted on this page.

Dissertation Procedures