Dissertation Distribution
See the GSAS Dissertation page for all University rules about dissertation preparation, defense, and deposit.
Students must be registered in the semester in which they distribute their dissertation, so please plan accordingly.
Dissertation defense, registration status, and deposit policies are as follows:
- Defense applications should ideally be submitted four – but no fewer than two – weeks before the scheduled defense date: Application for the Dissertation Defense Applications received within two weeks of the proposed defense date will not be accepted, and the defense will have to be rescheduled. GSAS no longer requires students to file the form titled Intent to Distribute and Defend. In its place, all students who intend to participate in graduation ceremonies must complete the register for Convocation.
- In order to meet the Graduate School’s requirement for continuous registration, PhD candidates must register for full-time enrollment each semester until the semester of distribution. Once a dissertation has been distributed, students are no longer required to register. If a student intends to distribute during a specific term and does not do so before the end of that term, the student must register in the following semester.
- To assist us in maintaining accurate information on the academic progress of our students, the committee that evaluates the dissertation proposal or prospectus must complete the Report of the Dissertation Proposal Committee form at the time of the defense of the proposal. The department should submit the completed form to GSAS immediately after the prospectus defense.
The forms used by the Dissertation Office are listed below:
