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Guide to writing your thesis/dissertation, definition of dissertation and thesis.

The dissertation or thesis is a scholarly treatise that substantiates a specific point of view as a result of original research that is conducted by students during their graduate study. At Cornell, the thesis is a requirement for the receipt of the M.A. and M.S. degrees and some professional master’s degrees. The dissertation is a requirement of the Ph.D. degree.

Formatting Requirement and Standards

The Graduate School sets the minimum format for your thesis or dissertation, while you, your special committee, and your advisor/chair decide upon the content and length. Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other mechanical issues are your sole responsibility. Generally, the thesis and dissertation should conform to the standards of leading academic journals in your field. The Graduate School does not monitor the thesis or dissertation for mechanics, content, or style.

“Papers Option” Dissertation or Thesis

A “papers option” is available only to students in certain fields, which are listed on the Fields Permitting the Use of Papers Option page , or by approved petition. If you choose the papers option, your dissertation or thesis is organized as a series of relatively independent chapters or papers that you have submitted or will be submitting to journals in the field. You must be the only author or the first author of the papers to be used in the dissertation. The papers-option dissertation or thesis must meet all format and submission requirements, and a singular referencing convention must be used throughout.

ProQuest Electronic Submissions

The dissertation and thesis become permanent records of your original research, and in the case of doctoral research, the Graduate School requires publication of the dissertation and abstract in its original form. All Cornell master’s theses and doctoral dissertations require an electronic submission through ProQuest, which fills orders for paper or digital copies of the thesis and dissertation and makes a digital version available online via their subscription database, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses . For master’s theses, only the abstract is available. ProQuest provides worldwide distribution of your work from the master copy. You retain control over your dissertation and are free to grant publishing rights as you see fit. The formatting requirements contained in this guide meet all ProQuest specifications.

Copies of Dissertation and Thesis

Copies of Ph.D. dissertations and master’s theses are also uploaded in PDF format to the Cornell Library Repository, eCommons . A print copy of each master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation is submitted to Cornell University Library by ProQuest.

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Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Guide

This guide supersedes all previous Auburn University manuals and Guides for the preparation of theses and dissertations. Last updated: March 2021.

Sample Pages and Templates

View our Samples Page and try our easy-to-use Templates.

A Latex Template is also available for theses or dissertations containing many equations (typically for mathematics or engineering students).

Introduction

Auburn University requires a dissertation for all Ph.D. degrees and a thesis for many master’s degrees. The thesis or dissertation is a demonstration of the student’s mastery of the field of study and an example of the student’s creativity, dedication, and the ability to work independently. It should make a significant scholarly contribution.

Auburn University graduate students are also required to demonstrate competency in electronic publication and must submit their theses/dissertations through AUETD (the Auburn University Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Library). AUETD allows a student’s work to be viewed freely by anyone on the World Wide Web.

Style Guides

This Guide provides specific, but minimal, requirements and general guidelines for the preparation of theses and dissertations to ensure that the electronic document is of a consistent high quality and suitable for publication on the world wide web.

Each department is encouraged to provide more specific guidance to students by selecting or developing a style guide (or guides) that is appropriate to the academic discipline of the graduate student preparing the thesis or dissertation for publication. The choice of style guide typically reflects the standards of leading professional or scholarly journals in the academic discipline. With these guidelines in mind, the graduate student’s advisory committee has primary responsibility for judging the acceptability of both the form and content of the electronic thesis or dissertation. Once the advisory committee has reviewed and approved the ETD, the committee attests to the acceptability of the ETD by signing the “Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Final Approval Form,” which the student then submits to the Graduate School.

If there are differences between other style guides and this one, the Graduate School guidelines take precedence.

The Graduate School will also accept theses and dissertations in alternative formats provided that 1) they include the required components in the prescribed order described below in “Order and Components”; 2) they are paginated; 3) they have the approval of the student’s advisory committee; and 4) they are deemed acceptable for publication on the World Wide Web by the Dean of the Graduate School.

Order and Components

The thesis or dissertation is typically organized into three main sections: 1) the preliminary pages; 2) the body; and 3) the reference pages.

Preliminary Pages

The preliminary pages include the title page, abstract, acknowledgments (optional), table of contents, list of tables (required, if applicable), list of figures or illustrations (required, if applicable), and list of abbreviations or symbols (optional).

Preliminary page headings are of a uniform font size (12 point), consistent with the font size used throughout the document. All headings in the preliminary pages are centered, one inch from the top of the page for all pages except the Title Page. The Title page is 2 inches from the top. Headings may be in mixed case (e.g., “Table of Contents”) or in all caps (e.g., “TABLE OF CONTENTS”). Mixed case is preferred. All preliminary pages are counted in the pagination, but no page number appears on the title page. All other pages in this section are numbered using lower case Arabic numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4 etc.). Page numbers are centered, at least ½” from the bottom of the page.

Title Page (required)

The title page includes (in the following order):

• Title In boldface type, centered, 2″ from the top of the page, followed by one blank line
• By-line The word “by”, centered, followed by one blank line
• Author Your full name, centered, followed by four blank lines
• Statement The following statement, centered as illustrated. No blank space separates this statement from the name of your degree, which follows.

A dissertation [or thesis] submitted to the Graduate Faculty of

Auburn University

in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the Degree of

• Degree The name of your degree, centered, for example: “Doctor of Philosophy” or “Master of Science” followed by one blank line
• Location The location of the university (e.g., “Auburn, Alabama”), centered
• Date Your graduation date, in month/day/year format (e.g., May 14, 2019), centered, followed by four blank lines
• Keywords (Optional) The word, “Keywords:” and up to six keywords or phrases, centered, on two lines, followed by two blank lines
• Copyright notice (Optional) The word “Copyright” followed by the current year, e.g., 2019, followed by the word “by” and then your full name, followed by two blank lines
• Approvals The words “Approved by”, centered, followed by one blank line
• Committee Chair The name of your advisory committee chair (or first co-chair) followed by the word “Chair” or “Co-chair”, followed by the person’s academic title (e.g., “Margaret Waters, Chair, Professor of Kinesiology”)
• Committee Co-chair or Member The name of your advisory committee co-chair (if any), followed by the word “Co-chair” (if applicable), followed by the person’s academic title, all centered; if no co-chair, then the name of the first advisory committee member, followed by the person’s academic title, all centered.
• Committee Members The name of each additional committee member, followed by the person’s title, each on a separate line, all centered

The title page is not numbered but is included in the page count of the preliminary pages.

See Sample and Template.

Abstract (required)

The heading, “Abstract”, is centered, 1″ from the top of the page, followed by two blank lines. The text of the abstract begins on the following line at the left margin (the first line is indented). The text generally should not exceed 150 words for a thesis and 350 words for a dissertation. The Abstract is the first page to include a page number (e.g., page “2”). The page number, in Arabic numbers, is centered, at least ½” from the bottom of the page.

Acknowledgments (optional)

The heading, “Acknowledgments”, should be centered 1″ from the top of the page, followed by two blank lines. The acknowledgments begin on the following line at the left margin (the first line is indented). The page number, in Arabic numbers, is centered, at least ½” from the bottom of the page.

Table of Contents (required)

The heading, “Table of Contents”, is centered 1″ from the top of the page, followed by two blank lines. The Table of Contents lists all parts of the document (except the title page) and the page numbers on which each part begins. The titles of all parts are worded exactly as they appear in the document. These titles are aligned (not indented) with the left margin. Titles and headings and the page numbers on which they begin are separated by a row of dot leaders. Page numbers are aligned flush with the right margin. Entries are generally double-spaced; however, titles and headings of more than one line are indented at the second line and single-spaced. The list of contents begins at the left margin on the fourth line below the heading. The page number, in Arabic numbers is centered, at least ½” from the bottom of the page.

List of Tables (required, if applicable)

A List of Tables is required if the document includes tables. The heading, “List of Tables”, should be centered 1″ from the top of the page, followed by two blank lines. The list of tables begins at the left margin, on the fourth line below the heading. The page number, in Arabic numbers, is centered, at least ½” from the bottom of the page.

List of Figures or Illustrations (required, if applicable)

A List of Figures or Illustrations is required if the document includes figures or illustrations. The heading, “List of Figures”, or “List of Illustrations”, is centered 1″ from the top of the page, followed by two blank lines. The list begins at the left margin, on the fourth line below the heading. The page number, in Arabic numbers, is centered, at least ½” from the bottom of the page.

List of Abbreviations or Symbols (optional)

If a significant number of abbreviations or symbols (sometimes called “Nomenclature”) are used in the document, a list of abbreviations or symbols may be included. The heading, “List of Abbreviations”, or “List of Symbols”, is centered 1″ from the top of the page, followed by two blank lines. The list begins at the left margin, on the fourth line below the heading. The page number, in Arabic numbers, is centered, at least ½” from the bottom of the page.

Body (required)

The body typically includes all divisions of the text, such as parts, chapters, sections, and subsections. It may also include parenthetical references, footnotes, or references to the bibliography or endnotes.

The body of the document should be formatted consistently throughout. Consult departmental guidelines for the standard format(s) in your discipline.

The body may include one (or more) paper(s) submitted (or to be submitted) to a peer reviewed scholarly journal, each as a separate chapter. Formatting (including footnotes or endnotes and the citation of references) must still be consistent throughout the document.

Reference Pages (required)

The reference pages include the list of references and any (optional) appendices.

References (required)

Consult departmental guidelines for the standard format(s) in your discipline.

Appendices (optional)

All appendices (if any) are placed at the end of the document and labeled with a heading. Consult departmental guidelines for labeling standard(s) in your discipline.

General Formatting and Requirements

The document should have uniform text margins throughout the document. Set margins of at least one inch on all sides (top, left, right, and bottom).

Exceptions:

Headings. Any pages with a major heading (e.g., most preliminary pages) should have a 1″ top margin.

Pagination. Page numbers should be set at least ½” from the bottom of the page.

Binding Note: If you plan to print and bind your document, a left margin of 1.5″ is recommended.

Font Size and Type

Size . The selected font should be 12 points in size. Subscripts and superscripts should be no more than 2 points smaller than the size of the text font.

Type . Embedded fonts, such as Post Script Type 1, are required. Embedded fonts “travel” with the document, enabling that readers see the document as it was intended to be viewed. Standard fonts such as Times New Roman are recommended. Limit the use of italicized type to non-English words and quotations.

Spacing and Indentation

Spacing and indentation should be consistent throughout the document. Consult departmental guidelines for the standard(s) in your discipline.

For conventional documents, double spacing, single spacing or 1.5 spacing is acceptable. Single spacing is recommended for the following: bibliographical entries (with double-spacing between entries), long quotations, long endnotes or footnotes, long captions, and long headings.

Pagination should be consistent throughout the document.

All pages are numbered except for the title page.

Preliminary, body and reference pages: Use Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.).

Center all page numbers within the margins at least ½” from the bottom of the page.

Footnotes and Endnotes

Consult departmental guidelines for the standard(s) in your discipline.

Tables, Illustrations, and Figures

All tables (illustrations, figures, etc.) should be numbered, labeled, and oriented consistently throughout the document. Consult departmental guidelines for the standard(s) in your discipline.

Publication Guidelines and Academic Integrity

Use of Human Subjects

The Auburn University Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) reviews all research activities that involve the use of human subjects, regardless of funding, for compliance with applicable regulations and ethical research principles. All Auburn University faculty, staff, and/or student Principal Investigators (PI’s) conducting human subject research must obtain approval from the IRB before the research may be conducted. All non-AU PI’s conducting research on AU premises or facilities or with AU staff, students, or faculty must also receive IRB approval. For more information about submitting a protocol for IRB review, please visit: http://www.auburn.edu/research/vpr/ohs/https://cws.auburn.edu/OVPR/pm/compliance/irb/home

Multiple Authorship

A dissertation or thesis must be the result of the student’s own research, analysis, and writing, and generally must be the work of a single author. When articles prepared for publication in a professional journal or journals are included in a dissertation or thesis, multiple authorship may be permitted if the student is the primary author. Papers that include other authors can be used provided that the efforts of the other authors represent less than half of the total effort. The primary (student) author’s effort should represent, in the judgment of the faculty supervisor and the student’s advisory committee, a majority of the total effort expended in performing the research and preparing the manuscript (51 percent or more).

Use of Copyrighted Material

The use of copyrighted materials in a thesis or dissertation requires the permission of the copyright holder. The student is responsible for securing all necessary permissions, beyond what is permitted by “fair use,” and for paying any permission fees. For a more comprehensive discussion of copyright, please refer the following links: Copyright at Auburn University & U.S. Copyright Office

Copyright Registration

If you plan to copyright some or all of your ETD, you should discuss these plans with your advisor, especially if the ETD includes shared data.

Although the U.S. Copyright Office notes that copyright is secured automatically when the work is created in a fixed form, there are advantages to registration. For information about “Copyright Basics” and “Frequently Asked Questions about Copyright,” visit the U. S. Copyright Office website at http://www.copyright.gov/ .

Embargos or Restricted Access

Students have the option of restricting public access to the thesis or dissertation for a period of up to five years. An embargo is usually requested if the student anticipates that immediate publication will have an adverse effect on subsequent publication opportunities. The length of the embargo should be indicated on the ETD Final Approval Form (although the Publishing Agreement checkbox indicates a two year maximum, a maximum up to five years may be indicated).

Paper Copies

The Graduate School neither requires nor accepts paper copies of theses and dissertations; however, individual departments and/or major professors may continue to require paper copies. Students should consult with their advisor and/or department for requirements.

Students who need bound paper copies to satisfy departmental or advisory committee requirements are advised to consult with the Graduate School for available options. A 1.5″ left margin is recommended for documents to be printed and bound.

The National Library Bindery Company in Roswell, Georgia, offers binding services to students. Contact them at [email protected] or 770-442-5490/800-422-7908.

Approval Process

Thesis Approval

The student conducts research and prepares the thesis under the guidance of the major professor and with the advice of members of the advisory committee. The thesis is first submitted to the major professor, who may consider it satisfactory or may require corrections, additional research, or other work. When the major professor is satisfied with the thesis, a copy is circulated among the committee members, who may request additional revisions or research. The student then prepares a revision incorporating all changes and corrections.

The student should then prepare the thesis using the Graduate School’s format requirements in the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Guide.  Once the student is ready to defend the thesis, they should submit the “ Request for Report of Master’s Thesis Final Exam .”  With this form the student provides the date, time, and location of the final exam, as well as the desired embargo options for their thesis. Completion of the form is necessary to proceed to the final examination. The final examination should be scheduled before the deadline specified on the Graduate School’s website.  Once the final examination date is reached, the committee will be emailed a link to the Report of Master’s Thesis Final Exam where they will provide the results of the final exam.  If the major professor or any committee member marks the Report of Master’s Thesis Final Exam as Unsatisfactory, it will be necessary for the student to resubmit the “ Request for Report of Master’s Thesis Final Exam ” with a new exam date and time.  If after the final examination the major professor and committee determine that additional work is still required, the student will need to make the necessary changes and then provide a copy of the updated thesis to the major professor and committee.

Once the “Request for Report of Master’s Thesis Final Exam” has been approved by the major professor and committee, the “Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Publishing Approval Request” workflow will begin.  The major professor and committee will automatically be sent an approval request where they will indicate that the thesis is ready for publication and appropriate embargo options have been chosen.  When all work is completed and the “Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Publishing Approval Request” has been approved by the major professor and committee, the student should submit the thesis by the Graduate School deadline, in a single PDF file, through the Auburn University Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (AUETD) system for final review and in order to graduate that semester.  A publication processing fee of $50.00 will be placed on the student’s Bursar bill.

Dissertation Approval

Following written examination(s), the student should submit the “ Request for the Report on the General Oral Examination ” at least one week before the day on which the examination is to be held.  Once the General Oral Examination date is reached, the committee will be emailed a link to the Report on the General Oral Exam where they will provide the results of the exam.  If the major professor / chair or any committee member marks the Report on the General Oral Exam as Unsatisfactory, it will be necessary for the student to revise their examination responses, as needed, and resubmit the “ Request for the Report on the General Oral Exam ” with a new exam date and time.

After passing the examination, the student conducts research and prepares the dissertation under the guidance of the major professor / chair with the advice of members of the student’s advisory committee. The dissertation is first submitted to the major professor / chair  who may consider it satisfactory or may require additional revision or research. When the major professor / chair is satisfied with the dissertation, a copy of the dissertation is circulated among the committee members, who may also suggest revisions or additional research.  The student should then prepare the dissertation using the Graduate School’s format requirements in the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Guide.

The student then submits the “ Dissertation First Submission Approval ” form.  Once the Dissertation First Submission Approval form is approved by the committee, the University Reader will be sent the Dissertation Evaluation form.  The student and major professor / chair should carefully select the University Reader as they must be Graduate Faculty (Level 0, 1, or 2) and from outside of the student’s department.  As the representative of The Graduate School, the University Reader will review the dissertation and serve on the student’s committee during the final examination.  The student then submits the approved dissertation, in a single PDF file, to the Graduate School (email to [email protected] ) for a format check.  When the University Reader returns the completed Dissertation Evaluation form, the student will be notified electronically so that the University Reader’s comments and suggestions may be addressed, if needed.  The student will receive the “Request for the Report on the Final Oral Exam” form to identify the date, time, and location of the final examination, as well as the embargo options that they have chosen for their dissertation. This must be completed at least one week before the day of the final examination. The final examination should be scheduled before the deadline specified on the Graduate School’s website.  Once the Final Oral Examination date arrives, the major professor / chair and committee will be emailed a link to the “Report on the Final Oral Exam” where they will provide the results of the final exam.  If the major professor or any committee member marks the final oral exam as Unsatisfactory, it will be necessary for the student to resubmit the Dissertation First Submission Approval Form. Following the final oral examination, the major professor / chair and committee members may determine that additional work is still required. In that case, it will be necessary for the student make the necessary changes and provide a copy of the updated dissertation to the major professor and committee.

Once the final oral exam has been approved by the major professor and committee, the “Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Publishing Approval Request” workflow will begin.  The major professor / chair and committee will automatically be sent an approval request where they will indicate that the dissertation is ready for publication and appropriate embargo options have been chosen.  When all work is completed and the “Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Publishing Approval Request” has been approved by the major professor / chair and committee, the student should submit the dissertation by the Graduate School deadline, in a single PDF file, through the Auburn University Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (AUETD) system for final review and in order to graduate that semester.  A publication processing fee of $50.00 will be placed on the student’s Bursar bill.  At this time, the student should also complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates.

Last modified: September 13, 2023

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Thesis/Dissertation

To graduate with a master’s (thesis program) or doctoral (dissertation program) degree, students are required to submit an Electronic Thesis/Dissertation (ETD) and a Committee Approval Form to the Graduate School through the  UW ETD Administrator Site . ETDs are distributed by ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing and made available on an open access basis through UW Libraries  ResearchWorks Service .

The Graduate School partners with the UW Libraries to provide comprehensive resources for students as they write, submit, and publish academic theses or dissertations. These pages outline information and policies related to preparing your thesis/dissertation, including formatting, deadlines, copyright and distribution decisions, and, ultimately, graduation. We also encourage you to review the  ETD Library Guide  for additional information.

For comprehensive information on preparing to graduate, please refer to our graduation requirements information page .

Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation

Etd resources.

As a starting point, students submitting an ETD are encouraged to review the below resources:

• Hacking the Academy: UW Theses & Dissertations (Recording of July 29, 2020 event) This session helps students think through their options for how and when to share their work, including the copyright and publishing considerations they may need to take into account.
• Electronic Theses & Dissertations with the UW Libraries The University Libraries welcomes you to this self-guided course on electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) at the UW. In this five-part learning experience, you will learn a lot about the ETD process including how the submission process works, how to give and receive recognition for your work, how to find and interpret publisher policies and how to read and inspect publishing contracts.

Formatting Guidelines

After you submit your ETD, the Graduate School will review your document as part of the graduation process at the end of each quarter. We will review for information accuracy, consistency, and to ensure your ETD meets the formatting requirements described below. There are three required sections (pages) that must be included at the beginning of your manuscript: 1) Title Page, 2) Copyright Page, 3) Abstract. Templates for these sections are provided below.

Apart from these first three pages, the Graduate School does not adhere to any specific formatting or publishing requirements unless explicitly stated by the ProQuest Author Guide: Preparing Your Manuscript for Submission (provided below). You should refer to the citation, formatting, and style specifications of your discipline and the guidance of your supervisory committee.  Note: theses and dissertations must be submitted in PDF format.

For a complete overview of the graduation process, please review  Preparing to Graduate .

Required Sections:

• Must include all items listed in the sample title page and placed in the same order
• May be the first or second page of your document
• Title of document
• Author’s Full Name
• Name of degree as it will appear on your diploma
• Year of graduation
• Names of chair/committee members (do not include signatures or professional titles, e.g. Dr. or PhD, before/after faculty names)
• Program authorized to offer degree (school or department)
• Name and year must match title pages
• List the year of graduation
• Place abstract after copyright and title page

Master’s Thesis Approval Form:

You are required to upload a completed and signed Master’s Thesis Approval Form into the UW ETD Administrator (ProQuest) site; the Approval Form is part of your ETD submission. This Approval Form is a separate PDF and should not be included as a page in the thesis or dissertation itself.

• Master’s Thesis Approval Form

Electronic Doctoral Dissertation Approval:

Final Exams scheduled after March 3, 2020 include a link for Reading Committee Members to approve the dissertation online at MyGrad Committee View.

ETD Formatting Resources:

• Thesis/Dissertation Formatting Checklist  – a quick reference guide of the formatting do’s and don’ts provided below.
• ProQuest Dissertation Publishing — Author Guide: Preparing Your Manuscript for Submission
• ProQuest Online Submission FAQs
• Master’s Thesis Title Page – Fillable PDF Template 
• Doctoral Dissertation Title Page – Fillable PDF Template
• Word Templates  – Alex Mamishev, Professor in Electrical Engineering maintains a Word file that other students may find useful when formatting their document.

Common ETD Formatting Revisions Requested

To ensure timely graduating, take some time before you submit to review this information and ProQuest’s document formatting guidelines. These are all common errors and revisions the Graduate School will request when reviewing ETD formatting. You will be required to resubmit if revisions are needed. Be precise, and consistent as you format your document.  Many formatting errors result from following a fellow or former student’s example, so it’s important to review the most current templates and guidelines.

Title Page, Copyright Page, Abstract

Language requirement.

Your document must be written in English ( policy 1.1.4.3 ). If you need to write your document in another language to accommodate the main audience, you must get prior approval to do so by  submitting a petition the dean via MyGrad . If the petition is approved, the required sections (title page, copyright page, abstract) must still be written in English.

Plagiarism is using words, ideas, diagrams, and other content from publicly available work without appropriately acknowledging the sources of these materials. This definition constitutes plagiarism whether it is intentional or unintentional and whether it is the work of another or your own, previously published work.

Plagiarism is a very serious offense that the University of Washington does not tolerate. Evidence of plagiarism may prevent granting of your degree.

Submitting and Publishing

Submitting for dissemination and access.

The Graduate School and the Libraries require that all UW theses and dissertations be submitted electronically for management efficiency, cost control, ease of dissemination, and long-term preservation reasons. In addition, your ETD must eventually be made available openly on the web. Your ETD will be hosted in both UW’s institutional repository,  ResearchWorks , and in  ProQuest’s ETD Database .  Consequently, you will need to indicate your choices in two sections about how your ETD is made available. Most students choose to make their work available immediately, but you can choose to limit access  temporarily  before making it available openly.

Students may restrict access to their theses and dissertations…

• while seeking to publish journal articles or books based on them,
• to protect intellectual property during the patent application process, or
• to prevent the disclosure of sensitive or classified information.

During the submission process, you will select ProQuest and ResearchWorks (Institutional Repository, or IR) publication options. The options are summarized on a table below, followed by selected scenarios to assist you in making your decisions.

IMPORTANT: The metadata describing your ETD, including the citation and abstract, is openly available  immediately— regardless of the embargo or restriction status. This information is searchable by Google, Bing and other search engines, so take care that neither the descriptive information nor the text contain confidential or sensitive information.

Selecting Access Options

Selected etd access scenarios.

The UW Libraries and the Graduate School are committed to the goal of sharing graduate students’ research as soon and as widely as possible, while allowing students to temporarily limit access to their theses and dissertations for such reasons as to support formal publication in journal article or book form or to allow time for filing patents. Below are some examples of how students may wish to use these options to support their publishing or intellectual property-protection goals.

Discussion of Scenarios

• Journal Article Publishing. In recent years graduate students – especially in scientific, medical and technical fields — have increasingly been publishing results of their research in journals.
• The “Research Article” Dissertation. In some disciplines students may be expected to publish 2 or more journal articles during the course of their studies and submit them as the core of their thesis or dissertation — along with an introduction, literature review, and conclusions. Because this has become so common, most journals now permit authors to immediately republish their articles within their theses or dissertations as long as they provide the full article citation and a statement that an article is being “reprinted with permission” of the journal. However, some other journals allow the practice but require that an article not appear on an open access basis before a delay of 6 or 12 months. The Libraries strongly suggests that students become familiar with the policies in place at the journals in which they would like to publish their work, and choose appropriate access restrictions if needed when they submit their ETD’s.
• Book Publishing. Some students in such humanities and social science disciplines as history and political science may hope to publish a revised version of their dissertation as their first book. As they consider that possibility they may be concerned they might undermine their prospects by making their dissertations widely available via ProQuest and/or on an open access basis.Before deciding whether or for how long to limit access to their work based on these concerns, The Libraries recommends students become familiar with the arguments and evidence put forward on these issues. For example, Cirasella and Thistlethwaite 3 and Courtney and Kilcer 4 provide excellent discussions of issues and review recent literature, while William Germano’s classic From Dissertation to Book 5 and Beth Luey’s Revising Your Dissertation 6 offer important insight into what might be involved during the dissertation revision process. While the Libraries recommends that most students hoping to publish their dissertations as books make them widely available while they work toward that goal, they should feel free to consider choosing otherwise, such as “Immediate Access” for ProQuest and limiting to UW for five years – at the end of which students may request additional time.
• Patent Protection Strategies. Students whose theses or dissertations describe work for which patent protection might be appropriate should contact Jesse Kindra at CoMotion ( [email protected] or 206 616-9658) prior to submitting their work to ProQuest and choosing access restrictions. Depending on the circumstances, a student may choose to completely withhold access for one year, but should recognize that doing so will prevent anyone else at the UW from having access to it during the restricted access period. To exercise this option, students should delay releasing their work to ProQuest for 1 or 2 years, and then choose “No access for 1 year, then make Open Access” from the Institutional Repository (IR) Publishing Options menu for the UW copy. In unusual circumstances, requests for access to be withheld an additional year may be considered. To make such a request, students should describe the reason(s) for it in an email to [email protected] prior to expiration of the original embargo period.

1 Marisa L. Ramirez, Joan T. Dalton, Gail McMillan, Max Read and Nancy H. Seamans, “Do Open Access Electronic Theses and Dissertations Diminish Publishing Opportunities in the Social Sciences and Humanities,” College and Research Libraries 74 (July 2013): 368‐80, http://crl.acrl.org/content/74/4/368.full.pdf+html .

2 Marisa Ramirez, Gail McMillan, Joan T. Dalton, Ann Hanlon, Heather S. Smith and Chelsea Kern, “Do Open Access Electronic Theses and Dissertations Diminish Publishing Opportunities in the Sciences?” College and Research Libraries 75 (November 2014): 808-21, http://crl.acrl.org/content/75/6/808.full.pdf+html .

3 Jill Cirasella and Polly Thistlethwaite, “Open Access and the Graduate Author: A Dissertation Anxiety Manual,” pp. 203-224 in Open Access and the Future of Scholarly Communication: Implementation (Kevin L. Smith and Katherine A. Dickson, eds.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2017), http://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_pubs/286/ .

4 Kyle K. Courtney and Emily Kilcer, “From Apprehension to Comprehension: Addressing Anxieties about Open Access to ETD’s,” pp. 225-244 in Open Access and the Future of Scholarly Communication: Implementation (Kevin L. Smith and Katherine A. Dickson, eds.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2017).

5 William Germano. 2013. From Dissertation to Book, 2d. ed. : University of Chicago Press.

6 Beth Luey (ed.). 2008. Revising Your Dissertation: Advice from Leading Editors. University of California Press.

Publishing Agreements

When you submit your ETD for review and publication, you will be required to read and accept two separate publishing agreements. You will also have to decide whether to publish your work right away or to delay its release. Additional pages within this section will outline all the considerations to keep in mind, when deciding how to make your work available to the scholarly community.

All students writing a thesis or dissertation should review the UW Libraries Copyright Research Guide . Understanding copyright law is another critical aspect as you write your thesis or dissertation.  As you compose your work, ask yourself the following questions:

• Have you referenced others’ work? If so, you either need to get explicit permission from the rights holder or to determine that your use is Fair.
• Have you previously published any part of the work? If you’ve signed your copyright over to your publisher, you will need permission to use your material in your thesis.

Ordering Paper Copies

There are no required fees , although you have the option to register your copyright via ProQuest for a fee. If you want to order bound (paper) copies of your document, you may do so through the UW Copy Centers or through ProQuest. Questions should be directed to the UW Copy Centers or to ProQuest at 1.800.521.0600 ext. 77020 — available 8 a.m.–5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday (excluding U.S. holidays).

Frequently Asked Questions

I created an account in the etd administrator site, but i’m not ready to submit my etd. can i come back to my account later.

Yes. If you need to finish your submission later (for instance, if you need to update your PDF file before uploading it), you can save your information and come back to finish. No information will be lost.

I submitted my ETD but would like to make an edit to the document. How can I edit my submission?

Once your thesis/dissertation is submitted, no additional changes to the document are allowed with the exception of a major data error in the document. In this circumstance, a letter outlining the necessary changes is required from your supervisory committee chair.

What will the Graduate School be reviewing after I submit my ETD?

Submissions are reviewed by GEMS advisors for formatting requirements for the three required sections — title page, copyright page, abstract — before they are delivered to ProQuest for publication. We are checking for accuracy and consistency. Refer to the Formatting Guidelines section on this page for detailed information.

I submitted my ETD and haven't heard anything yet. When will it be reviewed?

We try to review all ETDs as they are received, but if you submit early in the quarter it may not be acted on immediately. If you need to confirm completion of your degree requirements to an external agency or employer, please access the request for letter of certification in the forms section of our Additional Resources page (once your degree has posted to your UW transcript, we can no longer issue this letter). In general, ETDs are reviewed in the last two to three weeks before the quarter ends and after the last day of the quarter. When your submission has been accepted by a GEMS advisor, you will receive email confirmation.

How can I tell if my ETD was submitted and received by the Graduate School?

When your ETD is successfully submitted and pending review, the status will read “submission in review.”

When will my ETD be made available for access?

This depends on the type of access restrictions you selected when creating your account. However, your submission will be delivered to ProQuest for publishing four to six weeks after graduation and you will receive email confirmation when this has occurred. It should be available in UW ResearchWorks around the same time.

When will the printed dissertation / thesis copies I ordered from ProQuest be ready?

After you receive the email confirmation that UW has “delivered” your submission (ETD) to ProQuest, you should please refer to the ProQuest customer service guidelines for the expected delivery date of your order.

What if I am missing a faculty signature for my thesis or dissertation, or I have encountered difficulties in uploading my ETD? Must I pay the graduate registration waiver fee and graduate in the following quarter?

If you encounter these types of situations, contact Graduate Enrollment Management Services (206.685.2630 or  [email protected] ) as early as possible and no later than the last day of the quarter in which you intend to graduate.

Additional Resources

• Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) Guide  (start here!)
• Copyright and Fair Use
• Open Access
• Scholarly Publishing
• ProQuest/UMI Agreement — Traditional Publishing Agreement
• University Agreement — UW Libraries Thesis and Dissertation Submission Agreement
• UW Human Subjects Division (HSD)
• UW CoMotion

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Thesis & dissertation, thesis & dissertation process, the writing of a dissertation or thesis represents the culmination of years of study and research by a graduate student..

This section includes extensive information on the process of writing a dissertation or thesis as well as guidelines regarding formatting and the inclusion of additional materials.

Master’s and doctoral students must confirm additional thesis or dissertation requirements with their advisors. Educational specialists have different  degree completion requirements , such as exams and portfolios, and are advised to confirm those requirements with their advisors.

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What is a Thesis? Everything You Need to Know about a Graduate Thesis

If you’re looking into graduate school, you may have read about graduate thesis requirements. In today’s blog, we’re giving you the rundown of what a graduate thesis is and whether you need to complete a thesis at Emerson . 

What is a graduate thesis?

A graduate thesis is a capstone project that demonstrates what a student has learned in graduate school. Some programs require students to conduct research for their thesis, while others may require a creative project. Regardless of what form it takes, a graduate thesis is a substantial project that showcases your ability to do independent, graduate-level work.

At Emerson, a graduate thesis can take multiple forms and might be optional, depending on your program. You may have the option to complete research, write a creative manuscript, or complete a film or other creative project as a graduate student at Emerson. 

Regardless of what format your thesis takes, students are expected to submit some form of academic or creative writing as part of their thesis. 

For a research thesis, this written submission will take the form of an academic research paper that presents your research question and findings. Programs at Emerson offering a research thesis track are:

• Communication Disorders
• Publishing and Writing
• Theatre Education & Applied Theatre 

If your thesis is a piece of creative writing, such as a novel or collection of poems, your manuscript will count as the written portion of your thesis. You would complete this type of thesis in the following programs:

• Creative Writing
• Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing

For a film or creative project as a thesis, the written portion of your thesis would include an explanation of your work and what purpose it serves within your field of study. These are the programs in which you might complete this type of thesis:

• Media Design
• Film and Media Art
• Writing for Film and Television
• Publishing and Writing 
• Theatre Education & Applied Theatre

Do I have to complete a thesis as part of graduate school?

It depends! Some of Emerson’s graduate programs don’t even offer thesis options, and many offer optional thesis opportunities. Only a handful of our programs require a thesis. 

The following programs at Emerson require students to complete a graduate thesis:

• Students complete a design book that includes a literature review, creative portfolio, media design for a specific organization’s need, and plan for continued work with the partner organization.
• Students complete a film or multimedia installation project as their thesis. They must also write an academic paper about their project.
• Students in this program complete at least 100 pages of a near-publishable novel. The novel can fall within any genre, from mystery to science fiction to romance. Along with the manuscript, students also write a 3-4 page synopsis of their thesis.
• Students submit a near-publishable manuscript in one of three categories: fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction. Page requirements vary based upon the genre in which students are writing. 
• Students in this program complete a screenwriting thesis project. Generally, students can choose between writing a feature length screenplay, two pilot screenplays, or one pilot screenplay for a mini-series plus Treatment for Series that includes a summary for the other episodes in the series. 
• In the MA track of the Theatre Education & Applied Theatre program, students write a research paper about a topic that interests them. The research must be about a topic within the theatre education or applied theatre fields.
• Students in the MFA track of this program complete a two-part thesis, consisting of a thesis project and thesis paper. The thesis project is an opportunity to gain experience in the field of theatre education and/or applied theatre. For example, students could direct a play or design and implement their own curriculum as a thesis project. Students can either complete the thesis project independently or collaborate with 1-2 other MFA students for the project. Each student also completes a thesis paper, which is a critical reflection on the thesis project. 

For other programs, completing a thesis is optional.

The following Emerson graduate programs offer optional thesis tracks:

• Theatre Education & Applied Theatre, MA

Where do I start with a thesis?

The prospect of completing an entire research study or creative project yourself can be daunting, but Emerson faculty support students throughout the thesis process. While graduate theses are largely self-directed, each thesis student receives support and guidance from a thesis advisor. 

Usually, the thesis advisor is a faculty member within the student’s graduate program who has interest in or experience with the student’s thesis topic. The process of finding a thesis advisor varies slightly from program to program, but the advisor will schedule periodic check-ins with their thesis students, offering advice and support as needed. A graduate thesis is the student’s responsibility, but students are not alone in the process!

What are the benefits of completing a graduate thesis?

Having a graduate thesis under your belt can help set you apart as someone who is capable of self-directing large projects or research. This is helpful when you’re looking for work after graduation, or if you’re applying to PhD programs or want to work in research. 

Additionally, completing a creative project for your graduate thesis is a means for students to get their work recognized. For students in our writing MFAs, the thesis requirement gives them a polished, near-publishable manuscript that they can use to query agents after graduation. Students completing a film or media art project for their thesis will leave graduate school with a professional-level piece of work to showcase. Whether it’s a manuscript, film, or other creative project, completing a creative thesis in graduate school gives students material they can use to establish themselves in their field after graduation. 

Lastly, a graduate thesis is an excellent way to grow and challenge yourself. Whether you’re writing a novel, completing a research study, or creating a marketing design for a company, a graduate thesis will challenge you to get outside of your comfort zone. You’ll try new things and learn through your mistakes, all of which will help you grow both personally and academically.

We hope today’s blog has made the thesis process at Emerson a bit clearer. If you still have questions about graduate theses at Emerson, be sure to schedule a call with someone from our admissions team. To get an idea of what kinds of theses Emerson students complete, check out our Project Spotlight blog page. 

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Olivia Wachtel

Writing Assistant

Olivia is a second-year student in Emerson's Communication Disorders MS program. Originally from Ohio, she is loving Emerson and city life. When she's not writing for the Grad Life blog, she loves to read, bake, and crochet.

Latest posts from Olivia Wachtel

• Page Turner Magazine: A Space for Genre Writers to Flourish - March 26, 2024
• Everything You Need to Know about Our Theatre Education & Applied Theatre Programs - March 19, 2024
• What’s the Difference between an MA and MFA, and Which is Best for You? - March 12, 2024

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Submit Your Dissertation or Thesis

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To assist you during the submission process, review this Checklist for Submitting My Dissertation or Thesis .

Submission Requirements

You will not be able to submit your dissertation or thesis through the Dissertation & Thesis Center in Axess unless you have met all requirements outlined below.

• You must be registered for classes or on an approved Graduation Quarter during the term in which your dissertation or thesis is submitted. 

An application to graduate should be filed through Axess early in the degree quarter but no later than the date specified in the academic calendar for that quarter. View details in this article: How do I Apply to Graduate?

When you apply to graduate, you will be instructed to enter the title of your dissertation or thesis. You are not eligible to submit your work until an application to graduate has been filed for the current quarter.  

In order to submit your work in Axess, you must ensure:

• Your candidacy is valid
• Your reading committee is accurate
• You’ve completed all relevant milestones

If you have any questions about the status of your milestones, accuracy of your reading committee, or your candidacy end date, reach out to the Student Services Officer in your department.  

• You will be unable to submit your dissertation or thesis until your eForm has been approved. Please see How to Submit Your Reading Committee Signature Page for full instructions.

Please note: Students with unmet financial obligations resulting in the placement of a hold will not receive a diploma until the hold is released by Student Financial Services. Be sure your financial obligations are in order before submission of the dissertation. 

Considerations During Submission

Consider these other items during the submission process of your dissertation or thesis.

Managing copyright is an important responsibility in your academic career.

For this reason, all students are required to review a resource on Copyright Considerations prior to submission of a thesis or dissertation for publication by Stanford, produced by Stanford Libraries in consultation with the Office of the General Counsel.

You are encouraged to review this resource as early as possible in the dissertation or thesis preparation process.

During the online submission process, you, as the author, will sign the Stanford University Thesis and Dissertation Publication License.

By accepting the terms of this agreement, you are granting Stanford the non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable right to reproduce, distribute, display and transmit the dissertation or thesis. Read the full text of the agreement.

Stanford will make your full dissertation or thesis available online through its library website, and may also make it available through third-party search engines and distributors. Supplementary material submitted along with the dissertation or thesis will be available only from Stanford Libraries website .

On occasion, when a dissertation or thesis author enters into a contract with a publisher, the publisher requests the author to "pull back" their dissertation or thesis to limit accessibility. Stanford can often accommodate these requests, in which case the thesis or dissertation will be available only to those in hard copy, or those with a Stanford network account. Indexing of the document will continue to be allowed, however.  Pull-back requests should be submitted using a Services Ticket:  http://services.stanford.edu    Be sure to include a copy of the publisher's request in your ticket.

A dissertation or thesis author has the option to apply a Creative Commons license during submission.

Because Stanford will make your dissertation or thesis publicly accessible, readers may locate your publication and may wish to use parts of it in their own work. Because you hold the copyright to your work, your permission for that reuse is necessary.

By applying a Creative Commons license to your work, you make clear to users the terms and conditions under which they may reuse your material, obviating the need for them to contact you directly. Applying a Creative Commons license does not take away any of your rights; rather, it makes clear to readers of your work what kind of reuse you permit.

You may optionally apply for one Creative Commons license. Stanford Libraries recommends the "Attribution Non-Commercial" license, because it encourages open access and collaboration in the scholarly process. For more information on Creative Commons license options, please visit the Creative Commons website .

For specific questions about applying a Creative Commons license to your submission, please submit a help request , which will be reviewed by the library.

You, as the author, have the option to delay the release of a dissertation or thesis to search engines outside of Stanford and other third-party distributors. Under an embargo, the dissertation or thesis will be available online to Stanford-authenticated users, but not to readers outside the Stanford network.

Release delay options are: six months, one year, or two years. Embargos of longer than two years require the review and approval of the Subcommittee on Exceptions to Graduate Policy (S-EGP).

The embargo option may be appropriate for a student who wants to delay access to the dissertation or thesis for a limited amount of time in order to pursue other publications.

Embargos and Patent Protection

Please note that the laws of different jurisdictions vary on what constitutes a public disclosure that could prevent or impede one’s ability to obtain patent protection for inventions disclosed therein.

Stanford takes no position with regards to whether the delayed release of a dissertation or thesis will safeguard the ability to obtain patent protection for inventions disclosed therein.  Instead, Stanford recommends that any patent filings relating to material described in the dissertation or thesis occur prior to submission, whether or not the dissertation or thesis is under delayed release.

If you have any questions, please contact Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing at (650) 723-0651 or [email protected] .

Embargos and Grant-Funded Research

If your thesis or dissertation includes any research conducted as part of an active grant-funded project, discuss the embargo option with the project's principal investigator. 

Embargos and Multiple Authorship

Multiple authorship has implications with respect to copyright and public release of the material. Be sure to discuss copyright clearance and embargo options with your co-authors and your advisor well in advance of preparing your dissertation or thesis for submission.  Embargoes may be lifted early at the request of the author.

Embargos and Copyright Permissions

You may not select embargoed status in lieu of obtaining appropriate copyright permissions. A dissertation or thesis, in its entirety, will be governed by only one level of distribution at any given time; the work may not be subdivided with sections disseminated under differing levels of distribution.

If you have any questions about whether you should embargo your dissertation or thesis, please consult with your advisor.

Extending Embargos

Students who designate an embargo period (of six months or one year) during the initial submission, may later wish to either extend their original embargo period (to one year or two years from the time of submission).

To make such a request, submit a help request to the Office of the Registrar no later than four weeks before your original embargo selection expires.

Graduate School

Master’s thesis guidelines.

• Academics & Research
• Rules & Regulations

A master’s student with a thesis requirement will submit the file through Brown's  electronic theses and dissertation (ETD) system . The system is designed to collect and archive the thesis or dissertation as a text-based PDF file. An electronic file submitted through the ETD will appear in the Library's  discovery service  and in the Brown  digital repository .

Web Searches and Unrestricted Downloads

In the spirit of the dissemination of new knowledge that is a hallmark of higher education, a thesis or dissertation will be subject to web searches and unrestricted downloads unless the student requests to opt out of the system and have the thesis or dissertation unavailable for download outside of the Brown community. A request to restrict download access to a thesis or dissertation has an initial two-year window from the time of degree conferral. Guidelines associated with restricted dissertation access are:

• The full text version will be available for download only to members of the Brown community.
• Web searches including the citation and abstract of restricted theses or dissertations will continue to be available to the general public.
• After two years the restriction will elapse.
• Restrictions on full text download may be renewed for two-year periods up to a total of ten years from the date of degree conferral. Requests for additional two-year restrictions should be made to the Graduate School.
• Any requests to extend the restriction beyond ten years must go to the Graduate Council for approval.
• In cases where the thesis or dissertation is a co-worked piece and there is disagreement between the student and the advisor over whether the material will or will not be available for download outside of the Brown community, the dispute will be brought before the Graduate Council for resolution.

To use the ETD system, the student must possess a valid username and password for accessing Brown’s computer network. If you are unable to create an account in the system, please contact  [email protected]  for assistance.

Graduate students are eligible to have degrees conferred, and to receive their diploma, at three different times over the course of the academic year. 

For students who complete their degree requirements the preceding summer term. The Application to Graduate opens on July 1, 2024 and closes on September 6, 2024. Degrees are conferred on October 20, 2024.

For students who complete their requirements the preceding fall term. The Application to Graduate opens on October 1, 2024 and closes on January 10, 2025. Degrees are conferred on February 9, 2025.

For students who complete their requirements over the preceding spring term. The dissertation deadline is May 1, 2024.  Please note, the Application to Graduate deadline is April 19, 2024.

The master's thesis and all of the associated forms and documents related to the completion of the degree must be submitted to the Graduate School by the deadlines listed above. 

Registration

If a student registers for Semester I and completes all of the requirements for the degree during that semester, a fee for Semester II will not be charged.

View Sample Title Page

The Signature Page

As part of the overall completion process, the student must separately submit one signature page, which may be sent electronically to  [email protected] . The signature page should bear the signature of the director (not the graduate representative or chairperson). The typed name of the director should appear under the signature line. Electronic signatures are acceptable. An unsigned copy of the signature page should be uploaded to the  ETD system .

View Sample Signature Page

Every effort should be made to have the manuscript as perfect as possible in form and appearance. Pages containing handwritten corrections, typewritten strikeovers and unsightly erasures and the like will not be accepted. Good references for editorial details are the  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations  (Modern Language Association), Kate Turabian's  A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations  (University of Chicago Press), and  The Chicago Manual of Style  (University of Chicago Press). The department should also be consulted regarding its policies or preferences in matters of format and style.

If publication of the thesis is anticipated, the medium of publication likely to be used should be considered when preparing the manuscript. If it is known in advance that the thesis will be published by a particular publisher or journal, the editorial practices of that publisher or journal should be followed. The form of footnotes and bibliography, in particular, may vary with different publishers and journals.

Type and Spacing Standard

Typefaces set to print at 10-, 11-, or 12-point font are acceptable. Typing or printing should be double-spaced, except for footnotes (single-space footnotes, with double spacing to separate one note from the next).

Page Numbers

Be consistent. Either put all page numbers (both Roman and Arabic) at the top of the page, or put all page numbers (both Roman and Arabic) at the bottom of the page. 

Most theses consist of preliminary pages which are numbered using Roman numerals, and the thesis proper, which is numbered using Arabic numerals.

The preliminary pages must appear in the following order:

• Title page (do not number)
• Signature page (ii)
• Vita* (iii)
• Preface and acknowledgments (iv)
• Table of contents (v)
• List of tables vi List of illustrations (vii)

Should any element of the preliminary pages be longer than one page, number the pages consecutively. The preliminary pages should appear in this order but not necessarily with the page numbers shown above.

The thesis proper (including introduction, main body of the text, illustrations, appendices, and bibliography) is numbered using Arabic numerals. The numbering begins with 1 and runs consecutively to the end.

* The vita is an optional statement giving a short biography of the candidate, including  institutions attended, degrees and honors, titles of publications, teaching or professional experience, and other pertinent information. Do not include date or location of birth or phone numbers.

Dating the Thesis

Because degrees are conferred three times a year, the title page should include the date that the degree is conferred.

The Abstract

If it is appropriate for the thesis to be accompanied by an abstract, it should, in a concise manner, present the problem of the dissertation, discuss the materials and procedure or methods used, and state the results or conclusions. Mathematical formulas, diagrams, and other illustrative materials should be avoided. The abstract should not be part of the thesis itself nor should it be included in the table of contents. It should be headed as follows:

Abstract of (TITLE OF THESIS), by (AUTHOR'S NAME), Degree [A.M., or ScM.], Brown University, May (YEAR IN WHICH DEGREE IS TO BE AWARDED).

The abstract should be prepared carefully since it will be published without editing or revision. The abstract should be double-spaced and may not exceed 350 words (maximum 2,450 characters — including spaces and punctuation — about 70 characters per line with a maximum of 35 lines).

Submission of Final Thesis

When the thesis is submitted electronically to the Graduate School, it must be in final form. It may not be revised in any way after it is presented.  See the list of required items below and note that some, where noted, may be sent electronically to the Graduate School’s Academic Affairs Manager, Barbara Bennett. The thesis will not be accepted and the student’s degree will not be conferred if any item from this list is missing or incomplete. The online submission system will send notifications when each document has been received and approved by the Graduate School.

• One copy of the title page, which may be sent electronically.
• One signed signature page, which may be sent electronically to to  [email protected] .

Digital Supplementary Material

Students interested in depositing digital supplementary materials along with their thesis are welcome to contact the Library for assistance. Please contact: Andrew Creamer in the Library at  [email protected] .

Publishing the Master's Thesis

It is University policy that all research done at the University under its sponsorship must be freely published without restriction. Since 1954, the Graduate School has required that dissertations be published. In 1985, the Graduate Council reaffirmed that decision and approved the following policy:

"All Ph.D. dissertations and Master's theses will be open documents. The Graduate Council will not recommend the awarding of the Ph.D. or Master's degree until the dissertation or thesis is submitted to the Graduate School and accorded unlimited distribution status."

Exceptions to this requirement will be made only if there is a letter from a publisher stating that the dissertation will be published within one year after the degree is awarded and that requests that circulation of the dissertation be withheld for twelve months after the degree is conferred. Six months will be allowed for the clearing of a patent.

If you have a question about temporarily removing your dissertation from the  Library's digital repository , please contact [email protected] .

The Diploma

The Office of the Registrar's Application to Graduate provides the degree candidate with an opportunity to indicate how the diploma name should appear. Otherwise, the name that will appear on the diploma and in the Commencement program, and under which the Library will catalog the dissertation, is the name under which the candidate is officially registered. Any request for a change of registered name should be addressed to the Office of the Registrar and accompanied by supporting legal documentation, such as a court order, marriage license, passport, driver’s license, or social security card. 

Certificate of Completion

If all academic requirements for the degree and all financial obligations have been met before May 1, the Office of the Registrar will issue a certificate of completion within three weeks of the candidate's request.

If you have any questions regarding the submission of your thesis, please contact  Barbara Bennett  in the Graduate School at (401) 863-2843.

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Thesis and Dissertation Support

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The Grad Center is here to help you get started, make steady progress, and complete your thesis or dissertation on time. 

Workshops and Events 

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Thesis and Dissertation Resources

We offer workshops and information sessions throughout the year designed to support productive research, writing, and degree completion.  

Popular workshops include: 

Publishing Workshop Series  Curious about publishing but not sure where to start? Join the library staff and the Graduate Student Center for workshops on different aspects of the publishing process!

Reference Management Tools  Reference management software can save researchers considerable time and energy in compiling and formatting references for publications. One-hour workshop demonstrating the most widely-used citation management tools. 

Setting Writing Goals We recognize that depending on where you are in your Masters, PhD, or professional program, it may be challenging to find the motivation to write or to establish a routine that is balanced with your personal tasks and obligations. Join the Weingarten Center and Graduate Student Center for our writing goals workshops to learn effective strategies for setting and keeping clear, achievable writing goals and a balanced schedule. 

See all upcoming events

Whether you need intensive writing time or are looking for ongoing writing motivation and feedback, we work with campus partners to provide range of academic writing support. 

Dissertation Boot Camp   Looking for an environment where you can focus solely on writing your dissertation? The Graduate Student Center's popular Dissertation Boot Camp is your two-week writers' retreat. Dissertation Boot Camp was  created at Penn in 2005  to help students progress through the difficult writing stages of the dissertation process. By offering an environment and support for intense, focused writing time, the Camp provides participants with the structure and motivation to overcome typical roadblocks in the dissertation process.   Boot Camp is a two-week long, bi-annual event.  Drop-in Writing Consultations   Weekly drop-in writing consultations with experts from the  Weingarten Center , held throughout the academic year. Weingarten staff can discuss work at every stage, and help you move past difficult roadblocks in the process. Writing Accountability Groups  Whether you’re working on a dissertation, journal article, or other writing project, forming a group with other students working on writing projects is a great way to help one another make progress and meet deadlines, by providing accountability and encouragement along the way. Check out our resources for existing writing groups or fill out the group matching form below and we will help connect you with a writing group or partner!  Writers Retreats & Graduate Writers Rooms  The Grad Center collaborates with campus partners to provide graduate students with the space, structure, and encouragement to make progress towards completing major research-related writing projects. 

See all Academic Writing Programs

Penn Libraries : Offers a great many  workshops  to help in the research and dissertation process. In addition,  subject librarians  are standing by to support teaching, research, and learning. The  Using Electronic Resources  guide provides information on accessing e-resources, optimal browser settings, as well as common connection problems and solutions. They also maintain lists of free or reduced-price  online journals & ebooks  and  streaming video ! 

Office of Regulatory Affairs : Helps to assure that all research conducted at Penn honors Penn's standards for the treatment of people and animals .

Office of the Vice Provost for Research : Provides information on funding opportunities and links to graduate student resources.

Penn Electronic Research Administration (PennERA) : PennERA is a full life-cycle system for research project development, support, and management.

Weigle Information Commons : Supports study groups and collaborative learning and offers training, equipment, and support for digital media. Several support services are provided for students as they work to improve their effectiveness in writing, speaking, and original inquiry. 

Research Tools and Websites  

Penn Libraries guide to  Statistical Software  

Bibliomania : Provides free online literature with more than 2000 classic texts.

Elements of Style Online book : the classic reference book for all writers.

Library of Congress Online research center : provides free educational materials including access to the Library of Congress archives.

Bibliographic & Reference Management Software

BiblioScape : Free Download

Endnote  works well for the health sciences and for large collections of articles, despite some technical and installation issues. Available for a discount at  Penn Computer Connection

Mendeley  is a cloud-based proprietary system that includes Facebook-style social networking, PDF annotation, a platform for self-promotion and crowd-sourcing of citations and annotations. Mendeley has a wide range of functionality but suffers from performance and accuracy issues.

RefWorks  is a stable, well-established platform, but has limitations in terms of working with PDF files. Provided by and integrated with the  Penn Library

Zotero  is an open-source software program that is notable for its ease of use, its ability to grab screenshots, and its capabilities for archiving website content for local storage.

For more details and a handy comparison chart, check out the Penn Libraries'  Citation Management Tools Guide . 

Print Resources  

Wayne C. Booth, Joseph M. Williams, Gregory G. Colomb,  The Craft of Research, Third Edition  (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing), (Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 2008)

Carol M. Roberts,  The Dissertation Journey: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Writing, and Defending Your Dissertation  (Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2004) -  Google Books

Kiel Erik Rudestam, Rae R. Newton,  Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process  (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007) -  Google Books

Dissertation Process

Writing and revising .

The Weingarten Center provides writing consultations to help you organize and make progress on your writing through their Learning Consultations.

LaTeX Fundamentals Tutorials from Penn Libraries: If you're new to using LaTeX to format your thesis or dissertation, check out these short video tutorials from Penn Libraries that include examples and practice exercises!

Defending your Thesis/Dissertation 

Preparing for the Oral Defense of the Dissertation by Marianne Di Pierro  (PDF, opens in new tab)

CWiC : Provides courses and workshops for students to improve speaking abilities.

Productivity

PhinisheD : Discord server group for people working on their dissertations.

Print Resources 

Joan Bolker,  Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis  (New York: Holt, 1998) -  Google Books

Sonja Foss and William Waters,  Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2007) -  Google Books

Jane Burka with Lenora M. Yuen,  Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It Now  (Cambridge, Mass: Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2008)

Guidelines and Policies

Most academic polices and procedures at Penn are school-based. Students should consult with their school or graduate group with questions or for help in understanding academic policies and procedures.

See our complete list of academic policies in our resource guide or search for university policies by topic in the Graduate Catalog .

Academic Rules for Research Programs

• Academic Rules for PhD Programs
• Academic Rules for Research Master's Programs

Academic Integrity All members of the Penn Community are responsible for upholding the highest standards of honesty and complying Code of Academic Integrity  at all times. 

• Guides on how to properly cite materials included in your document

Research Policies and Guidelines

• Fairness of Authorship Credit in Collaborative Faculty-Student Publications for PhD, AM, and MS Students
• Guidelines for Research in the Community
• Guidelines for Student Protection in Sponsored Research Projects
• Patent and Tangible Research Property Policies and Procedures
• Policy Regarding Human Subject Research in the Sociobehavioral Sciences
• Procedures Regarding Misconduct in Research for Nonfaculty members of the Research Community

Leaves of Absence PhD students will be granted a leave of absence for military duty, medical reasons, or  family leave ; any of these may require documentation. Read more in the PhD Student Leave of Absence Policy .

Dissertation Guides The University's requirements for preparing, formatting, and submitting the dissertation are documented on the Provost's Graduate Degrees website . The website also includes helpful resources, a graduation calendar and checklist, and links to external resources. 

Submission and Graduation

Preparing and filing your thesis/dissertation are the key final steps leading to the awarding of your degree. 

Preparation and Formatting 

University Style Guide for Master's Theses

Dissertation Formatting Guide  (DOCX, opens a download window) The University's requirements for preparing, formatting, and submitting the dissertation are documented in the Dissertation Formatting Guide. The manual also includes helpful resources, a graduation calendar and checklist, and links to external resources. 

Graduation Requirements

The  Office of the Provost  oversees the graduation process for all PhD and Research Master's degrees as well as PhD dissertation and research master’s thesis deposits . The University of Pennsylvania confers degrees in May, August, and December. Commencement and diploma ceremonies are held in May.

Degree candidates must apply to graduate by the date listed in the  Graduation Calendar  to be eligible for the conferral of their degree and issuance of their diploma in a given term. The specific deadlines for deposit and graduation for each degree term are listed in the  Graduation Calendar .

Please note  the deadline to complete all degree requirements and sign up for graduation is several weeks in advance of the graduation date.  

Dissertation Submission At the University of Pennsylvania, each doctoral student presents the dissertation publicly, defends it, and, with the approval of the dissertation committee, submits the final manuscript for publication.

To successfully deposit a PhD dissertation, the University's requirements for formatting the dissertation must be followed, per the  Dissertation Formatting Guide (DOCX, opens a download window) . Research Master's students must follow the Master's Thesis Style Guide . Please read the Formatting FAQs for assistance with formatting your work, as proper formatting may take more time than you anticipate. 

Additional Resources

Penn resources and support.

Office of Student Disabilities Services : Provides comprehensive, professional services and programs for students with disabilities.

Weingarten Center : Offers instruction in academic reading, writing, and study strategies.  The Weingarten Center offers access to  academic support resources  and advising. Students can schedule 50-minute virtual or in-person meetings or sign up for 25-minute virtual or in-person drop-in sessions with a learning instructor  via the MyWeingartenCenter portal  to discuss their study strategies and approaches to a variety of academic assignments and assessments.

Counseling Services : Offers counseling and graduate student specific support groups.

Funding your research : Visit our Graduate Funding page 

Graduate Group Review Student Feedback Form Graduate Groups are periodically reviewed by the Graduate Council of the Faculties (GCF) in order to identify strengths and weaknesses within each program, and to recommend any changes that may help to improve the Graduate Group. This feedback form is intended to solicit general information and impressions about your graduate school experiences to share with GCF. If there is a specific incident you would like to report, please use the University’s  Bias Incident Reporting Form .

Global Resources

Penn Global  Before going abroad for academic work, be sure to check out Penn Global's International Travel Guidance page, which provides help during an emergency abroad, research concerns when abroad, travel arrangements, visa information and more. Be sure to register your trip  to stay connected to Penn resources in the event of an emergency and pre-authorize any necessary medical insurance coverage. 

Perry World House  Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania (PWH) is a global policy research center that aims to advance interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research on the world’s most urgent global affairs challenges. At a time of increasing ideological division and highly politicized of policymaking, PWH draws on the wide range of expertise found across Penn’s 12 Schools, connecting Penn with policymakers, practitioners, and researchers from around the world to develop and advance innovative policy proposals.  

Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement  The Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement at the University of Pennsylvania is founded on the principle that a democratic, open, secure, tolerant, and interconnected world benefits all Americans. Based in Washington, D.C., the Penn Biden Center engages more of our fellow citizens in shaping this world, while ensuring the gains of global engagement are widely shared.  

Penn Abroad Penn Abroad serves as the hub for student global opportunities at the University of Pennsylvania. Each year Penn Abroad sends more than 1,000 Penn students to over 50 countries around the world on semester study abroad, summer internships, and embedded Global Seminars. Explore our website to find information about the many global opportunities available to Penn students. 

International Student and Scholar Services International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) aims to provide immigration assistance as well as a sense of community for the international population at Penn.  In addition to answering your technical questions about immigration, ISSS also offers student programs and leadership opportunities for students, such as Forerunner and the Intercultural Leadership Program (ILP), to foster meaningful engagement throughout their journey with Penn. 

Resources in Print

Robert L. Peters,  Getting What You Came for: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning a Master's or a Ph.D.  (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997)

Emily Toth,  Ms Mentor's New and Ever More Impeccable Advice for Women and Men in Academia   (Philadelphia, U Penn Press, 2008)

Penn's Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an annual, university-wide competition for doctoral and research students to develop and showcase their research communication skills through brief, 3-minute presentations. 

Learn more 

Have suggestions for more helpful resources? Let us know !

Graduate Student Center University of Pennsylvania 3615 Locust Walk Philadelphia PA 19104 215-746-6868

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Dissertations and Theses

The dissertation is the hallmark of the research expertise demonstrated by a doctoral student. It is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student’s area of specialization. By researching and writing a dissertation, the student is expected to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and the capability to function as an independent scholar. 

A thesis is a hallmark of some master’s programs. It is a piece of original research, generally less comprehensive than a dissertation, and is meant to show the student’s knowledge of an area of specialization.  

Document Preparation

PhD and master’s students are responsible for meeting all requirements for preparing theses and dissertations. They are expected to confer with their advisors about disciplinary and program expectations and to follow Graduate School procedure requirements.

The Graduate School’s format review is in place to help the document submission process go smoothly for the student. Format reviews for PhD dissertations and master’s theses can be done remotely or in-person. The format review is required at or before the two-week notice of the final defense. 

Access and Distribution

Ohio State has agreements with two organizations— OhioLINK   and   ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing —that store and provide access to Ohio State theses and dissertations.  

Examinations

Graduate degree examinations are a major milestone in all graduate students’ pursuit of their graduate degree. Much hinges on the successful completion of these examinations, including the ability to continue in a graduate program. 

The rules and processes set by the Graduate School ensure the integrity of these examinations for graduate students, the graduate faculty, and for Ohio State. 

Final Semester

During your final semester as a graduate student there are many activities that lead up to commencement and receiving your degree. Complete the final semester checklist and learn more about commencement activities.

Graduation Calendar

Select your expected graduation term below to see specific dates concerning when to apply for graduation, complete your examinations and reports, submit approved thesis and dissertation, commencement, and the end-of semester deadline.

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : January 26, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : April 12, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : April 19, 2024

Commencement 4  : May 5, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5  : May 6, 2024

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : May 24, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : July 12, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : July 19, 2024

Commencement 4  : August 4, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5  : August 19, 2024

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : September 6, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : November 22, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : November 27, 2024

Commencement 4  : December 15, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5  : January 3, 2025

Applications to Graduate Due 1  : January 24, 2025

Examinations and Reports completed by 2  : April 11, 2025

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3  : April 18, 2025

Commencement 4  : May 4, 2025

End of Semester Deadline 5  : May 5, 2025

1  Applications to graduate include current semester or End-of-Semester deadline. Applications must be received by close of business.

2 Format reviews may occur electronically or in person at the Graduate School during announced business hours.  Both options require submitting a digital version of the dissertation or DMA document draft in a PDF format to  [email protected] .  

3  Approved documents must be submitted via OhioLINK and accepted by the Graduate School by the close of business before the Report on Final Document will be processed.

4  Students not attending commencement must complete the commencement section on the Application to Graduate to indicate how their diploma should be disbursed.

5  A degree applicant who does not meet published graduation deadlines but who does complete all degree requirements by the last business day prior to the first day of classes for the following semester or summer term will graduate the following semester or summer term without registering or paying fees

Still Have Questions?

Dissertations & Theses 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Doctoral Exams, Master's Examination, Graduation Requirements 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Graduate School Updates>

The latest COVID-19 news and information is available at  Penn State's Coronavirus Information website . 

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update

On March 11 th  the University announced that beginning March 16 th  instruction for all students will be moving to a remote delivery format. Graduate students enrolled in resident courses should plan on participating remotely, and not coming to campus specifically for face-to-face instruction. Learn more at gradschool.psu.edu/covid19 .

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Thesis and Dissertation Information

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•  /  Thesis and Dissertation Information

The Graduate School, the University Libraries, and the graduate faculty of Penn State have established format standards that a thesis or dissertation must meet before receiving final approval as fulfillment of a graduate requirement. The Office of Theses and Dissertations is the unit of the Graduate School responsible for certifying that theses and dissertations have been prepared in accordance with these established regulations.

Every thesis and dissertation must be reviewed by the Office of Theses and Dissertations for format only and are not edited for spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Master's papers are not reviewed by the Office of Theses and Dissertations.

When a thesis or dissertation is submitted to the Office of Theses and Dissertations, it must meet the formatting and deadline requirements set forth in the Thesis and Dissertation Handbook . All doctoral dissertations and master's theses must be submitted electronically. For more information on electronic theses and dissertations (eTDs), visit the eTD website .

The following forms are available in Adobe PDF and accessible Microsoft Word (DOC) format. The Word documents are designed to be used specifically with screen reader technology.  Please use the PDF versions of these forms unless you require the use of screen reader technology.

You may need to download the latest version of  Adobe Acrobat reader  (free) to view and print the PDF documents.

Submission Requirements

• Thesis and Dissertation Handbook
• Thesis, Dissertation, Performance, and Oral Presentation Calendar
• Copying and Binding
• The Most Common Mistakes
• How To Submit a Doctoral Dissertation
• How To Submit a Master's Thesis
• Format Review Instructions
• Acknowledgement of Federal Funding
• Pay thesis fee ($10) or dissertation fee ($50)

Supporting Materials

• Survey of Earned Doctorates

Templates 

The templates for Thesis and Dissertations are available in OneDrive . Please use the "Download" option from this page to download the required template(s) to use as your local working document.  There is no need to open the file in your browser or request any additional access to the files.

The Statistical Consulting Center gives advice to graduate students working on thesis research. The Graduate Writing Center  provides consultation to graduate students in all disciplines.

Information about using LaTeX is available from the University Libraries .

Information about the Graduate School's commencement ceremony .

Questions about theses, dissertations, or Graduate School commencement should be directed to:

Office of Theses and Dissertations 115 Kern Graduate Building University Park, PA 16802 Phone: 814-865-1795

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Thesis and Dissertation Writing Programs

In addition to one-on-one writing appointments, the Graduate Writing Center has a number of programs and workshops that offer support to dissertators and thesis writers.

During the academic year, the GWC offers single-session overview workshops on master's theses, dissertation proposals, and dissertation writing. Click our current schedule or browse past workshops to see when these topics may be offered. We also encourage you to look at relevant workshop videos .

Writing Groups

The Graduate Writing Center sometimes organizes writing groups of various types (online writing groups, facilitated writing groups, or independent writing groups). We are also happy to help groups of graduate students self-organize into writing groups. For best practices on setting up writing groups, see our writing groups resource page . For information about writing groups currently being offered or organized by the GWC, see our writing groups web page.

Master's Thesis Mentoring Program

The Graduate Writing Center offers a program to support graduate students who are working on master's theses (or other master's capstone projects) and doctoral qualifying papers. The program provides workshops and one-on-one writing appointments. For more information, read Master's Thesis Mentoring Program .

Spring Break Writing Retreats

The Graduate Writing Center offers writing retreats for graduate students who are working on master's theses, dissertation proposals, dissertations, and other writing projects. These programs are usually offered in spring break and summer. Retreats are open to all graduate and professional students. For more information and registration instructions for spring break writing retreats, scroll to the bottom of this web page and click on the relevant program. For programs offered during to the summer, go to the summer boot camp and thesis retreat page.

Summer Dissertation Boot Camps and Thesis Retreats

The Graduate Writing Center holds a number of programs during the summer to help graduate students who are at the dissertation and dissertation proposal stages. We also offer dissertation/thesis retreats during the summer. See our most current summer dissertation boot camp and program offerings for more information.

Spring Break Writing Retreat (All Fields) with Online and In Person Options

This program is for graduate or professional students who are writing large-scale projects like master's theses or capstones, doctoral dissertations or proposals, or manuscripts for publication. The program provides dedicated time to focus on your writing and has online and in-person options. For STEM students, it additionally offers workshops related to scientific writing issues. To read more and register, please see the program description below. Deadline to register is Monday, March 18th.

CLICK HERE for application and program details for spring break writing retreat.

SCHEDULE, March 25th – 27th (in person); March 25th – March 28th (online):

Daily Schedule: 9:00-10:00: Online productivity workshops & discussion 10:00-12:00: Online writing groups or individual work (in person) 12:00-1:00: Lunch break 1:00-2:00: Online Workshops or individual work 2:00-4:00: Online writing groups or individual work (in person)

Morning Online Productivity Workshops (9-10 am) Morning workshops will address project organization, time management, and productivity tips.

Online Writing Group or Individual Work If you are doing the retreat online, you will join online writing groups via Zoom at the designated times. If you are at the in-person location, you may work independently or join the online writing groups via Zoom.

How to Sign Up for the Writing Retreat : Fill out the web form (linked here) by Monday, March 18th . We don't anticipate any capacity issues, but if we have any, we will accept registrants on a first-come, first-served basis.

Morning Productivity Writing Workshops (9-10 am)

Monday, March 25th, 9:00–10:00 AM — Project Organization for Writing In this workshop, we will discuss how to set up an organized system for a large-scale research and writing project, especially the writing components.

Tuesday, March 26th, 9:00–10:00 AM—Time Management and Productivity Tips for Writing In this workshop, we will discuss effective strategies for time management, goal setting, and productivity when conducting large-scale research and writing projects, especially for the writing components.

Wednesday, March 27th, 9:00–10:00 AM — Demos of Tools Writing consultants will demo a couple of organizational tools and how they use these tools to support writing.

Afternoon Scientific Writing Workshops (1-2 pm)

Monday, March 25th, 1:00–2:00 PM — Strategies for Writing Effective Scientific Papers This workshop will address basic principles for writing scientific papers and offer strategies for avoiding common pitfalls. We will also introduce key points from Joshua Schimel's book Writing Science on developing good narrative structure and clarity to make writing engaging and impactful.

Tuesday, March 26th, 1:00–2:00 PM — Creating Effective Figures and Visual Aids This workshop focuses on strategies for designing effective figures and visual materials. The workshop will also introduce different software packages that can be used to create high-quality figures and offer further resources for learning these programs.

Wednesday, March 27th, 1:00–2:00 PM — Thesis and Dissertation Writing in STEM Fields (Final Stages) This workshop will give an overview of the final components and writing stages of a STEM thesis or dissertation.

Further Resources

Advice for Thesis Writing If you haven’t seen a final thesis or dissertation in your field, we recommend looking one from your department in the ProQuest Dissertation database available through the UCLA Library. This database allows you to search by institution, advisor, and manuscript type (master's thesis versus dissertation).

Optional Reading: Joan Bolker. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes A Day . 1998. Paul Silvia. How to Write a Lot . 2007.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]

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Spring Thesis Submission Deadline: Monday, May 6

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Formatting Requirements

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Thesis and Dissertation Credit

The Graduate School has not prescribed a particular style manual to be followed in writing a thesis/dissertation. The style chosen must be appropriate to the student’s field of study. However, the Graduate School has adopted standards for form and organization. These standards are outlined in the formatting manual linked on this page.  

We have also provided a quick guide to submission and formatting under the Formatting and Submission Resources heading on the right of this page.

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The Graduate School offers a free formatting review to all students submitting a thesis or dissertation.  This review is not required, but is strongly suggested.  To obtain a review, please email your thesis/dissertation, either in PDF or with a sharing link, to [email protected] with 'Thesis Review' as the subject line. Reviews may take up to a week depending on the time of year. 

Students should become familiar with the formatting requirements that are outlined in the thesis manual.  The formatting specifications are based on universal formatting required by many colleges and universities around the country.  These requirements are also mandated by the publisher to ensure that all thesis and dissertations have a consistent format.

Students should not rely solely on previously bound copies of theses for answers on formatting issues. While bound copies may provide ideas for possible procedures, format requirements may have changed. If you have a question, please contact the Graduate School. 

The Graduate School does not create or host any formatting templates (Overleaf, LaTeX, etc.).  Any templates that may exist were created by prior students.  Students are advised caution when using previously created templates as formatting requirements may have changed. 

Final Submission

The final approved thesis/dissertation must be submitted for publication by ProQuest via the UNH ETD Administrator website by the appropriate deadline as published in the Graduate School calendar. Bound copies are available for purchase through ProQuest at the time of submission. Students should check with their department to determine if a bound copy is required. All fees are to be paid by the student at the time of submission.

Students are advised not to wait until the last minute to submit their work. Submissions must be received by the published deadline for your intended graduation term unless the Graduate School has granted an extension. The specific deadline for submission for each graduation date is published on the UNH Academic Calendar as well as on our calendar page .

*Under no circumstances will a submission be accepted after the graduation date has passed.

The final version of the thesis must be submitted electronically to the Graduate School via the secure UNH ProQuest ETD Administrator website: http://www.etdadmin.com/unh . Submissions should be made only after a student has successfully passed the defense and has made all the necessary corrections required by their committee. In addition to the ProQuest submission, students will also need to submit the Thesis Submission Form to the Graduate School Dean's Office as well as a copy of their signed signature page.  

ProQuest Thesis/Dissertation submission: Submit the completed and approved thesis/dissertation through ProQuest.  You will be able to choose from two publishing options and will be able to purchase bound copies if desired.

Signature Page: The signature page is created by the student and should be based on the sample template that we provide in the thesis formatting manual.  This page should be signed by all committee members as confirmation that the thesis/dissertation has been approved.

Final Submission Form: This form, found linked at the top of this page, is to be filled out and submitted by the student as confirmation that all steps in the process have been completed.

The submission form and signature page can be submitted as PDF files to [email protected] (preferred).  Pages can also be submitted in person or mailed to the Graduate School Dean's Office in Thompson Hall.

These materials can be submitted in any order.  Once all materials have been received the Graduate School will review the submission.  If there are changes needed, the student will be notified and will be able to make the necessary changes and resubmit.

Students can choose between Traditional Publishing (no cost) or Open Access Publishing.  More information about the publishing options can be found on the ProQuest website at the time of submission.   All publishing fees are the responsibility of the student. 

Thesis/dissertation submissions will be sent for publishing after all degrees are awarded.  Publishing normally takes 8-10 weeks.  Once published, the thesis/dissertations will be made available online through ProQuest as well as through the UNH Library Scholar's Repository.  

Note: If the student opted for an embargo, then release will not be completed until the embargo expires.  In the case of an infinite embargo, the submission will never be made available. 

Students can request bound copies at the time of submission.  The Graduate School does not require students to purchase copies to complete the submission process.  However, some departments may still require/request copies.  Students can select any format for personal bound copies, however, for university use the 8 1/2 x 11 hardcover is recommended.  Payment for any bound copies is the responsibility of the student. 

After publication, bound copies will be printed and mailed to the address the student provided at the time of submission. Students can also order additional bound copies at any time through the ProQuest portal once publication is completed. 

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

A thesis requires the completion of between 6-10 thesis credits.  Some departments have more specific requirements.  Students who enrolled for more than 10 credits will need to work with the Graduate School to withdraw the excess credits.  

Once the thesis is approved and submitted the department will submit a request to award the CR grade for thesis completion.  The Graduate School monitors thesis grades closely, but it is not unusual for thesis grades to remain incomplete until immediately before the degree is awarded. 

PhD students are required to register for Doctoral Research (999) each semester until their degree is awarded.  Once the dissertation is submitted and approved the department will submit a request to award the CR grade for the dissertation.  Please note that only the most recent registration of 999 will be given a CR.  All other registrations will have a IA grade. 

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• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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Are you a current CSUN student interested in graduate school?  The GRAD Center supports undergraduate and graduate students in exploring, preparing for, and applying to graduate programs.

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Thesis / graduate project / dissertation.

The GRAD Center provides a variety of resources and funding support to students that are working on their thesis/graduate project/dissertation.

Thesis / Graduate Project / Dissertation Writing Retreat

The GRAD Center collaborates with the Learning Resource Center to offer writing support to students working on their thesis/graduate project/dissertation during the summer and winter breaks.

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Thesis /Graduate Project / Dissertation Writing Workshop

The GRAD Center offers a writing workshop for students that are interested in receiving additional support with their thesis/graduate project/dissertation.

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Thesis / Graduate Project / Dissertation Support

The GRAD Center offers financial support to students to offset the costs associated with working on their thesis/graduate project/dissertation.

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We encourage students to visit the thesis/graduate project/dissertation website to view deadlines, guides, tutorials, and ETD login information.

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Learning Resource Center Writing Support

The Learning Resource Center offers a variety of writing support to graduate students. We encourage students that are working on their thesis/ graduate project/dissertation to visit their website to learn about their resources.

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Writing a Thesis for Nursing School

NurseJournal.org is committed to delivering content that is objective and actionable. To that end, we have built a network of industry professionals across higher education to review our content and ensure we are providing the most helpful information to our readers.

Drawing on their firsthand industry expertise, our Integrity Network members serve as an additional step in our editing process, helping us confirm our content is accurate and up to date. These contributors:

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Writing a thesis presents an opportunity for graduate students to conduct scholarly inquiry, with the potential of publishing their finished paper. A thesis requires nursing students to identify a problem in nursing, and review academic literature while developing advanced research skills. Thesis advisors and committees guide students from the proposal phase to the final oral defense, a process that spans about two semesters.

Not every nursing student is required to complete a thesis. Some nursing programs offer a non-thesis option, in which candidates complete a final capstone project or oral examination on topics such as nursing theories and clinical practices.

The thesis process and requirements vary by school. Ohio State University’s master of science in nursing program’s final examination includes oral and written portions.

Want to know what to expect during the thesis process? Read on to learn how you can choose a thesis topic and orally defend your paper.

Choosing Your Nursing Thesis Topic

Nursing students must choose a thesis topic before they begin the research and writing process, typically within the first two terms of nursing school. A solid thesis must present an original argument, manageable research scope, and worthy academic pursuit. A thesis advisor or research professor will help to guide each student through the process of choosing a topic.

In the conceptual phase, candidates research potential thesis topics based on their interests within their nursing specialty. Students may start with a broad topic such as obesity and weight management, depression, or cardiovascular disease. To narrow their thesis argument, graduate students might focus on racial or ethnic groups, socio-economic issues, or current events.

After settling on a topic, students draft and submit a thesis proposal to an advisor or committee chair. Once this proposal has been approved, students can begin the formal work on his or her approved thesis topic.

While graduate students must complete a thesis to fulfill the requirements of a master’s degree in nursing, the thesis process also offers a chance for future nurses to immerse themselves in current academic literature and collaborate with fellow graduate students, faculty, and professors. A thesis can also serve as the foundation for doctoral studies. A thesis at the doctoral (PhD) level is called a dissertation.

Completing Your Nursing Thesis

Brainstorming a thesis topic begins as early as the first semester of a master’s in nursing program. The formal thesis process, which typically spans multiple terms, does not take place until the student’s final year, usually during the last term.

Thesis requirements vary by school, and students must meet specific deadlines and take prerequisite courses beforehand. At the University of Texas-Houston’s School of Nursing , candidates take a public health class before they submit a thesis proposal.

Future nurses work under the guidance of a thesis committee and advisor. The experience of writing a thesis trains students in original investigation, data collection, implementing research design, and public speaking. Candidates also learn to flex their analytical thinking skills and master a specific area of nursing as they develop the ability to analyze and draw conclusions through data.

At a program’s conclusion, students submit their thesis as a bound manuscript or electronic file. In addition to submitting a written report, students orally defend their final thesis in front of the committee. Many graduates also submit their manuscripts for publication.

Presenting Your Nursing Thesis

Graduate students generally orally defend their proposal and present their completed thesis in front of their committee. This committee also includes the thesis mentor, a faculty member specializing in the nursing discipline of their scholarly inquiry. There are generally 3 total committee members on a thesis committee.

Fellow graduate students or consultants outside of the college may attend presentations, if the process is open to the public. Otherwise, the thesis defense remains a private session, with students presenting their findings. The oral examination of the thesis takes up to one hour, but can last longer depending on how many questions the committee has for the student.

During that time, the committee evaluates the thesis based on how the research experience has shaped the student’s graduate education and the findings’ significance to the nursing field. When the exam concludes, the committee either accepts or rejects the thesis defense.

How is a Nursing Thesis Graded?

Nursing schools rely on each committee to formally grade each product in the thesis process. Some graduate nursing students may receive a letter grade, while other nursing schools adhere to a “pass” or “fail” policy.

To determine a grade, the committee assesses the thesis based on set criteria. Committee members look at the project’s key components, including the statement of purpose, literature review, research methodology, analysis, findings, and implications. The process and grading criteria for the thesis process can be found in the school’s graduate handbook. Most of these handbooks are published online for student review.

The thesis must identify significant issues or service gaps in nursing and present them in a concise and coherent fashion. Candidates must support all findings and analysis by research and explain the implications for healthcare.

The oral defense also factors into the grade. The committee grades the defense based on the quality of the student’s presentation, taking into consideration if the student spoke clearly and presented a logical and well-organized argument.

What is the Difference Between a Nursing Thesis and a Capstone?

A nursing thesis and a capstone demonstrate the student’s comprehensive knowledge and educational journey. Graduate students in a non-research track may have the choice of completing a clinical project. Doctoral of Nursing ( DNP ) students complete a capstone project.

Graduate-level nursing students work on an original scholarly inquiry during their thesis, while undergraduates recap their cumulative learning experience. The thesis process, which includes completing nursing courses and writing a proposal, takes place over the entire program.

Learn more about the difference between a thesis and capstone project on this page .

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Graduate programs, ma in political science.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION. BE BACK SOON!

How To Apply

The university's application for admission is available online . 

Application Deadlines

Fall Semester: Domestic - Spring Semester: Domestic -  No summer admissions

Admission Requirements

Must meet University Requirements , as well as the requirements listed below: 

• Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution
• GRE/ TOEFL scores
• Three (3) letters of recommendation, preferably by academics
• A 500 word personal statement
• Official transcripts
• Minimum GPA of 3.00
• Must have an undergraduate background in political science

International students:

Transcripts/documents that are issued in a language other than English must be accompanied by a literal English translation. In addition, transfer applicants who completed any postsecondary work (college or university) at an institution not in the U.S. are required to submit an evaluation of that academic work. The evaluation must include a course-by-course assessment, with grades or marks and credits or hours equated to the U.S. system. Click here for a list of evaluation services.

Curriculum Requirements

During the first semester in the program, each student must develop a plan of study in consultation with the Graduate Director. Thereafter, students consult with the Graduate Director who provides technical and procedural advising as well as substantive advice. However, students are also encouraged to discuss their research interests with individual members of the faculty. An orientation session for new and continuing students is provided at the beginning of the academic year. In addition, monthly professional workshops discuss topics of interest to graduate students.

Total Minimum Hours: 36 credit hours Common Core – 12 credit hours Major Field or Concentration 9 credit hours Electives – 9 credit hours minimum Thesis/Non-Thesis – 6 credit hours

For instructional purposes, the graduate curriculum in Political Science has been divided into four fields: Field 1 Comparative Politics (courses with a CPO prefix) Field 2 International Relations (courses with an INR prefix) Field 3 American Government (Courses with a PUP, POS, or URP prefix) Field 4 Political Theory (courses with a POT prefix)

Common Core Courses -12 credit hours POS 6735 Foundations of Political Inquiry (3)

Disciplinary Seminar Requirements - Select two: POS 6045 Seminar in American Government (3) POT 6007 Seminar in Political Theory (3) INR 6007 Seminar in International Relations (3) CPO 6091 Seminar in Comparative Politics (3)

Required Research Methods Sequence - Select one: POS 6746 Quantitative Analysis I (3) POS 6707 Qualitative Analysis (3)

Students may either choose a Major Field of study, or the concentration in Africana Studies. Major field - 9 credit hours

In addition to the core course in major area, three additional courses in the core area are chosen from American Government, Political Theory, International Relations, or Comparative Politics.

Concentration in Africana Studies - 9 credit hours AFA 6932: Topics in Africana Studies (3) AFA 6120: Social Theory and Social Thought (3) AFA 6108: Social Construction of Race and Racism (3)

Electives - 9 credit hours minimum. Electives include, but are not limited to: AFA 6207: African American Historiography AFA 6805: African Historiography AFA 6355: African American Community Research AFA 6387: Seminar on Genocide and Human Rights AFA 6932: Special Topics AFA 6905: Independent Study AFA 6910: Directed Research CPO 5934: Selected Topics in Comparative Politics (3) POS 6933: Selected Topics in Political Science (3)

Electives have to be approved by the Graduate Director. Other graduate courses may also be taken as electives, with approval by the Graduate Director.

Thesis/Non Thesis - 6 hours minimum Thesis POS 6971 6 Thesis: Master’s AFA 6971 6 Thesis: Master’s

Students must enroll in either POS 6971 or AFA 6971 (Africana Studies Concentration students) Thesis: Master’s for a minimum of 6 credit hours. In their thesis, students must provide new insight into a relevant topic in political science or international studies. As students approach the thesis stage, they need to compose a thesis committee consisting of a major professor, who must be a member of the Department of Government and International Affairs, and two readers. One of the two readers can be from another department, but that person must first be approved by the Graduate Director. The thesis committee must approve proposals before students embark on their projects. Students must prepare a written thesis and defend their work in a formal oral presentation before their committee.

Non-Thesis: Elective 3 Structured course approved by the Graduate Director and one of the following: POS 6909 3 Independent Study (for students in a major field) AFA 6905 3 Independent Study (for students in the Africana Studies Concentration)

Students who choose a non-thesis option will be required to complete an additional 6 hours of course work at the 6000 level. The student is required to demonstrate competency by successfully completing a substantial literature review of approximately 50 pages in his or her major field, or in the Africana Studies Concentration.

Comprehensive Examination For students in the thesis option, successful completion of the Thesis serves in lieu of the Comprehensive Exam. For students in the non-thesis option, the extensive literature review determines competency and serves as the equivalent of a comprehensive examination.

Students may take a maximum of 3 credit hours of Independent Study (POS 6909) and 3 credit hours of Directed Research (POS 6919)

For the full requirements, please visit the Office of Graduate Studies Graduate Catalog. 

Forms and information

General Information Course Offerings (Please verify the requirements based on the catalog from the year you were admitted) Research Proposal Example SIGS Graduate Resources   MA in Political Science Tracking Sheet   MA in Political Science/Africana Studies Concentration Tracking Sheet Independent Study/Directed Research Contract Graduate Catalog Listing Office of Graduate Studies Forms Plagiarism Information (Office of Graduate Studies) Thesis and Literature Review Forms Thesis, Dissertation, and Proposal Guidelines and Tips MA Thesis Checklist Graduate Student Supervisory Committee Appointment Form Request to Schedule Thesis Defense Form Certificate of Approval Form for Thesis & Dissertation Doing a Literature Review General Guidelines for the Literature Review (MA Student Non-Thesis Option)

Four Ph.D. Students Honored with Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship

The University of Maryland's Graduate School has announced Department of Computer Science graduate students Nakul Garg , Shoken Kaneko ,  Mazda Moayeri and Gowthami Somepalli as recipients of the Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship , an award recognizing outstanding research contributions and academic performance by doctoral students in the later stages of their dissertation research.

The Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship is a testament to the university's commitment to fostering academic excellence and research innovation. It includes a $15,000 stipend, a candidacy tuition award and additional benefits to facilitate the completion of innovative dissertation work.

Inaugurated in 2005, the award is named in honor of Department of Geology Professor Emerita Ann G. Wylie . The fellowship underscores the importance of academic and research endeavors at the University of Maryland. It is a key component of the Graduate School's efforts to nurture doctoral candidates' academic and professional development. 

The research focuses of the awardees are:  

Garg is a Ph.D. student advised by Assistant Professor Nirupam Roy . His research focuses on the development of sustainable computing technologies. Garg primarily deals with batteryless, AI-driven ambient computing technologies that enhance operational longevity and intelligence while reducing power requirements. His work is intended to support the creation of smarter cities, increase supply chain efficiencies and further develop advanced healthcare systems with a reduced environmental footprint.

In addition to his fellowship, Garg has collaborated with Microsoft Research to investigate AI solutions in supply chains, specifically focusing on dynamic tracking systems to reduce global food waste. His projects also include developing next-generation batteryless tags for applications like geofencing, wildlife monitoring and environmental sensing.

Garg plans to explore ambient computing's capabilities further using AI and machine learning to address challenges in egocentric sensing, perception and communications. After completing his Ph.D., he is considering founding a company to commercialize his research and maintain his contributions to the academic field.

Shoken Kaneko

Kaneko is a Ph.D. student advised by Professor Ramani Duraiswami . His work focuses on computational audio and acoustics, specifically spatial audio and boundary element analysis. His work aims to improve numerical simulations in acoustics and electrostatics, enhancing accuracy and reducing costs.

Kaneko has developed algorithms that could significantly improve the efficiency of numerical simulations. 

"The methods I've worked on improve spatial audio capture and processing, audio rendering, and sound localization," Kaneko explained. "My research could fundamentally change how we simulate and interact with audio in real-world and virtual environments, like virtual reality and the metaverse."

Looking ahead, he plans to refine spatial audio technologies and further develop engineering tools for audio and acoustics, aiming to enhance how audio is integrated and manipulated in physical and digital spaces.

Mazda Moayeri

Mazda Moayeri is a Ph.D. student advised by Associate Professor Soheil Feizi . Moayeri's research centers on building interpretability tools for artificial intelligence, aiming to enhance transparency and mitigate the risks associated with AI. His research addresses potential limitations within AI systems to prevent harmful impacts, making strides toward safer, more reliable and more equitable AI applications across different societal sectors.

Moayeri's work promises to fundamentally alter how society interacts with AI by making the technology's inner workings more accessible and understandable.

"AI is incredible because it can be applied to so many problems, and it is advancing at an astonishing rate," Moayeri explained. "A technology so wide-reaching is exciting but also scary, as the risks rise with the number of use cases, especially since we don't always know what's going on under the hood. My work aims to create a future where people can confidently decide when to rely on AI by enhancing the technology's transparency and proactively addressing bias issues before they cause harm."

Looking forward, Moayeri plans to continue exploring the field of AI, likely transitioning to industry roles that emphasize the societal impacts of technological advancements.

"I truly believe AI can empower all of us, but I also worry that it may widen existing gaps in our society," Moayeri stated. "I hope to build tools that put the power of AI in people's hands instead of cruelly replacing them. The exact problems I work on will evolve as the field does, which it currently is doing, but I will always care about fair AI, bias mitigation, model debugging and increasing transparency."

Gowthami Somepalli

Somepalli is a Ph.D. student advised by Professor Tom Goldstein . Her research focuses on identifying and addressing failure modes in multimodal deep learning models, aiming to enhance their reliability and functionality. Somepalli's work has notably included a study on understanding and memorization in diffusion models, which has significant implications for their practical application across various industries.

In addition to her primary research focus, Somepalli is enhancing vision large language models (LLMs), exploring ways to bolster their efficiency and applicability. This work aligns with her broader objectives to address critical challenges in deep learning technologies.

"My work aims to ensure that deep learning systems have a significantly reduced failure rate before they can be utilized on a large scale," Somepalli explained. "The application of my research in diffusion models was notably referenced during the Stable Diffusion lawsuit, and Stability AI has incorporated it in their recent SD3 model to minimize memorization."

Looking ahead, Somepalli plans to continue her research on improving multimodal systems. "Tackling the robustness of these systems is both a challenging and essential task," she remarked, emphasizing the importance of her future endeavors in contributing to the field of artificial intelligence.

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications 

The Department welcomes comments, suggestions and corrections.  Send email to editor [-at-] cs [dot] umd [dot] edu .

Graduate School Summer Funding Competition Awards Announced

Seventy-one scholars are the recipients of dissertation and pre-dissertation fellowship awards through The Graduate School’s Summer Funding Competition . The $4,500 awards are given annually to a select group of outstanding doctoral students to support progress to degree and dissertation completion. The awards are part of an expansion of funding and benefits programs announced by the Office of the Provost last spring.   

This year’s awards provide funding for summer research and writing to students in 43 different programs.   

  Dissertation fellowships were awarded to: 

• Carlos Ramirez Arenas, religion   
• Emily Beauparlant, social psychology   
• Chelsea Bouldin, cultural foundations of education   
• John Brigham, earth sciences     
• Semaj Campbell-Blakes, history   
• Stephen Caviness, teaching and curriculum   
• Ahmet Celik, religion   
• Shreyas Aralumallige Chandregowda, civil engineering   
• Sicong Chen, computer engineering and information science    
• Joseph Colbert, biology   
• Nicholas Croce, social science   
• Amber Ford, chemistry   
• Lerie Gabriel, composition and cultural rhetoric   
• Nicole Yeannine Moller Gonzalez, geography   
• Xiaoxia Huang, political science   
• Jianqing Jia, mathematics   
• Linghua Jiang, human development and family science   
• Kelly Kearns, counseling and counselor education   
• Marie Kramer, mathematics   
• Qingyang Liu, human development and family science   
• Yang Liu, instructional design, development and evaluation    
• Michael McCall, political science   
• Catherine Montgomery, clinical psychology   
• Katherine Mott, sociology   
• Zakery Munoz, composition and cultural rhetoric   
• Brian Odiwuor, mathematics education   
• David Okanlawon, anthropology   
• Felipe Oliveira, philosophy   
• Madeline Olley, English   
• Zhijuan Niu, instructional design, development and evaluation    
• Jared Rosenberg, exercise science   
• Sarah Souders, public administration   
• Sarah Stegeman, history   
• Nimisha Thakur, anthropology   
• Sidney Turner, composition and cultural rhetoric   
• Renci Xie, Doctor of Juridical Science    
• Dong Zheng, civil engineering   

 Pre-Dissertation fellowships were awarded to:  

• Aleyna Akyuz, physics   
• Md Mahbubul Alam, chemistry   
• Karisa Bridgelal, composition and cultural rhetoric   
• Fatma Celik, religion Amanda Kingston, cultural foundations of education   
• Nelson Donkor, chemical engineering   
• Luanxin Gao, economics   
• Si Gao, counseling and counselor education   
• Falak Hadi, political science   
• Antonia Hamilton, clinical psychology   
• Sadam Hussain, anthropology   
• Geoffrey Huyck, composition and cultural rhetoric   
• Joanne Kim, public administration   
• Amanda Kingston, cultural foundations of education   
• Kaia Kirk, political science   
• Fasika Melese, instructional design, development and evaluation    
• Arda Oz, English   
• Eunji Park, counseling and counselor education   
• Abdul Bashir Pazhwak, social science   
• David Peters, mass communications   
• Caroline Plecki, biology   
• Vatya Raina, anthropology   
• Hannah Rembrandt, speech-language pathology   
• Karie Schmitz, mathematics   
• Soham Sinha, English   
• Ilariac Siriner, cognitive psychology   
• Paige Spencer, religion   
• Aditya Srinivasan, social science   
• Xihe Tian, counseling and counselor education   
• Nathalie Uwamahoro, electrical and computer engineering   
• Benjamin Valen, social psychology   
• Bryce Whitwam, mass communications   
• Jiahe Xing, economics   
• Zonglin Yang, earth sciences    
• Shuo Zhang, economics   

Diane Stirling

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Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry

Get your phd in chemistry.

Thank you for your interest in the graduate program at the University of Iowa Department of Chemistry. The Department has had a chemistry PhD program for over 75 years and currently consists of over 25 research faculty, over 130 graduate students, and over 20 postdoctoral associates, research scientists and visiting scholars. Our graduates and postdocs have accepted positions at leading academic and industrial institutions and national laboratories.

State-of-the-art research labs, support facilities, and classrooms are located in the Chemistry Building and the Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratory. Extensive resources are readily accessible such as NMR, mass spectrometry, and X-ray analysis facilities, advanced computational resources, and complete machine, electronics, and glass shops. In addition to strong programs in the core areas of analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, we offer unique research opportunities in emerging interdisciplinary areas such as biocatalysis, natural products, materials, surface science, bioinorganic, chemical sensors, chemical education research, and environmental and atmospheric chemistry.

The Department of Chemistry funds the tuition for all of our graduate students in good standing. In addition, we offer teaching and research assistantships that pay an annual stipend and provide employee benefits such as health insurance. Additional funding from a variety of sources is also available. 

For more information, contact the graduate program by e-mail at [email protected] . 

Student resources

• First year student guide
• Annual review resources
• Teaching assistant resources
• Postdoctoral scholar resources
• Thesis and dissertation
• General catalog
• Current courses

Degree requirements

Competency requirement.

Students must demonstrate basic competency in three chosen sub-disciplines of chemistry (analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, physical). Competency is established in one of the following ways: Scoring at the 50th percentile level (national norm) on the proficiency exam, completing a one-semester review course with a grade of C or better (courses specified below), or completing a one-semester graduate-level/advanced course in that sub-discipline of chemistry with a grade of B or better. The competency requirement must be fulfilled before the beginning of the student's third semester in the graduate program.

Review courses

Courses currently designated as review courses are:

• CHEM:4171 (formerly 4:171): Advanced Analytical Chemistry
• BIOC:3120 (formerly 99:120): Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I
• CHEM:4270 (formerly 4:170): Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
• CHEM:4372 (formerly 4:172): Advanced Organic Chemistry
• CHEM:4431 (formerly 4:131): Physical Chemistry I

Advanced course requirement

Beyond the competency requirements, a minimum of four additional courses that total at least 11 semester hours of graduate credit must be completed by the end of the fourth semester in residence. Grades of "B" or higher must be attained in all of these advanced courses. A grade of "B-" does not meet this requirement. Research, seminar, and pedagogy credits, courses that are doubly listed with sub-100 level numbers, courses taken with the S/U grade option, and courses with grades of "B-" or lower cannot be used to fulfill this requirement. The student is strongly encouraged to develop a detailed course plan that is reviewed and approved by the research advisor.

Comprehensive examination

The oral comprehensive examination is designed to assess the student's overall progress, knowledge of fundamental chemical principles and chosen area of specialization, and general competency for PhD research.

Before the beginning of the second semester after a permanent advisor has been appointed, a Graduate Academic Committee (GAC) of five faculty, at least four from Chemistry, will be formed for each student with a PhD degree objective. The committee will consist of the research advisor and four additional members invited by the student subject to the advisor’s approval.

The five member committee for the comprehensive examination is the same as the student's Graduate Academic Committee (GAC). Additional faculty members may be invited to attend the oral comprehensive examination and may be consulted in judging the presentation when it bears upon their areas of expertise.

To be eligible to take the Comprehensive Examination, the student must have a cumulative average of 3.00 or greater on appropriate graduate coursework at The University of Iowa. Appropriate graduate coursework includes review courses (Section II.B.), graded seminar presentations (Section III.F.), courses that satisfy the advanced course requirement (Section III.A.), and additional courses in chemistry or related disciplines that are judged appropriate by the student’s GAC. Graduate Chemistry Orientation (CHEM:5091, formerly 4:191), Ethics in Chemical Sciences (CHEM:5092, formerly 4;192), Research in Chemistry (CHEM:7999, formerly 4:290) and Research Seminar (CHEM:6990, formerly 4:291) shall be graded on an S/U basis and therefore are not included in the computation of the cumulative average.

The general comprehensive examination requirements set by the Graduate College must be completed by the end of the fourth semester in residence, unless written consent is received from the GAC and is approved by the Departmental Graduate Review Committee (DGRC). A student who fails to meet this requirement may be dropped from the PhD program. A student on academic probation is not eligible to take the comprehensive exam. Students entering with a Master's degree and those exempted from review courses are strongly encouraged to take the comprehensive examination during the second or third semester in residence.

The comprehensive examination is a two-part oral examination. The first part consists of an oral defense of the student's research problem and progress, and will be based upon a written Research Report submitted by the student. The second part consists of an oral defense of an original Research Proposal submitted by the student. The Research Report and the Research Proposal must be submitted (together) prior to five weeks before the last day of classes in the semester during which the examination is to be taken (or, for a spring semester examination, by the last Friday prior to Spring Break, whichever is earlier). It is strongly recommended that the examination be held at the earliest possible date in the semester to facilitate scheduling.

If the GAC approves both the Research Report and the Research Proposal, the oral examination may be scheduled. The student should then complete a Formal Plan of Study and a Request to the Graduate College for the PhD Comprehensive Examination. At the examination, the student will be asked to present a short (20 minute) summary of their research project. During or following this presentation, the committee will ask questions designed to probe the student's understanding of the research topic and important background material, the experimental methods and techniques which are important in the particular area, and the goals and significance of the research. The committee next will examine the candidate's understanding of areas related to the Research Proposal. The student will be asked to give a short (30 minute) presentation of the Research Proposal. The committee will ask questions designed to probe the quality and the student's understanding of the proposal. Typically, however, this discussion will evolve into a wide-ranging examination of the student's general competency in the chemical sciences.

Seminar requirements

Each student is expected to give a minimum of two acceptable seminars. One seminar must cover the student's research. The other may also deal with the student's research, or can be an extensive literature report. The student may register for the appropriate divisional seminar course and receive letter grade credit during those semesters in which the seminars are presented. The final PhD defense cannot be used to meet this requirement.

The research conference/three-month seminar

At least three months before the anticipated final defense, the PhD candidate must meet with their graduate academic committee. If scheduling permits, the research work can be reported as a research seminar during a regularly scheduled divisional seminar, with a subsequent committee meeting for questions and advice.

Final defense of the PhD dissertation

The Dean of the Graduate College will make a public announcement of a candidate’s final defense three weeks prior to the exam date. This final oral examination is open to the public. Dissertation copies must be made available to all members of the examining committee not later than two weeks before the examination date.

Milestones toward the PhD

The milestones on the path toward earning your PhD in chemistry at the University of Iowa are described below. These are illustrative of a typical student; most students follow this path, but some variations are possible.

Typical timelines for PhD completion

Create your academic path.

You'll find degree overviews, requirements, course lists, academic plans, and more to help you plan your education and explore your possibilities.

Current course list

The MyUI Schedule displays registered courses for a particular session and is available to enrolled students. The list view includes course instructors, time and location, and features to drop courses or change sections.

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Students Showcase Research at 3MT Competition

KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 12, 2024

By Tracy Gaudlip

On Thursday, April 4, 2024, the Graduate College held its 9th annual 3-Minute Thesis competition (3MT), tasking master’s and doctoral students with presenting their research to a non-specialist audience within a strict three-minute timeframe.

William Reed, a master’s in exercise science student, clinched the top spot with his presentation titled “Kinetic and Kinematic Effects of Unilateral Flag Carrying on Referee Sprinting and Agility Performance.” Yongshuai Wu, currently pursuing a master’s in information technology, secured both the Runner-Up position and the People’s Choice award for his presentation titled “Autonomous Robots for Inventory Tasks in Unstructured Environments via Zero-Shot Imitation Learning.”

Reed’s presentation centered on the differences between normal sprinting motions and that of “flag-carrying” soccer referees. From his own experience he explained, “We referees have a distinct lack of research around us in comparison to the players we officiate, so finding a way to add to that limited research base was the goal. Referees receive very little assistance when it comes to specialized training, so working to analyze the intricacies of our own performance expectations led us to this premise of running with only one moving arm, as the flag must be carried in the other.” He added that while there is some research on the effects of restricting both arms in track athletes, none have looked at the effects of running with only one arm moving.

In addition to the 1080Sprint machine, he used tests standardized by soccer governing bodies to determine what kind of change flag-carrying has on running. He tracked kinetic data for each test and compared the tests within individuals. 

Now that the competition is over, Reed said he “feels a sense of calm” and is looking forward to the next challenge. 

Wu’s research delves into robotic reasoning, which involves training robots to mimic human behavior. To evaluate their methods, he explained that they chose robot radio-frequency identification (RFID) because it’s a challenging task for robots. This technology uses radio waves to identify and track tags attached to objects and is used in applications such as inventory management.

“The concept of RFID inventory is that each product will have an RFID tag, which can be scanned by a reader within a short distance. This is why we need to train the robot to approach those places where the products are located.”

Wu explained that grasping robotic reasoning can be daunting for those unfamiliar with robotics. “Summarizing this into a 3-minute presentation is tough,” he said. He opted to focus on key milestones rather than narrate the entire journey, and it turned out to be effective.

Reed was awarded $1,000 for his first-place presentation, while Wu earned $750 for second place and an additional $350 for winning the people’s choice award.

Dr. Amy Buddie, the Director of Undergraduate Research, along with Dr. Karin Scarpinato, the Vice President of Research, and Dr. Jessica Rudd, an alumna of KSU’s Ph.D. program, and a past 3MT champion who currently serves as Senior Data Engineer and Technical Lead at Intuit Mailchimp, were the judges for the competition.  

2024 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Participants

• Kimberly Green, Ed.D. in Teacher Leadership , Faculty advisor: Dr. Nicholas Clegorne, Perceptions of the Differing Prepatory Needs of Teacher Leaders and Educational Leaders

• Lacey Harper, Master of Science in Exercise Science , Faculty advisor: Dr. Garrett Hester, The Power of the Mind to Enhance Strength Training Adaptations in Older Women

• Anthoanette Kommeh, Ph.D. in International Conflict Management , Faculty advisor: Dr. Christopher Pallas, The Impact of NGO Sensitivity to Local Gender Dynamics on Project Outcomes and Social Relations in Northern Ghana

• Srivastsa Mallapragada, Ph.D. Analytics and Data Science , Faculty advisor: Dr. Ying Xie, Multi-Modality Transformer for E-Commerce: Inferring User Purchase Intention to Bridge the Query-Product Gap

• William Reed, Master of Science in Exercise Science , Faculty advisor: Dr. Jacob Grazer, Kinetic and Kinematic Effects of Unilateral Flag Carrying on Referee Sprinting and Agility Performance

• Kimberly Wang, Master of Science in Information Technology , Faculty advisor: Dr. Chloe Yixin Xie, How Tiny Interactions in GPR56 Control Your Health?

• Yongshuai Wu, Master of Science in Information Technology , Faculty advisor: Dr. Shaoen Wu, Autonomous Robots for Inventory Tasks in Unstructured Environments via Zero-Shot Imitation Learning

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Graduate student in engineering wins 2024 UPEI 3-Minute Thesis competition

Ant-inspired robots, the experiences of temporary foreign workers on PEI, and modelling for energy efficiency cost savings for property owners were the focus of prize-winning 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) presentations by UPEI graduate students on April 11, 2024.

The 3MT competition challenges graduate students to explain their thesis within three minutes and in a format that a general audience can understand. The winner earns a place at the regional 3MT competition in Quebec City on June 7, and the top three presenters receive prize money.

Seven graduate students presented an overview of their thesis research to judges, friends, fellow graduate students, faculty, and staff. They highlighted their research questions, methods, results, and the potential current and future impacts of their research.

Duy Nguyen, an MSc in Sustainable Design Engineering student, won first prize for his presentation “When Ants Inspire Robots: Engineering Swarm Intelligence for the Future of Collaborative Object Transportation.” He will represent UPEI at the regional competition.

Nguyen’s research involved the use of multiple mobile robots to transport goods in daily life settings, such as heavy objects in factories and warehouses. Earlier this year, he won the Best Student Paper Award for this project during the 16th IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integration held in Vietnam.

Eliza MacLauchlan, a Master of Arts in Island Studies student, took second place for her presentation about the experiences of temporary foreign workers on PEI. Noushad Ahamed Chittoor Mohammed, an MSc in Sustainable Design Engineering student, won third for his presentation about modelling for energy efficiency cost savings for property owners.

Judging the presentations were Dr. Greg Naterer, Vice-President Academic and Research; Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, Associate Vice-President Research and Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies; and Maria Steele, Manager, Research Services. 

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