Thesis & Dissertation Instructions, Forms, and Support

Thesis Instructions

Before registering for your thesis, you should confer with the department chair concerning the appointment of your research advisor and the other members of your thesis committee. The names of the approved advisor and committee members must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office at the time you register for the thesis. Registration for the thesis may be completed at the beginning of any semester or summer session. In planning work on your thesis, you should take into consideration faculty members are not always on campus during the summer sessions.

You may register for Thesis I and Thesis II concurrently or in different semesters. A temporary grade of Q will be recorded for a thesis when the work is not completed at the end of the semester. Only when the thesis is completed can a regular letter grade be recorded. Under no conditions may a regular letter grade be submitted unless the thesis is completed and signed by all thesis committee members.

You must submit the thesis to Proquest in its final approved form within one calendar year from the date you register for Thesis II. Otherwise, you must register again for Thesis II and pay the appropriate course fees. Students are not required to register during the winter or summer terms. If you do not complete the thesis within the required time and do not re-register for Thesis II, grades of F will be recorded for both Thesis I and Thesis II.

When registering for thesis credit, you must submit the Arrangements for Completing the Thesis/Dissertation Requirement for the Masters/Doctoral Degree form.  At least two weeks in advance of your thesis defense, you must submit the Notification of Thesis/Dissertation Defense form. Both forms are available in the links below. Completed and approved theses will be published through ProQuest Open Access Dissertations & Theses. For additional information, read through the forms below or contact The Graduate School or Registrar’s Office.

Dissertation Instructions

Before registering for your dissertation, you should confer with the department chair concerning the appointment of your research advisor and the other members of your dissertation committee. The names of the approved advisor and committee members must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office at the time you register for the dissertation. Registration for the dissertation may be completed at the beginning of any semester or summer session. In planning work on your dissertation, you should take into consideration faculty members are not always on campus during the summer sessions.

You may register for Dissertation I after completing the Dissertation Seminar.  You may register for Dissertation II in a subsequent semester or concurrently with Dissertation I. A temporary grade of Q will be recorded for Dissertation I and II when the work is not completed at the end of the semester. Only when the dissertation is completed can a regular letter grade be recorded. Under no conditions may a regular letter grade be submitted unless the dissertation is completed and signed by all dissertation committee members.

You must submit the dissertation to Proquest in its final approved form at the end of the semester in which you register for Dissertation II. Otherwise, you must register for a 1-credit Dissertation Extension and pay the appropriate course fees. If you do not complete the dissertation within the required time and do not register for the 1-credit Dissertation Extension, grades of F will be recorded for both Dissertation I and Dissertation II.

When registering for dissertation credit, you must submit the Arrangements for Completing the Thesis/Dissertation Requirement for the Masters/Doctoral Degree for the Masters/Doctoral Degree form. At least two weeks in advance of your dissertation defense, you must submit the Notification of Thesis/Dissertation Defense  form. Completed and approved dissertations will be published through ProQuest Open Access Dissertations & Theses. For additional information, read through the forms below or contact The Graduate School or Registrar’s Office.

Forms 

Use these forms as you progress through your Master's Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation:

• Arrangements for Completing Thesis or Dissertation Requirements [PDF]  
• Thesis/Dissertation Defense Process
• Thesis and Dissertation Defense Scheduling
• Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Rights and Permission
• Proquest Instructions

Thesis/Dissertation Support 

We recommend utilizing the Graduate Writing Center at least once as you write your thesis or dissertation. Trained writing consultants can provide personalized feedback on your thesis or dissertation draft. Longer writing projects such as these greatly benefit from more than one writing consultation.