Fifth Year/Defense
The Full Original Research Proposal
(Deadline: Submitted with thesis)
Between the 4th year committee meeting and graduation, the student will develop one quad-chart proposal into a full proposal (details listed in ORP guidelines) to be submitted as an Appendix to the Ph.D. thesis document. It is the option of the student and his/her/their advisor as to whether the original research proposal will be bound with the thesis. The student has the option to allocate time at the end of his/her/their thesis defense to the proposal (5 minutes maximum in addition to time allotted for the defense presentation), but all students should be prepared to answer questions about the proposal at the thesis defense.
Funding Extension Form - To continue funding past the 5th year, a student must meet with their advisor to discuss research progress. If the student is in good standing, a funding extension form must be signed and returned to the graduate program assistant in the main office.
5th-Year Research Extension Form - In addition to the research extension form, a student and his/her advisor(s) must formulate a statement of what needs to be accomplished to obtain a Ph.D., along with a proposed timetable. This timetable is then to be submitted to the student's committee for approval, comments, and proposed modifications. This process will be repeated at six-month intervals until the student graduates.
Thesis and Final Examination
Each student must complete an original research study and produce a dissertation acceptable to the faculty research supervisor and the thesis committee. The examination is concerned primarily with the contents of the dissertation, but it may include more general questions as well. The examination of the dissertation will be announced and open to the public, but the examining committee has the discretion to exclude the public during part of the examination for additional questioning of the candidate.
Before the Ph.D. Exam:
- Check for submission of all paperwork listed below.
- Work with your advisor to select a tentative oral examination timeframe. Please work with your Thesis Committee to schedule an exact date and time (2 hours in length) to schedule the examination and closed-door questions.
- After a date has been selected, please meet with the graduate program assistants in the main office to discuss deadlines and scheduling.
- Application for Degree form: This can be filled out via GSTS. Login to GSTS, click on "TGS Forms" > "Application for Degree" online form.
- Ph.D. Final Exam form: Login to GSTS to complete and submit the form. The form will be submitted to The Graduate School electronically for final approval.
- At least two weeks before the exam, please provide the committee with a copy of your thesis.
- Once your dissertation has been approved by your committee and all edits and revisions are complete, . The dissertation must conform to TGS formatting standards.
- Please complete the following exit surveys:
Additional Reminders
- If you have student health insurance through ±¬ÁϳԹÏÍø and you would like to cancel it, see the .
- For information on
- The Intent to Participate form is required for students taking part in and must be filled out by the deadline.
- For regalia
- Check CAESAR for holds on your record. Your diploma and copies of your transcript may not be released if you have holds. Contact the with questions.