STEP THREE: Defending the Thesis or Dissertation
The Graduate School strongly recommends that the Thesis or Dissertation Defense take place at least SIX WEEKS before graduation (i.e. the day of commencement exercises). This should provide adequate time for the document to be reviewed in order for the student to receive final approval on the fulfillment of your degree requirements before graduation.
The Graduate School strongly recommends that a student provide a full THREE WEEKS of reading time to each member of her/his Thesis or Dissertation Committee. This means that NINE WEEKS (or two months and one week) before graduation, a student should provide each member of her/his Thesis or Dissertation Committee with a version of her/his thesis or dissertation fully edited, corrected, and suitable for defense.
The student will also need to provide the Thesis or Dissertation Director with a set of signature pages that are printed on bond paper, suitable for inclusion with the final, publishable document. The number of signature pages to be provided depends on how many bound copies of the document the student is planning to request (two are required for deposit in the Library).
A sample signature page is included in the Library’s GUIDE TO THESIS PREPARATION.
Thesis and Dissertation Defenses usually take place during the fall semester and the spring semester; summer defenses are very rare.
Checklist
❏ Copies of the thesis or dissertation suitable for defense were provided to all the members of the Thesis or Dissertation Committee at least three weeks prior to the Thesis or Dissertation Defense.
❏ The Thesis or Dissertation Defense was held at least six weeks prior to graduation.
❏ An appropriate number of signature pages – printed on 20-24 pound, acid-free, white paper and following the Library’s signature-page format – were created and signed subsequent to the Defense.