Thesis

The first step in the thesis process is to form a thesis advisory committee. To form your thesis advisory committee, work with your department and thesis advisor to select your thesis advisory committee members. Your committee must have at least three members made up of your advisor and two departmental members. With departmental permission, one of the members may be from a different department (who has applicable knowledge and/or expertise). For all University requirements regarding thesis advisory committees please see University Procedure 11.99.99.R0.06.

Once the make up of the committee is agreed upon, complete and submit the digital Thesis Committee Selection form. The form will automatically route to your advisor/committee members and depatment head for approvals before being received by TDS for Graduate School approval. When your committee is approved, you and your advisor will receive an email advising you of the approval and providing you and your advisor with a copy of the approved committee form. At this point, you may move forward in the thesis process.

FORM:

Thesis Committee Selection Form

GUIDES:

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide

POLICIES:

University Procedure 11.99.99.R0.06 Master's and Specialist Thesis and Advisory Committee

University Procedure 11.99.99.R0.09 Course Requirements for the Master's and Specialist Degrees

Work with your committee to prepare your proposal for defense. The proposal defense process is established by each department without any oversight by the Graduate School. Once you have successfully defended your proposal, make all changes recommended by your committee. 

Regarding data collection:

If you and your advisor determine your study requires research committee approval (i.e., IRB, IACUC, or IBC approval), do not begin data collection until your advisor receives the applicable approval letter from the appropriate research compliance reviewing body. The research compliance approval letter is not the same as Graduate School proposal approval.

If you and your advisor determine your study does not require research committee approval (i.e., IRB, IACUC, or IBC approval), you may, with your advisor's permission, begin data collection. However, all thesis students must complete research compliance training through CITI first. 

If you are unsure about whether your study requires approval from IRB, IACUC, or IBC,  review the research compliance websites noted below and check with your advisor.

You do not need Graduate School's proposal approval to begin data collection.

RESEARCH COMPLIANCE TRAINING AND INFORMATION:

Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) Training 

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) 

Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

HELPFUL LINKS:

Zoom Etiquette (for students and faculty)

How to Conduct a Defense via Zoom (for faculty/advisors)

After successfully defending your proposal, make all changes suggested by your committee. Once all changes have been made to your proposal document, with your advisor's permission, complete and submit the Thesis Proposal Submission Form and upload all required documents. The submitted form will route automatically to your advisor/committee members, the department head, and college dean before being received by TDS in the Graduate School. Documents to include with your proposal submission are as follows.

1. Thesis proposal document in Word format (or PDF if using LaTex)
2. Current iThenticate similarity report (provided by your advisor)
3. CITI training reports (RCR plus additional training as required by the Office of Sponsored Programs' Research Compliance division)
4. IRB, IACUC, IBC approval letter*

*If your study requires research compliance committee approval, your advisor will receive the approval letter from the applicable research compliance committee. Provide a copy of this approval letter with your proposal submission.

An email to your LeoMail email will be sent to you by TDS confirming receipt and verifying completeness of your submission. Proposals submitted past the deadline will be processed for the following semester. Please see the Graduate School's Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide for assistance when preparing to submit your proposal documents. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure all materials are received by the appropriate deadline. 

You are required to receive proposal approval from the Graduate Schoool/TDS at least one semester prior to the semester in which you plan to graduate. You cannot submit your final thesis in the same semester in which you receive proposal approval.

The TDS Review:

TDS conducts a one-time review of your proposal document. It is reviewed for conformity to the applicable Graduate School's template and to the Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide. With the help of your advisor, you will be responsible for adherence to your chosen style guide (APA, MLA, Turabian, etc.). Once the format review is complete, you and your advisor will receive an approval email from TDS/Graduate School containing a Reviewer's Checklist with formatting corrections to make and to apply when drafting your final document.  Please keep a copy of all emails concerning your submission and the related approval for your records. 

FORM:

Thesis Proposal Submission Form

TEMPLATES AND GUIDES:

TDS/Resources for Writing

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide

RELEVANT LINKS:

Deadlines for Submission

Following thesis proposal approval, continue to collect data, analyze data, and write your final thesis chapters. Please work closely with your advisor to ensure you are progressing with your thesis in a timely manner.  Also, be aware of the deadlines that are relevant to you and your plan for graduation.

Once you and your advisor determine you are ready, work with your committee to schedule a date, time, and location or mode (e.g., Zoom) to hold the final thesis defense. When a date and time are set, complete and submit the digital Notification Form for the Final Thesis Defense.  This form must be be received by TDS no less than 7 days prior to the scheduled defense date. Please submit the form 3-5 days prior to the 7-day deadline to ensure timely receipt by TDS. If this form is not submitted, the remaining submission process will not work properly.

FORM:

Notification Form for the Thesis Defense

RELEVANT LINKS:

Zoom Etiquette (for students and faculty)

How to Conduct a Defense via Zoom (for faculty/advisors)

Deadlines for Submission

At least one semester after receiving Graduate School approval of your proposal document and after successfully defending your final thesis, you may move forward with the thesis process. With your advisor's permission, complete and submit the digital Final Thesis Submission Form and upload all required documents. The submitted form will route automatically to your advisor/committee members, the department head, and college dean before being received by TDS in the Graduate School. Documents to include with your final thesis submission are as follows.

1. Final thesis document in Word format (or PDF if using LaTex)
2. Current iThenticate similarity report (your advisor will provide you with a copy)

Once your submission is received by TDS, you and your advisor will receive an email from TDS confirming receipt and verifying completeness of your submission. Final thesis documents submitted past the deadline will be processed for the following semester. For questions regarding the submission process, please see the Graduate School's Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure all materials are received by the appropriate deadline. 

The TDS Review:

TDS will conduct reviews of your final document until your document conforms to the Graduate School's formatting requirements. Keep in mind that documents that do not follow Graduate School formatting requirements will require additional revisions and, therefore, may take longer to receive approval. If the needed revisions are not made in a timely manner, your graduation eligibility may be impacted.

When your final document receives Graduate School approval, you and your advisor will receive an approval email from TDS and a Reviewer's Checklist with final corrections to make to your document. When your final document has been approved by TDS and converted to a PDF, TDS will provide you with instructions for uploading your PDF to ProQuest. Please keep a copy of all emails concerning your submission and the related approvals for your records. 

To be cleared for graduation, you must have uploaded your document to ProQuest and paid all Graduate School fees ($40 graduation fee and $63 thesis/dissertation processing fee).

FORM:

Final Thesis Submission Form

TEMPLATE AND GUIDES:

TDS/Resources for Writing

Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guide

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Guide

RELEVANT LINKS:

Deadlines for Submission

The graduation application opens in myLeo at the start of the semester. After submitting your application, the Graduate School will be in communication with you throughout the semester regarding your graduation eligibility. Uploading to ProQuest and paying all Graduate School student fees are required before you can be cleared for graduation. The Graduate School charges a thesis/dissertation processing fee of $63 when a complete final thesis submission is received. ProQuest fees include $75 copyright fee and $30 for one copy of the thesis to go to your advisor. You may purchase additional copies of your thesis at your own expense.

Make sure these steps are completed prior to the graduation ceremony. After you receive confirmation from the Graduate School/TDS that all thesis-related requirements have been met, you are free to prepare for the graduation ceremony. Make sure you are at the Field House at the required time and that you are wearing your graduation regalia.

CONGRATULATIONS!