Dissertation Defense

Follow this guide to complete your requirements for presenting and filing your dissertation

Dissertation Reading Committee

Your Dissertation Reading Committee should already be in place as this was a requirement to Advancement to Candidacy.  If any members of your Dissertation Reading Committee have changed, please contact your program's Graduate Advisor to have the change reported to Graduate Division.

Presenting and Defending Your Dissertation

Ph.D. candidate submits the completed dissertation to their reading committee at least one month prior to the dissertation defense. 

Scheduling Your Defense

  • In collaboration with your committee schedule a defense date and time.
  • If your defense is going to be in-person or hybrid, please request a conference room here
  • If your defense is going to be virtual or hybrid, it is your responsibility to create a Zoom link. Please make sure to add your committee chair as a co-host, so they can handle logistics while you are presenting.
  • If you are unfamiliar with Zoom, please see instructions here.
  • At least two weeks prior to your exam date an announcement regarding your defense should be sent out to the SOE community.  Please make sure you have the date, time, location, title and abstract ready when submitting your request via the Advancement/Defense Notification Request button below.

Advancement/Defense Notification Request

Filing Your MS project, MS thesis or Dissertation

Please see Planning to Graduate for detailed instructions on how to file your dissertation and complete the degree