Thesis and Dissertation Requirements

All students pursuing a Ph.D. or a M.S. with thesis option (track I) are required to submit their thesis (for M.S. students) or dissertation (for Ph.D. students) as partial fulfillment of graduation requirements. The Office of Graduate Research Services coordinates the final format review process, and is responsible for ensuring that all theses/dissertations adhere to certain formatting and submission requirements.

Your first step is to visit the Office of Graduate Services' Thesis and Dissertation Requirements page, which provides an overview of the relevant requirements. Specifically, this page provides:

• a list of Thesis and Dissertation submission requirements,
• the Thesis & Dissertation Manual, which provides detailed information on thesis format requirements, deadlines, etc., 
• the Thesis & Dissertation Format Checklist, which should be used in conjunction with the Thesis & Dissertation Manual. 
• A very handy guide - Thesis/Dissertation Paperwork and Formatting Approval Process - that provides a step-by-step flowchart of the entire thesis/dissertation process, including when to turn in the necessary forms and what to expect during the final format review process.

Also note that all students in M.S. Research Track or the Ph.D. program must file:

• a Thesis/Dissertation Committee Appointment Form , typically during the first year of the program;
• a Thesis Approval Form or a Dissertation Approval Form, presented to the Thesis / Dissertation Committee members for their approval and signatures, prior to submission to the Office of Graduate Research Services; and
• a separate College of Engineering Thesis / Dissertation Approval Form that must also be approved/signed by the Committee, which submitted to the Associate Dean for Research.