Thesis and Dissertation Work

Helpful Tips

1. As soon as you have written a few pages, bring them to the Office of Graduate Programs to check formatting. Making changes at this point is much easier.

2. All thesis and dissertation students are required to pay the Binding Fee of $75 (doctoral students are required to pay an additional $75 microfilming fee). If possible, it is best to pay these fees at the time you petition to graduate. Payment verification at the time of graduation will be much easier if these fees are paid and marked on the Petition to Graduate form.

3. Graduate students are responsible for the "quality control" for their theses and dissertations. The Office of Graduate Programs will check the copies you submit. However, this check will be for general adherence to format, and not a detailed proofreading of the completed manuscript nor completeness of copies ( e.g. , missing or duplicated pages).

4.Five (5) copies of the thesis or dissertation must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Programs following approval by the student's committee. These copies will be distributed as follows:

  • Library Special Collections
  • Library Circulation
  • Major Advisor
  • Academic Unit
  • Student

Of course, students may have additional copies of their thesis reproduced for their own use or for family and friends. The cost to bind these additional copies is $15 each. Theses and dissertations that do not conform to the required formats will not be accepted. Acceptance by the Office of Graduate Programs of the completed and signed thesis or dissertation is required for graduation.

Thesis or Dissertation Registration

Students working on their thesis or dissertation must register for a minimum of 3 hours of Thesis (XXX5999) or Dissertation (XXX6999) per semester. An exception is made in the semester of graduation under certain circumstances.

MS THESIS STUDENTS: Once a student begins to register for thesis work, continuous registration is required every term, INCLUDING SUMMER , until the Thesis is accepted in the Office of Graduate Programs.

PH.D. DISSERTATION STUDENTS: Once admitted to candidacy, continuous dissertation registration is required every term, INCLUDING SUMMER , until the dissertation is accepted in the Office of Graduate Programs.

Students are strongly urged to check with the Office of Graduate Programs IN ADVANCE if they need to request a waiver of the requirement for continuous registration.

 

Formatting Guidelines

The following list of tutorial documents has been developed to assist you in formatting your thesis or dissertation documents. Please click on the desired topic to see some helpful hints, walkthroughs, and screenshots on how to format your work.

Thesis Guidelines